Becoming a parent Is one of the most life-changing experiences you can be a part of. Not only is it enough to change a person’s values, but it generally makes them see life in a more positive light.
The miracle of childbirth is a profound part of human development. Becoming a parent is truly one of the most awe-inspiring events that may happen to you.
However, there is a dark side to this. No parent wants to face the reality that birth injuries are fairly common, and millions of Americans face impairments due to birth-related complications.
Though most parents accept their children’s differences and special needs, the fact remains that not many of them were expecting this.
Birth-related injuries catch you off guard and can make life fairly difficult. The main reasons birth injuries exist are inadequate care during pregnancy and during the time of labor.
This article addresses some of the most common birth injuries that affect new parents. This may be a somewhat hard-to-read article, but you need to know the facts and statistics.
Read on till the end of this article for five of the most common birth injuries.
1. Cerebral Palsy
There is a .003 % chance that your child could be born with cerebral palsy. However, the numbers aren’t that high.
The rising numbers are worrying, especially since these illnesses are mostly avoidable; it’s that much harder to digest.
If you are a parent of a newly born child with the condition, consider seeking legal advice concerning your options.
Gone are the days when a lawyer would cost you a fortune. Now free legal resources are easier to avail than ever before, and good quality lawyers are waiting to represent you.
After receiving a spell of bad news, taking on a legal case may be daunting. However, it would help if you remembered that you are perfectly entitled to claim damages.
Moreover, you will be setting an example for other parents and ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again.
2. Bone Fractures
These may not cause any significant long-term effects for the individual, but a newborn with broken or fractured bones is something to be concerned about.
This is a being that can’t express how much pain they are in and now must suffer one of the most excruciating pains known to man.
Moreover, the baby often must remain immobile for long periods to ensure that the bone heals properly.
If you know anything about infants, it’s that they can’t stay still. Therefore, a broken bone, coupled with extreme irritation, leaves you in a very uncomfortable situation.
Broken bones are fairly common during the labor process. The most common injury is a fractured clavicle which requires even stricter restricted mobility.
3. Asphyxiation
One of the most common birth injuries and causes of death in infants is lack of oxygen. A newborn can lose its oxygen supply for several reasons.
Perhaps the umbilical cord was wrapped around their neck for too long, or there were other complications with the breathing tube during delivery.
Either way, lack of oxygen is one of the most common and deadly birth injuries. Even if the baby survives, they could face seizures and even enter a coma because of the lack of oxygen going to the brain.
4. Spinal Cord Issues
Another common issue during birth is over usage of forceps. Forceps may be necessary sometimes; however, they need to be used with caution as the baby is extremely sensitive.
The forceps could unknowingly press on the baby’s back too hard and cause issues with the spinal cord. This could lead to paralysis in some instances and the spinal cord never fully developing.
The spinal cord is one of the most integral parts of a human being. Most of our mobility comes from the connection to our spinal cord and helps us function as normal human beings.
Spinal cord injuries or underdevelopment could drastically affect the quality of life of an infant. They may live their entire life in a vegetative state in some cases.
5. Facial Paralysis
Yet another kind of paralysis could render the baby unable to fully control their facial muscles for the rest of their lives.
This again is an extremely common occurrence that takes place during the birthing process. Due to the sheer pressure involved when giving birth, the nerves in the baby’s face may sustain damage, and full function might never return.
Moreover, forceps could play a crucial role in the onset of facial paralysis. Over usage could cause serious issues and lead to scratches, tears, pinches, and nerve damage in extreme cases.
Understandably you would think that the professional knows what they are doing, and 9/10 times they do.
It would be best to avoid forceps and vacuums as much as possible during the delivery process. The potential damage certainly outweighs the positives, as the damage could lead to lifelong injuries.
However, it takes one lapse of judgment or mistake to leave the child with lifelong injuries.
Conclusion
There we have it, some of the most common physical and mental disabilities during childbirth. The content in this article might have been hard to digest. However, it’s better that you know the reality of things rather than thinking the process is free from error.
If you feel that you have been wronged and a birth injury could have been avoided, consider seeking legal help as soon as possible to compensate for the damages.
This article has covered injuries ranging from cerebral palsy to facial paralysis. A stark theme that you may notice is that the use of tools is slowly being discouraged due to its inverse effects on newly-born children.
We hope you have learned something from this article and taken away something positive.
