Do you have questions and the doctors are not answering questions about your baby brain injury? If this is happening to you, then the purpose of this Maryland birth injury article is to help you understand one important step you can take to find answers. We are frequently contacted by families that have a lot of questions surrounding their baby’s challenges, be it not meeting neonatal milestones, or being taken to the NICU immediately following delivery.
With the above stated, there are some things that families can do to help get the answers that they deserve in times like this when their baby is facing challenges. Getting a second opinion regarding your baby’s condition is not the only thing a family can do, but it can be an important tool.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY BABY MIGHT HAVE A BIRTH INJURY?
Before talking about the importance of a second opinion, I would like to share with you how parents can sometimes be on alert that their baby might have suffered a brain injury at birth, notably, a brain injury. Generally, these things might tip parents off that things may not have went right during the labor and delivery:
- Meconium present when the water breaks (meconium is the baby’s stool and if this substance is present with other critical findings on the electronic fetal heart strips)
- Baby is blue in color
- Low APGAR scores
- Immediate admission into the NICU
- Seizures following birth and head/brain scans
- HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or a reduced level of blood and oxygen during the delivery which can lead to a brain injury)
The above can in some instances suggest that a baby may have suffered an injury at birth, especially a brain injury. For more on what can be done regarding doctors are not answering questions about your baby brain injury, keep reading below.
DOCTORS ARE NOT ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR BABY BRAIN INJURY
When the doctors are not fully answering your questions about what happened to your child at birth, remember that you can get a second opinion as to the diagnosis and treatment of your child. Even though this action seems “simple” in nature, many families forget that this can sometimes be an option.
In one case that we worked up, the doctors were giving the family the run around regarding the cause of their baby’s brain injury. Finally, the doctors settled on the fact that the injury to the child was the “caused by the genetics” of the mom and dad. Although the doctors were suggesting a diagnosis based on genetics, to the parents, the diagnosis didn’t “fit” what was happening to the baby.
After months of questionable answers from the doctors in the opinion of the parents, they set out to get a second opinion. That second opinion opened a different path as to the diagnosis and treatment of the baby, and ultimately lead to the family contacting me and my office regarding birth trauma related issues.
In no way am I suggesting that a second opinion will always do all of this for everyone. What I am saying is that a second opinion might be able to give you options regarding the current diagnosis and treatment for your child. The second opinion might give an alternative diagnosis, or it might confirm the original diagnosis.
TALK WITH ME ABOUT YOUR BABY’S BIRTH INJURY…
If your child’s doctors have spoken to you regarding hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or neonatal encephalopathy (or you have seen these words in your child’s medical records), and you have more questions from a medical/legal perspective, this is what I invite you to do.
Pick up the phone and give me a call. I can be reached at 301-850-4832. I answer Maryland birth injury and medical malpractice questions just like yours all the time and I will be happy to listen to your story.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
Boston Law Group, LLC
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
1-833-4 BABY HELP