There are approximately 20,000 infant deaths in the United States every year, and birth injuries account for 20% of those deaths: birth injuries are the fourth leading cause of death among infants.
It is estimated that fetal distress occurs in 5% to 10% of deliveries. About 3% of babies are born with congenital abnormalities. Preeclampsia occurs in 5% to 7% of pregnancies in the United States and is associated with proteins in the mother’s urine and high blood pressure in the mother. Failure of medical providers to timely diagnosis and treat preeclampsia in the mother may lead to a bad outcome and can be the basis of a birth injury medical malpractice claim.
3% to 4% of babies are in the breach position when labor starts and often require delivery by cesarean section. The failure of medical staff to promptly perform a cesarean section delivery for a baby in the breach position may be the basis for a medical malpractice claim if the baby suffers serious harm as a result.
Erb’s palsy (brachial plexus palsy) can be a serious and permanent nerve injury suffered by the baby and occurs in approximately 1 in every 1,000 live births in the United States. A baby who suffers a brachial plexus inury during delivery may have suffered the condition as a result of the failure to promptly and properly deliver the baby, and may be the basis of a birth injury medical malpractice claim.
Cerebral palsy is diagnosed in 8,000 to 10,000 children every year in the United States. The cause of cerebral palsy may be the lack of adequate oxygen to the baby’s brain during labor and delivery, and may have been avoidable with prompt and proper medical care. Therefore, if your child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy early in life, you should promptly consult with a birth injury medical malpractice lawyer near you who may investigate whether your child’s cerebral palsy resulted from wrongful medical care during labor and delivery.
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a severe brain injury caused by the lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain during labor and delivery and is a leading cause of neonatal death. HIE is estimated to be present in 1% to 2% of live births in the United States every year. If your baby was diagnosed with HIE, your should promptly consult with a birth injury medical malpractice lawyer near you who may investigate whether your child’s HIE was due to medical malpractice during labor and delivery.
Intrauterine fetal demise (stillbirth) is defined as the baby’s death at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. There were an estimated 21,000 fetal deaths in 2020 in the United States. The cause of stillbirth may never be known (the cause of 76% of stillbirths cannot be determined) but medical malpractice may have caused the death in utero. If you or a loved one experienced a stillbirth, you should promptly consult with a local birth injury medical malpractice lawyer who may be able to assist you in determining if medical malpractice caused the stillbirth.
Untreated kernicterus (when a newborn has too high of a bilirubin concentration in their blood) can result in cerebral palsy, hearing loss, vision loss, or intellectual disabilities. About 1 in 44,000 of newborns develop kernicterus. If your newborn’s jaundice was not properly treated, you should consult with a birth injury medical malpractice lawyer who may help you determine if medical malpractice caused or contributed to your newborn’s injuries.
Brain injury in a newborn affects 3 out of every 1,000 births. If your baby suffered a brain injury during pregnancy or delivery, you should promptly contact a birth injury medical malpractice lawyer to investigate the cause of the brain injury in your baby.
If your baby suffered a spinal cord injury, which is a rare condition that most often occurs when the baby’s neck or spine was bent or otherwise compromised during delivery, you should promptly contact a birth injury medical malpractice lawyer near you who may investigate the cause of your baby’s spine injury and represent you and your baby in a birth injury medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
If you or your baby suffered a birth injury (or worse) during labor and/or delivery in the United States, you should promptly find a birth injury lawyer in your state who may investigate your birth injury claim for you and represent you and your child in a birth injury medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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