As parents of a child who has been diagnosed with or is showing symptoms of cerebral palsy, you may be wondering whether their condition might have been caused by medical negligence during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Understanding the link between preventable medical errors and cerebral palsy is the first step in determining whether or not you have grounds for a birth injury claim.
At Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger Norfleet, LLC, our Kansas City cerebral palsy lawyers can evaluate your case to determine if medical malpractice played a role in your child's diagnosis. Our team has experience handling birth injury cases, and we can help explain your family's rights and options for seeking compensation to provide for the medical care, therapy, and support services your child needs.
Potential Causes: How Medical Negligence Can Lead to Cerebral Palsy
Brain damage that takes place before, during, or shortly folllowing birth often causes cerebral palsy. While some cases are unavoidable, others result from preventable medical errors during labor and delivery. Examples include:
Delayed C-Section Response
When fetal monitoring shows signs of distress, medical professionals must act quickly to deliver the baby by C-section in order to prevent oxygen deprivation. Even a brief delay in performing an emergency C-section can lead to devastating brain damage.
Improper Use of Birth-Assistance Tools
Medical instruments play an important role in delivering a baby, but they must be used properly. Proper technique is required when using medical tools like forceps and vacuum extractors. Excessive force or incorrect positioning can cause trauma to the baby's developing brain.
Mistakes in Fetal Monitoring
Proper fetal monitoring is critical, and errors can lead to serious consequences. Health care providers must carefully track both the mother's and baby's vital signs throughout labor and delivery. When medical personnel miss critical warning signs of fetal distress or maternal complications, this can have catastrophic consequences.
Medication Errors
Improper dosing or incorrect timing of labor-inducing drugs like Pitocin can cause dangerous complications that may lead to brain damage.
Key Symptoms: Recognizing the Early Signs of Cerebral Palsy
Early intervention is crucial for children with cerebral palsy. Common symptoms of cerebral palsy are listed below. Watch for signs like these in your child's development, and seek medical attention right away if you observe any of them.
Feeding Difficulties
Babies with cerebral palsy often have problems with sucking, swallowing, or coordinating eating-related movements that may be present from birth. Babies with this condition may also frequently choke or gag during feeding.
Movement and Coordination Issues
Movement and coordination issues are an early indicator that a baby has cerebral palsy. Babies with this condition often seem stiff or floppy, have trouble holding their heads up, demonstrate unusual postures, or strongly favor one side of their bodies.
Developmental Delays
Missing key milestones like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking could indicate cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy also commonly experience speech delays.
Legal Options to Protect Your Child's Future
Cerebral palsy has lasting effects. Your child deserves access to every possible treatment and therapy that could improve their quality of life, and those whose negligence or misconduct led to their condition should be held accountable. Exploring and understanding your legal options for injuries incurred during labor and delivery is an essential step in securing the resources your child needs. Our Kansas City cerebral palsy lawyers are available to help you navigate the options available to you and your child every step of the way.
Our team’s experienced birth injury lawyers are here to evaluate your case, explain the statute of limitations for a Missouri birth injury lawsuit, investigate to gather and secure evidence of medical malpractice or negligence, and fight for fair compensation. While no amount of money can undo what happened, pursuing the legal options available to you can help you provide your child with their best chance to reach their full potential A successful birth injury claim can help cover things like:
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Current and future medical expenses
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Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
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Adaptive equipment and home modifications
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Special education and intervention services
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Lost earning capacity
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Pain and suffering
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Reduced quality of life
By taking steps to hold negligent medical providers accountable, not only will you be protecting your child’s rights and those of your family, but you may also play a role in helping prevent other families from experiencing similar trauma.