Some parents think that taking the wait and see approach to ask for help with resources for their baby following a birth injury is always the best course of action. It is my opinion, as a birth trauma attorney who has talked with many parents about these issues, that taking the wait and see approach is not always the best way, especially when resources are scarce for a family.
At the conclusion of this article you will be able to understand some of the things to keep in mind if you are dealing a baby brain injury wait and see issue. Knowing some of the things to focus on will help you and your family make the best decision available.
WHAT TYPE OF INJURY DOES YOUR BABY HAVE?
To better understand whether a wait and see approach is the better way to go, one should take into consideration the type of injury sustained. If the injury is a brachial plexus injury, which can be caused by shoulder dystocia, the wait and see approach might work.
Shoulder dystocia occurs when the baby is trapped behind mom’s pelvis and essentially gets stuck. This condition creates an emergency in the delivery room and doctors must work to free the baby. Not only can an injury to the baby’s limb/hand occur, but compression of the umbilical cord can lead to a brain injury.
With a brachial plexus injury, depending on the treatment given, the baby might be able to recover and gain usage of the originally injured limb/hand. This recovery can happen over time, as surgery in some cases can correct the issue.
BABY BRAIN INJURY WAIT AND SEE PROBLEMS
Baby brain injury wait and see problems can arise because of the possible traumatic nature of a brain injury. When a child has a diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, this means that there was a reduced level of blood and oxygen, which lead to a brain injury. Following this type of injury, a subsequent cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis is possible. Because CP impacts movement, a baby can have problems not only moving, but eating (swallowing), hearing, and seeing, among other things.
Because baby brain injury cases can take a substantial amount of time to complete, adding a wait and see approach can delay the time needed to get the resources the baby may need if the birth injury case is successful. Also, as time goes on, memories can fade as to important aspects of the case. In addition to memories, key individuals in the case can sometimes become unavailable (i.e. pass away).
The above in this section can play a detrimental role when a baby brain injury wait and see approach is not fully assessed.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES FURTHER…
If you have more questions about your baby’s birth injury, you can pick up the phone and give me a call. I can be reached at 301-850-4832. I talk with families all the time about birth trauma related injuries and I would be happy to listen to your story.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
1-833-4 BABY HELP
