Are you or your partner pregnant and expecting a baby in Pennsylvania? Have you had a child and maybe now are wondering why that baby has not met certain developmental milestones? These are just some of the situations in which you should make sure you are educated about some of the types of birth injuries that may occur if proper actions are not taken. Certainly, you want to trust that your health care team can take care of moms and babies but the more patients know, the better because errors can and do happen.

As WebMD explains, as many as one out of every five cases of cerebral palsy may be attributed to a birth injury. One of the factors that may result in the development of cerebral palsy is the lack of oxygen to a baby either before, during or even just after birth occurs. When the flow of oxygen and therefore nutrients is cut off, a baby may experience brain damage. The results of this brain damage vary from baby to baby.

Many children do not display symptoms of cerebral palsy for the first two or three years of their lives. Muscles may be extra stiff or floppy. Speech and vision may be hampered. Some children with cerebral palsy have learning disabilities or even mental retardation.

If you would like to learn more about what may lead a child to develop cerebral palsy and how to identify this condition, please feel free to visit the birth injury page of our Pennsylvania medical malpractice website.

Written on behalf of Friedman, Schuman, Applebaum & Nemeroff, P.C. Contact our firm for a consultation to discuss your legal matter.