Birth Injuries
The Trauma Of Birth Injuries To Your Newborn Baby
Having a baby should be – and usually is – a time of joy, jubilation, celebration and excitement. If, however, something goes wrong and your brand new baby is subjected to birth injuries when he or she is born, this time can turn from joy to horror and the memories you may take away from what should be a miraculous event may not be very pleasant at all.
This is especially true if the birth injuries sustained by your baby have further consequences and affect the quality of his or her life – and you and your family’s – especially if these are injuries with lifelong repercussions. Some of the most common birth injuries include:
- Scalp bruising, cuts or marks, which are most common when babies are delivered via forceps or vacuum extraction.
- Bleeding under the skin of the head, which will be seen as a raised bump on the head and may take weeks or months to go away.
- Paralysis of some or all of the baby’s face, also very common with forceps deliveries and sometimes attributable to torn nerves, which may necessitate surgery to fix.
- Lack of oxygen if the baby is not delivered quickly enough in the case of complications, which may lead to permanent brain damage.
- Fracture of the baby’s collarbone when there are difficulties delivering the shoulders or in the case of breech births, which can cause the infant pain and discomfort until healed.
While many of these birth injuries may not be permanent or have long lasting effects, many are. If you suspect or know that your baby suffered trauma due to medical negligence whilst you were giving birth, you should immediately consult with an experienced medical negligence attorney to discuss the merits of your case.
For more information on birth injuries and when and how to institute legal action to claim for damages, contact Adele van der Walt Inc, to discuss your options.
For more information on this subject, please give us a call at 012 460 3668 (SA) or e-mail us at clare@avdw.co.za
