Birth Injuries: Infant Brain Damage

Has Your Child Suffered a Preventable Birth Injury in New York?

A birth injury can have lifetime implications for a child, especially when it comes to injury to the brain. Affecting millions of infants each year, children with preventable birth-related brain injuries may suffer permanent or long-term neurological problems and a host of physical disabilities.

If doctor negligence or a dangerous drug caused your child’s birth injury, you owe it to yourself and your child to call Mirman, Markovits & Landau as soon as possible to begin filing a claim for compensation.

Common Causes of Infant Brain Damage

There are a number of ways an infant can sustain brain damage. These include:

• Oxygen deprivation: Also called birth asphyxia, oxygen deprivation affects four out of every 1,000 full-term births. Umbilical cord problems, constricted airways, problems with the mother’s blood pressure, anemia, or getting stuck in the birth canal are just some of the causes of oxygen deprivation. Even a few minutes without oxygen puts a newborn at risk for lifelong brain damage. Babies who do not receive immediate care for this condition after delivery are at risk for conditions like cerebral palsy, developmental delay, and learning disabilities.
• Infant jaundice: A common condition usually seen in premature babies, jaundice is a yellowish staining of the eyes and skin. If left untreated, dangerous amounts of the pigment bilirubin can build up in the baby’s blood, causing a condition called kernicterus. This form of brain damage is characterized by high-pitched screaming, lethargy, an abnormal arching of the back, and high fever. Babies may also suffer acute bilirubin encephalopathy, a more serious condition that may also impair the child’s ability to suck or feed.
• Untreated infections in the mother: Infections like herpes, syphilis, varicella, and rubella that are not identified or treated by doctors could result in neonatal brain damage. Failure to properly treat preeclampsia is another source of risk for brain damage. Infections also increase the likelihood that a child will be born prematurely, which in turn increases the risk for cerebral palsy and brain damage.
• Physical trauma: Aside from actual physical injuries such as Erb’s palsy caused by malpractice, birth injuries are the number one cause of intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy in the United States. Medical mistakes, including improper use of birth-assisting tools, performing a delivery too quickly, or pulling or twisting the child during a difficult labor are common causes of injury.

Symptoms of Infant Brain Damage

Infant brain damage may manifest itself through any of the following symptoms:

• Abnormal physical appearance, including difficulty focusing their eyes, deformed facial features, or unusually small skulls
• Abnormal temperament, including high-pitched cries, refusing nourishment, or being extremely fussy
• Developmental Delays, including not being able to crawl or smile by the usual age

Proven Birth Injury Attorney Serving New York City & NY State

Our team has a proven record recovering millions of dollars in compensation for birth injury victims and families across the state. If you suspect that your child suffered a brain injury at birth caused by a doctor error, request a consultation with a New York birth injury lawyer to learn more about filing a claim. You may be eligible for compensation to use towards past and future medical care for your child. Case evaluations are provided free of charge, and there are no attorney fees unless we make a recovery on your case.

Let us help you pursue the justice you deserve – contact Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. today.