Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer

Birth injuries occur when a physical injury during the birthing process has been suffered. While not all birth injuries can be preventable, some conditions can be the result of medical malpractice or negligence. Estimates have been made that between two and seven babies out of 1,000 will become injured during the birthing process.

Over the years there has been certain conditions that have been identified as more common birth injuries. These difficult births have been identified to more often occur with certain characteristics. For instance, common birth injuries may be observed to occur with large babies, premature babies, a prolonged labor, breech presentation, the mother has cephalopelvic disproportion, or it is a difficult labor.

Common birth injuries can range in severity, but can include:
Brachial plexus injury
Bruising/forceps mark
Caput succedaneum
Cephalohematoma
Cerebral Palsy
Facial paralysis
Factures
Subconjunctival hemorrhage

Birth injuries are also sometimes referred to as birth trauma. Naturally, when common birth injuries have been suffered, parents would like to know what caused them. Determining the exact factor or factors for a birth injury can sometimes be difficult to identify because several variables may have contributed. In addition, some common birth injuries have no apparent cause for existing and are merely an unfortunate incident.

A large baby is considered to be at a birth weight of over around 8lbs and 13ozs. Medical experts will be able to identify if a baby has a higher risk for suffering from common birth injuries and should take steps to reduce the likelihood of it. A baby is considered to be premature when it has been born before 37 weeks. When premature, common birth injuries become more likely since the baby has not been allowed to fully develop and will be more fragile.

For more information on common birth injuries, please contact us. Some birth injuries are the direct result of medical error and negligence and an attorney can notify you of your legal rights and options.