NYC Birth Injury Attorney

Common Birth Injuries

Birth injuries are traumas suffered by babies during the birth process. Most birth injuries are caused by pressure put on the baby during the passage through the birth canal. Birth injuries can range from mild, like minor bruising to severe forms of nerve or brain damage. The most common birth injuries in New York City include:

• Bruising and forceps marks
• Subconjunctival hemorrhage - breakage of small blood vessels in the eyes of a baby
• Caput succedaneum - severe swelling of baby's scalp, usually as a result of vacuum extraction
• Cephalohematoma - bleeding between a bone and its fibrous covering
• Facial paralysis – injury to the facial nerve as a result of pressure on baby’s face during delivery
• Cerebral Palsy – brain damage that affects control of motor functions
• Brachial plexus injuries (Erb’s palsy and Klumpke’s palsy)
• Fractured bones - in most cases the fractured bone is the clavicle or collar bone
• Brain injury as a result of oxygen deprivation

What Causes Birth Injuries

Most New York City birth injuries are caused by the baby’s size or the position of the baby during labor and delivery. Conditions that may be associated with a difficult birth include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Abnormal birthing presentation (breech delivery)
• Dystocia - difficult labor or childbirth
• Cephalopelvic disproportion - the size and shape of the mother's pelvis not being adequate for the baby to be born by vaginal delivery
• Large babies – birth weight over 4,000 grams (8 pounds, 13 ounces)
• Prematurity - babies born before 37 weeks (bodies of premature babies are more fragile and they may be more easily injured)
• Prolonged labor

Some illnesses and injuries are immediately obvious, and others may not show symptoms until later. If you have a suspicion that your baby may have suffered an avoidable neonatal injury, it is essential to contact your New York City birth injuries attorney.

The New York City birth injuries law firm of Jacob D. Fuchsberg can help with a birth injury lawsuit, a settlement or with a legal advice. For a free consultation, contact us today at 212-869-3500 or complete our web form.