When a baby suffers an injury at birth, it makes a tremendous impact on your life and everyone else’s too. Whether it is your siblings, parents, or extended family, it is an experience that is harrowing.
While medical advancements have made it easier to handle complex births, there are still situations where things go awry leading to birth injuries. When these complications pop up, it becomes important to have a medical professional that can handle those situations without missing a beat. Unfortunately, there are times when that doesn’t happen, and it leads to significant, life-changing injuries. This can even be something as simple as not taking the time to go through proper precautions or not responding to birth injuries as soon as they happen.
Anyone that goes through these types of incidents will have to adjust how they move forward in life and how they take care of their newborn baby. Cerebral palsy is a condition that is commonly associated with birth injuries and it can have a big impact on everyone. If your child suffered cerebral palsy as a result of medical malpractice, contact a birth injury attorney in Houston right away.
Understanding the Effect of Cerebral Palsy on Babies
It is important to note, while cerebral palsy is common in the world of birth injuries, it is not always caused by negligence. However, professionals believe approximately 20% of all cerebral palsy cases are avoidable and happen because the medical professional was negligent or careless. This has to do with the amount of oxygen that is going to the baby’s brain during the birthing process. If there is not enough oxygen going to the baby’s brain, this can lead to major developmental issues. In some cases, the damage can be too traumatic, leading to death during birth. Other times, children only suffer milder disabilities such as speech impediments.
These details are going to vary on a case-to-case basis. This is why it’s important to understand what your situation entails and how much of an impact the doctor had on the situation your baby is in right now. There are times when a baby is going to grow up to be confined to a wheelchair.
Universal Suffering
According to professionals in the medical industry, everyone tends to suffer when it comes to a child with cerebral palsy. This has to do with the emotional pain, financial stress, and logistical concerns that are going to come along with the situation. It is not easy to handle and it can become difficult to get through the grief while raising a baby.
It’s also difficult to learn how to care for children with cerebral palsy. There are so many details to go through and each one matters over the long haul.
The Financial Aspect
A birth injury is more than just the nature of the pain that comes along with cerebral palsy. It also has to do with the expenses that are going to involve taking care of the child post-birth. The cost of raising a child with cerebral palsy is going to end up close to one million dollars depending on what the child requires to lead a reasonably healthy life. In a lot of cases, these costs are not going to be covered by insurance, which means it is going to be on the parent(s) to take care of everything.
As a result, it becomes important to seek compensation for what has taken place at the hands of a negligent medical professional.
A birth injury attorney will shed light on how the compensation process is going to work and will also be able to negotiate with the insurance provider to see what your options are.
Key Steps After Finding Out About a Birth Injury
Let’s assume you believe the child has become a victim of a birth injury due to negligence. In this situation, it’s time to fight for your legal rights by following the steps listed below:
- Compile relevant contact information for involved parties (i.e. hospital, physicians, medical professionals)
- Create a list of medical procedures performed on the baby and/or mother
- Set up a timeline of all relevant events associated with the pregnancy/birth
- Write down any prescription drugs taken during the pregnancy
- List concerns associated with the birthing process
- Speak to a qualified birth injury lawyer and go through the case details one-by-one
Contact a Birth Injury Attorney in Houston
Medical malpractice cases involve a myriad of situations, with birth injuries being among the most disturbing. Several traumatic details come along with these experiences, including the physical harm and psychological pain of a birth injury. A moment that is supposed to celebrate the birth of a baby becomes a moment that is challenging and full of despair. If you feel like your baby has been mishandled and there was some form of medical malpractice at play, it’s important to consult with a trusted birth injury attorney in Houston.
It’s important to seek assistance from someone that is experienced and will know how to handle the situation right away.
If your child has been a victim of medical malpractice during delivery, it’s essential to seek justice and fight for your legal rights. This can be done by speaking to a trusted law firm and learning more about what can be done on your behalf. The team of lawyers at McDonald Worley will be more than happy to help out with these details and can make sure the case is presented carefully. To get started, call our law firm and set up a free consultation.