Understanding Infant Brain Damage Symptoms From Our Portland Birth Injury Lawyers
One of the most traumatic types of injuries to newborns is infant brain damage. This could be caused by a variety of issues, but it can also cause a variety of problems. Generally, the earlier that infant brain injuries are detected the quicker that intervention can begin. This is why it is important for parents to know the infant brain damage symptoms in order to protect the rights of their loved ones. Our Portland birth injury lawyers explain these important infant brain damage symptoms and how they can be caused.
What are Infant Brain Injuries?
Infant brain injuries are any type of brain injury to a newborn child. The injuries could range from mild to severe, and they could be disabling or curable. Some of the injuries could just be temporary, but most are permanent to some degree.
Infant brain injuries could be nerve damage such as those which cause seizures, or they could be larger lesions which causes cerebral palsy. These injuries generally occur during the labor and delivery process and can result due to hypoxic (decreased oxygen flow) or anoxic (complete lack of oxygen).
How Does Infant Brain Damage Occur?
There are many causes of infant brain damage. The most common examples include those during the labor and delivery process, which include the following:
- Excessive use of forceps or vacuum extraction tools
- Excessive contractions that are not managed with medication
- Overdose of Pitocin
- Failure to monitor for and identify fetal distress
- Delayed c-sections
- Improper surgical methods during c-section
- Delays in performing infant resuscitation
- Umbilical cord injuries or prolapse
- Umbilical cord separation from the uterine wall, and
- Other complications.
These complications can result in undue stress on a baby. They can cause the stress traumatically, or they could cause the stress indirectly such as affecting oxygen supply. Victims who are seriously injured by any of these instances of medical malpractice may be entitled to compensation for their personal injuries. This is why it is important to know the infant brain damage symptoms.
Understanding Infant Brain Damage Symptoms
Unlike adults or teenagers, when an infant suffers brain damage he or she cannot just tell you that something is wrong. In fact, most times an infant does not even indicate that there are any injuries. Subtle signs such as cradling an arm could be a sign of a traumatic nerve injury. Yet, this could also be a common trait of some babies.
Thus, it is important to understand infant brain damage symptoms in order to report your findings to your primary care physician. This can allow intervention to begin at once. Some of the most common warning signs and symptoms of infant brain injuries and damage include the following:
- Excessive crying that is not resolved with cuddling, consoling, or offering feeding
- Physical symptoms such as malformation of the head or neck
- Stiffness in the neck
- Distorted final features
- Shrill crying
- Fussy eater
- Excessive lethargy
- Extreme sleeping
- No leg kicking and movement
- No arm movement
- Guarding or cradling an arm or leg
- Irritability
- Not responding to stimuli
- Not grabbing or wrapping fingers around other fingers or hands
- General discomfort
- Eyes not tracking moving objects or individuals, and
- Other troubling symptoms.
Concerned That Oregon Medical Malpractice Caused Birth Injuries to Your Child? Ask Our Portland Brain Injury Lawyers For Help
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.
