While the majority of doctors provide excellent care, occasionally difficulties arise and during labor and delivery, causing an infant to suffer a birth injury. Although in some situations, a poor outcome may be unavoidable, other times a birth trauma may be the result of a preventable medical error or medical malpractice.
For parents facing this difficult situation, it may be nearly impossible to determine the factors that may have resulted in a particular outcome, especially during a time where there may be significant confusion, sadness and grief. If your child has suffered a birth injury, it is critical to talk to a knowledgeable California birth injury lawyer to help determine your next steps.
Further, while in some situations a birth injury is immediately apparent at birth, other times it may take a year or more until you are fully aware of the extent of an injury. For example, while you may be aware that your infant suffered a lack of oxygen or other trauma during birth, how this affects your child's development may not be known for several years. Symptoms of cerebral palsy, a condition that has been linked to birth trauma and a lack of oxygen to the brain of a newborn, may not show until your child is 2 or 3.
While symptoms of cerebral palsy vary, they are often evidenced by difficulties related to the nervous system such as the loss of movement or coordination. Other sympotms may include cognitive challenges in the ability to think and learn and abnormal hearing and eyesight. Many times, individuals diagnosed with cerebral palsy also have trouble moving and controlling their limbs, maintaining balance and coordination, and abnormal posture.
If you believe that your child may have suffered a birth injury, including cerebral palsy, as the result of medical malpractice, you should speak to an experienced California birth injury attorney right away. Please contact a dedicated California cerebral palsy attorney at Bostwick & Peterson for an immediate, confidential consultation.