Birth Injuries: If You Worry Something Went Wrong

Sometimes a mother just knows. Though there are certain complications which indicate that a birth injury may have occurred, such as the baby being born gray or blue, or indications the umbilical cord may have strangled the child, or a prolonged and difficult birth with changes in fetal heart rate, sometimes the delivery seems to go smoothly from the mother’s point of view but she still feels something is wrong.

Moving away from obvious complications, one particularly important thing that those present for the birth should be on the lookout for is signs the delivery staff is stressed. Though doctors and nurses may not be forthcoming with the parents regarding something going wrong, there are frequently signs that something abnormal is occurring, and these abnormal events can result in birth injury. Obviously the mother has other things to focus on during birth, so it is up to the father or other supportive individuals in the room to pay attention.

When something odd occurs, or if the mother has a bad feeling, family should be aware that there are some immediate symptoms of birth injury, including:

• Colic, or excessive fussiness even when the child is soothed, wrapped, or otherwise cared for
• Difficulties feeding, particularly difficulties swallowing
• Sensitivity to light

Though these symptoms can also occur in infants who have not suffered a brain injury, combining them with mother’s intuition might indicate that a full evaluation by a doctor should be performed. Though parents cannot and should not self-diagnose these things, a doctor can often only make a proper diagnosis at this age with significant input from those closest to the child.

If you suspect your child suffered a birth injury, determining the cause can be exceptionally difficult unless an obvious birth trauma occurred. There is no incentive for labor and delivery personnel to be honest about what might gone wrong. Please consider reaching out to an experienced attorney regarding your case.