The Impacts of a Birth Injury or Trauma

The entire family suffers when a birth injury occurs. This can include parents, siblings and extended family as well.

Modern medical advances have had many positive impacts on pregnancy and childbirth in Texas. However, those advances by no means eliminate the reality that these can be complex medical situations. When complications arise, prompt and appropriate medical attention is needed and can be life-altering. The lack of proper response, including any delay in treatment, can cause long-term disabilities or even death for mothers and babies.

Families who suffer these traumatic incidents must grapple with new expectations for their futures and the futures of their newborn children. Cerebral palsy is one of the most common conditions that results from birth injuries and its impact touches every member of a family.

How many babies are affected by cerebral palsy?

Certainly not all cases of cerebral palsy are direct results of birth injuries. However, it is cited by WebMD.com that as many as 20 percent of all cerebral palsy sufferers contracted the condition through a birth injury. In these situations, the amount of oxygen flowing to a baby’s brain becomes limited or even completely cut off. Without sufficient oxygen, the delicate brain tissue of the baby is damaged irreversibly.

Like other conditions such as Down’s Syndrome, the extent of the disabilities that result from cerebral palsy can range dramatically. Some children may have mild speech or motor skill impediments but be otherwise functional. Other children may be confined to wheelchairs and may never learn to speak or be able to care for themselves.

Everyone suffers

The United Cerebral Palsy Association does a lot to help parents and other family members with a child impacted by cerebral palsy. Information on the financial, emotional and logistical implications can be helpful to people as they first learn of this diagnosis. For many people, this process can be akin to that of a grief process with many phases of emotions to go through. This may include denial and anger before finally coming to acceptance.

In addition to learning how to care for their cerebral palsy children, parents must also balance the needs of any siblings in the homes. Care for parents themselves also becomes part of the equation as all members of a family still have needs that must be accommodated.

Important information to Texans

Our children should be handled with the utmost care during delivery. Anytime an error involving an baby’s medical care is suspected, a Texas resident should reach out to an experienced lawyer for help. The Houston medical malpractice lawyers at Hastings Law Firm can help you get justice.

A costly injury

Families with a child impacted by a birth injury in Houston must find ways to pay for the care and special needs of their child. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can cost as much as $1 million over the course of a person’s life to take care of someone with cerebral palsy. It is all but impossible to assume that medical insurance will take care of all of the associated costs.

This is one of the reasons that seeking help from an attorney after a birth injury occurs is encouraged. Assistance from an experienced legal professional is important when seeking compensation for these injuries.