You’ve had an uneventful pregnancy and can’t wait for your new family member to arrive. But there are a few complications during childbirth, and not everything goes according to plan. Tragically, the baby that was given a “clean bill of health” during your prenatal visits is diagnosed with a brain injury.

While modern medicine and new advances in technology allow for better monitoring of the mother and child during pregnancy and labor, and have significantly reduced the amount of birth-related injuries, birth-related brain injury will never be completely eradicated. Unfortunately, medical negligence is responsible for a portion of birth-related brain injuries every year.

Birth-related brain injury can be caused by a number of factors, including the following:

• Improper monitoring during pregnancy
• Failure to screen for, diagnose, or treat infection in the mother or child
• Misdiagnosis of labor
• Lack of electronic fetal monitoring, not properly reading the electronic fetal monitor, or a defective electronic fetal monitor
• Premature rupture of membranes that is not followed by birth within 24 hours
• Abnormalities in the placenta
• Improper administration or dosage of labor-inducing drugs
• Caesarean section delays

If your child is born with a brain injury, it’s important to rule out medical malpractice as a cause. Contact us to find out how we can help.