There are many different types of birth injury that can occur to a newborn baby. Many of these are unavoidable. If a mother’s birth canal is too small, or if the baby is large and does not fit, injury to the child can occur. If the baby is in a breech position, with the head up instead of down, a birth injury can occur.

With medical technology being what it is today, serious birth injuries have been greatly reduced among births in developed countries. However, birth injuries still occur from time to time. Sometimes, the doctor or medical staff attending the birth can avoid these injuries because they are caused by wrongful practices.

A head injury is the most common type of birth injury. This is largely due to the fact that the head on a newborn is so moldable, and also because it is the first thing that goes through the mother’s birth canal. This means that the baby’s head experiences considerable pressure during labor. Most babies experience some swelling and even bruising of their head, but this is usually not a problem and disappears a few days after birth. However, sometimes serious injury can occur. While it is rare, sometimes the skull can have a fracture. This does heal, but needs to be monitored to ensure that it is not putting pressure on the brain.

A nerve injury is another type of birth injury. Many nerve injuries are injuries the child can recover from in just a few months or so. They may be caused because of the use of forceps during delivery. However, there are more serious spinal injuries that can occur. Sometimes during delivery, a situation known as shoulder dystocia occurs. This is when the baby’s shoulders will not fit through the birth canal. The doctor has to work carefully to get the baby out without cutting off oxygen to the child. However, in the meantime the nerves that control the arms and the hands of the child may be pinched. If this results in swelling and bruising, the child may lose the ability to move one arm. This usually goes away, but occasionally the problem stems from a tearing of the nerve which can become permanent paralysis.

Brian injuries are another type of birth injury. When the brain does not receive enough oxygen during birth, it stops functioning properly. As a result, the child can be born with mental retardation or cerebral palsy. This leads to a lifetime of medical treatment and special therapies.

The good news about birth injuries is that most are not serious and heal on their own. In fact, many parents do not even know that some of the less obvious birth injuries have occurred. When a birth injury results in long-term consequences, many parents turn to birth injury lawyers to help them determine if the doctors involved in the delivery were at fault.

Some parents may not wish to work with a lawyer, particularly if the doctor or hospital acknowledges their fault and wishes to settle out of court. However, this is not a good course of action for many reasons. First, many parents are unaware of the extent of compensation they are due. If, for example, a severe birth injury makes it difficult for them to care for their other healthy children, filing a birth injury lawsuit with a qualified attorney means you could gain the cost of the injured child’s medical care as well as the cost of hiring a nanny to help you care for your other children. Many parents lose out on this type of monetary compensation because they do not seek a lawyer.

Remember, your child’s future is what you are working towards when you file a birth injury lawsuit. Talk to an attorney as soon as you can— your child’s future security is at stake.