Signs that a baby may have suffered a brain injury at birth. One of the most common calls to our office regarding birth injuries is concern that a baby may have suffered a brain injury at birth. If you are parent with these concerns, know that you are not alone. For many parents, confusion and concern are some of the foremost feelings for parents in this predicament.

For the purpose of this Maryland Birth Injury Article, I will discuss 3 signs that might suggest that your baby has suffered a brain injury at birth. These 3 signs are not exhaustive, but they will help you understand some things which may signal a brain injury.

SIGNS THAT A BABY MAY HAVE SUFFERED A BRAIN INJURY AT BIRTH

Did your baby suffer seizures following birth? In some instances, the seizures may be noticeable immediately after birth and in others, the seizures are discovered in the NICU. There can be many factors which can contribute to a baby suffering a seizure, but in some instances, a lack of blood and oxygen can cause injury to the brain which can produce seizures.

 

 

Seizures are an electrical disturbance in the brain. As a result, they can lead to shaking, jerking, and in some cases a loss of consciousness. Seizures can be broken down into subtle seizures, tonic seizures, clonic seizures, and myoclonic seizures.

 

 

WAS YOUR BABY BLUE IN COLOR?

 

 

Some parents immediately notice that their baby is blue at delivery. This can immediately trigger concern, and rightfully so. In some instances, when a baby is blue, this could be due to a deprivation of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation can also be a sign that the baby was dealing with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE.

 

 

HIE essentially deals with a reduced level of blood and oxygen which causes a brain injury. The fact that the baby is blue, as I mentioned above, could mean that your baby was suffering from a lack of oxygen and may have suffered a brain injury as a result.

 

 

DID YOUR BABY HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT DURING DELIVERY?

 

 

Meconium, which is your baby’s stool, can be a dangerous substance for children. Not only can meconium lead to meconium aspiration syndrome, if ingested, meconium coupled with other factors can suggest that your baby may have been in fetal distress. Doctors and nurses can tell if your baby is no longer tolerating a vaginal delivery if meconium is coupled with other signs.

 

 

The electronic fetal heart monitor helps doctors to assess not only a baby’s heart rate, but things such as variability and early or late decelerations. Meconium coupled with a non-reassuring fetal heart reading can be signs that the baby is not getting enough oxygen. As mentioned above in the section with HIE, a lack of oxygen can contribute to a brain injury.

 

 

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR BABY?

 

 

If a baby is in fetal distress during delivery, and doctors fail to diagnose and treat the fetal distress, then a baby can suffer a brain injury. In analyzing these cases, one of the areas of analysis will be should the doctors have performed an emergency c-section or whether they failed to move on the c-section in enough time.

 

 

 

If your child has suffered a birth injury, and it happened here in Maryland, 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 birth injury questions like yours all the time and I would be happy to listen to your story.

 

Marcus B. Boston, Esq.

Boston Law Group, LLC

2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700

Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815

bostonlawllc.com

301-850-4832

1-833-4 BABY HELP

 

Marcus Boston is a Maryland medical malpractice attorney who helps people navigate the Maryland childbirth injury and medical malpractice process to get money for their injuries caused by the carelessness of doctors and hospitals. BLG handles cases in Prince George’s County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and all other Maryland Counties. blgesq.com