What Are the Most Common Signs and Symptoms of a Birth Injury?

The most common signs of birth injuries are not often obvious. Many birth injuries involve changes to nerves, muscles, and brain function without causing serious, physically obvious injuries. Yet there are subtle signs and symptoms of birth injuries that families should monitor for and take action on when present.

Birth injuries occur during the labor and delivery process, or just after. They can range in severity, and in some cases, there may be no outward signs initially. It is vital to the success of your claim that you speak with a Chicago birth injury attorney as soon as possible.

Signs a Birth Injury May Have Happened

Right after a child’s birth and in the months to come, parents are the best resource for monitoring for signs of a birth injury. Some birth injuries may result from medical malpractice, such as mistakes or lapses in care during labor and delivery, making it important to document symptoms early.

If you see any of the following signs, act on them by getting your child additional medical care and potentially hiring a birth injury lawyer in Chicago to guide you.

• Difficult breathing: A child who suffers labored or irregular breathing patterns may have suffered a birth injury, often related to oxygen deprivation during the delivery process.
• Difficult nursing: Not all children with difficulty nursing have a birth injury, but trouble latching, sucking, or swallowing could be initial indications of nerve or brain damage, especially if this does not improve quickly.
• Challenges with swallowing: Children may struggle to swallow and often appear to choke.
• Involuntary movements: Seizures, spasms, or tremors are a potential indication of birth injuries caused by brain injuries.
• Stiff and rigid muscles: Unnatural muscle tone or stiffness, or limitations on free movement of limbs, may be the result of neurological damage from conditions like cerebral palsy
• Hypersensitivity: This typically impacts children with conditions like Erb’s palsy or cerebral palsy, leading to super sensitivity to light or sound, often brought on by trauma during delivery
• Floppy or weak muscles: Some children may suffer super lax muscles, called hypotonia, brought on by damage to nerves and muscles during the birth process
• Lack of response: Some children exhibit an empty gaze or fail to respond to touch or sound. This may be due to cognitive damage or sensory processing concerns brought on by birth injuries
• Excessive crying: Some children cry frequently and without an obvious reason. You may not understand what your child’s needs are, but crying, especially when touched or moved, may indicate the child is experiencing pain from an injury.

Many times, a child’s birth injuries will not be immediately obvious. The child may appear healthy and normal at birth. However, if you notice these symptoms early on, it is well worth working with doctors and your birth injury attorney to gather additional evidence of what happened during the birth process that may contribute to this. Do not assume doctors and nurses will be upfront with you about these details.

Monitoring for Condition Changes

Also note that many children with birth injuries show signs of them in the coming months and years. Developmental delays, including missing milestones like rolling over or sitting up, may not seem related initially to mistakes at birth, but they can be. When you notice these symptoms, especially when they continue to worsen, or when more than one symptom occurs, it may be time to take action.

Protecting Your Child and Future

If you suspect there are signs of a birth injury in your child, do not wait to take action. Speak to a birth injury lawyer in Chicago as soon as possible to start seeking financial recovery of damages. These resources can be critical to protecting your financial future. Take these steps to get more information.

• Report what is happening to the child’s doctor. Ask for extensive testing and communicate concerns openly. If your doctor brushes you off, move on to another provider for a second opinion. As a parent, you will need to take steps to protect your child in these situations.
• Speak to a birth injury attorney early on. Your Chicago birth injury lawyer not only will help you hold those who did this accountable, but they can also act right away to preserve evidence. Evidence from the medical records and statements from nurses and others present during the birth process can provide critical data you need later.
• Work to get your child the care they need. Often, specialists providing care, such as medical providers and rehabilitation professionals, can determine what may have caused these injuries. Their opinion can be valuable in filing a birth injury claim.

These details become a critical resource in building your child’s claim for compensation. Even if you are not sure there is anything wrong, by taking these steps, you can document what is occurring quickly and get your child the care they need, which may help avoid further loss.

Educate Yourself on Birth Injuries

Another important step to take as a parent is to educate yourself on birth injuries and just how complex they can be. Remember, your child cannot tell you what happened, but the more information you have about what could have happened, the better you can help them.

Some of the most common birth injuries involve:

• Bone fractures, especially the collarbone
• Facial paralysis brought on by pressure on the face during delivery or forceps use
• Nerve damage, including brachial plexus palsy, which is damage to the nerves that control the arms and hands
• Head and brain injuries, including bleeding under the scalp, swelling under the scalp, or intracranial hemorrhage, all of which can occur when too much force is used during the birth process
• Soft tissue injuries, including painless broken blood vessels, lacerations, and bruising, often from the use of forceps

If you suspect any of these types of incidents occurred, or you are unsure what is happening with your child, be aggressive in seeking help.

Hire an Experienced Chicago Birth Injury Lawyer That Can Help You

Contact a birth injury attorney from Taxman, Pollock & Bekkerman at (312) 586-1700 who can offer clear insight into what your legal rights are. A Chicago birth injury lawyer becomes a resource for finding out what really happened to your child so you can get answers.