Cerebral palsy is a term to describe any brain disorder that affects the muscles in the body. These disorders can cause a variety of problems including affecting muscle control, coordination, and body movement. A diagnosis of cerebral palsy can be overwhelming for any parent to hear, but what can be even more concerning is discovering how your child got cerebral palsy.

Cerebral Palsy can be contracted in different ways. Congenital cerebral palsy is when there is either an infection or a birth injury that cased the condition. The United Cerebral Palsy organization says that approximately 90% of children with cerebral palsy received it from either an infection or a birth injury. If a child has been a victim of medical malpractice, a cerebral palsy lawyer can be of great help to the family in order to obtain compensation for the doctor’s mistakes.

What kind of mistakes can cause cerebral palsy? There are quite a few. When a woman is pregnant, her doctor is responsible for both her health and the health of her unborn child. A failure to properly date the pregnancy may result in a premature birth. This is extremely dangerous to infants because their internal organs, including their lungs and brain, may not have matured fully enough to sustain life properly. If the brain has not developed enough, the child may have a permanent brain injury that results in cerebral palsy. Underdeveloped lungs can also cause the condition. If the baby’s lungs are not fully capable of oxygenating the blood and brain, the absence of oxygen can cause cerebral palsy. If this has occurred, the parents of the baby should contact a cerebral palsy lawyer.

Undiagnosed infections that occur during pregnancy, such as German Measles also called Rubella, can have an adverse effect on the growing fetus. These infections can spread into the baby’s brain causing bleeding or damage to the delicate brain tissue. The mother’s physician is responsible for diagnosing any potential threat to the baby as well as for taking actions to stop the problem.

There are many things that can go wrong during labor. The physician and medical team are responsible for safely delivering the infant into the world. Sometimes the unthinkable happens and the labor is stalled. This may happen because the baby is very large, or because the mother’s birth canal is very small. If this happens the doctor needs to take immediate action to remove the child from the birth canal as the cord may be wrapped around the baby’s neck and might be denying the brain of oxygen. Failure to act swiftly can cause brain damage in the central cortex and lead to cerebral palsy. In situations such as this, it is paramount that the child’s parents contact a cerebral palsy lawyer to discuss their case.

If the baby gets stuck in the womb because his or her shoulder gets jammed behind the mother’s pelvis bone, this is called shoulder dystocia. A shoulder dystocia can be a definite cause for concern when it occurs during labor as the doctor will need to perform certain actions in order to see the baby delivered. Doctors are trained to try to turn the baby using various maneuvers and equipment. Sometimes they use excessive force and may break the clavicle of the infant. In the worst case, they may damage the nerves in the back of the neck of the child or cause bleeding to occur inside the brain if they find it necessary to use forceps or a vacuum to help extract the baby from the womb. Either of these situations can lead to cerebral palsy and a life full of therapy for the child.

Cerebral palsy lawyers are trained to be able to assist parents whose children have this condition. They will examine the case and make sure it is a valid claim before advising parents of their numerous possibilities. A cerebral palsy lawyer will then walk the parents through the procedures necessary to obtain justice and compensation for their child’s life-changing condition.