Birth Injury

Cerebral palsy is a group of chronic disorders that affect control of movement that begin to appear in the first years of life. It is a condition that directly affects the nerves that regulate the muscles and body control. Victims of cerebral palsy may experience difficulties with fine motor tasks and issues with maintaining balance. Each case is different, but it is common for those suffering from cerebral palsy to face a lifetime of medical, emotional, educational, and social challenges.

Cerebral palsy is a birth injury that often occurs due to oxygen deprivation at birth. It occurs when oxygen is cut off to the unborn baby. In some cases, this could occur because of the twisting of the umbilical cord. Others may suffer from oxygen deprivation during a breach delivery. These tragic birth injuries are often preventable with proper fetal monitoring.

It is a doctor’s responsibility to carefully monitor an unborn baby and the mother to make sure that the baby is getting enough oxygen. Did the doctor foresee possible issues with the baby but failed to act? Was the baby too big to safely make the passage through the birth canal? Did the doctor order a C-section in time to prevent an injury? Did the medical staff fail to monitor the baby’s heartbeat?

When it is determined that a medical professional failed to prevent a birth injury during labor, the doctor, hospital staff, and/or the hospital can be held accountable for the injuries caused. The family of the injured child can file an Oklahoma medical malpractice claim seeking compensation for the serious damage that was caused by medical negligence.

The skilled birth injury lawyers in Oklahoma City at Maples Law Firm have a proven track record of handling birth injury cases and helping injured victims and their families obtain fair compensation for their losses. Please contact us at (888) 226-6159 to discuss your potential claim.

Cerebral palsy is a medical condition that affects muscle control in children and babies. The development of the condition can take place before, during, and after birth. Genetic conditions and problems with getting enough blood supply to the child can take place within the first six months of pregnancy which may cause the brain to develop abnormally. Medical care in Oklahoma providers who fail to properly care for a mother before and during pregnancy and an infant’s birth can also contribute to the onset of cerebral palsy. Other causes occur after the brain has already developed and can be due to bacterial meningitis and other types of infections, severe jaundice, head injury, lack of oxygen, and bleeding in the brain. Additionally, children in Oklahoma who are born prematurely with a birth weight of less than 3 ½ pounds may be more susceptible to developing cerebral palsy.

Many birth injuries like cerebral palsy can be prevented; however, once developed, there is no cure. With the help of physical therapy, occupational therapy, medications, surgeries, and braces, many people who have cerebral palsy can lead relatively normal lives, depending on which part of their brain is affected by the condition.

Medical professionals in Oklahoma have a responsibility to their patients to provide them with the best possible care. When negligence occurs and a child develops cerebral palsy or another disorder that otherwise would not have developed, the medical care provider as well as the hospital or birthing center where the injury happened can be held legally accountable. Cerebral palsy, while treatable, can be quite expensive and demanding for a family, particularly if the injury could have been prevented.

If your child developed cerebral palsy or another condition as a result of negligence, it would be highly beneficial to you to contact an experienced Oklahoma City birth injury attorney. The birth of a child is supposed to be a joyful occasion for parents; however, when a permanent condition such as cerebral palsy develops due to negligence, that joy can be taken away in an instant. You and your child have legal rights, and the skilled personal injury attorneys at The Maples Law Firm can help you understand those rights. With an extensive network of resources, we will meticulously examine the details of your child’s injury and the events that led up to its development in order to build a strong case and hold negligent parties responsible. Contact The Maples Law Firm today at 1-888-429-0609 for a free consultation.

Oklahoma birth injuries may be sustained for a variety of reasons. Birth injuries are very serious and can permanently alter a child’s life, as well as their parents, who must now care for the injured child as well as heavy financial burdens that are associated with the birth injury. Many birth injuries occur when a medical professional is negligent, either during the pre-natal care of the mother, the actual birth or after-birth care of the child.

Doctors, physicians, and nurses are trusted by patients to do everything in their power to ensure a child’s healthy birth. However, situations can arise where a medical professional may not adhere completely to their responsibilities. For example, the prenatal care of the mother, such as the prescription of medication that may cause an adverse affect, can result in a birth injury to the child in conjunction with any injury that the mother sustains. Another situation where an Oklahoma birth injury could potentially occur is if an unnecessary cesarean section was performed. Some additional birth injuries that can occur because of medical professional negligence include, but are not limited to:

• Brachial plexus
• Brain injury
• Cerebral palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Shoulder distocia
• Spina bifida
• Spinal cord injury

If your child endured a birth injury that left them permanently disabled, you should first consult with all necessary medical professionals for the proper treatment of the injury. Then, contact the Oklahoma birth injury attorneys at The Maples Law Firm. Our experienced lawyers have years of successfully handling a variety of birth injury cases. We have the necessary resources to fight for your rights and ensure that all negligent parties are held accountable for their oversight in a court of law. For more information about how we can help you, contact The Maples Law Firm today at 1-888-429-0609. We offer free consultations.

Every parent looks forward to the birth of their child. They assume that the physicians and hospital staff assigned to their care have the best interests of the mother and baby at heart. Unfortunately, medical negligence on the parts of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals can contribute to neurological disorders that can have a lasting effect on not only the baby, but the entire family. Cerebral palsy is one of these conditions.

Cerebral palsy affects the cerebrum and can occur during pregnancy, during childbirth or after the birth up to approximately the age of three. It is a non-progressive affliction which means that the condition itself will not improve or worsen; however, it may lead to other disorders. There are several causes of the condition such as asphyxia before birth due to umbilical cord entrapment, exposure to radiation or infection while still in the womb, trauma during labor and delivery, and shoulder distocia, to name a few. In cases where a child is entrapped by the umbilical cord or develops shoulder distocia, the primary care physician has an extremely limited time to act before cells in the baby’s brain begin to die and the chances of developing cerebral palsy increase.

There are various types of cerebral palsy with each one affecting a child differently. In more severe instances, a child may only be able to walk with a medical aid such as a walker or wheelchair, may suffer from other conditions such as epilepsy, apraxia, communication disorders, mental retardation, behavioral disorders and learning disabilities, or may not be able to function without lifetime care. While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, there are certain therapies such as speech, physiotherapy, cord blood therapy and other therapies that may help a child live a more normal life.

If your child developed cerebral palsy and you suspect that negligence on the part of the hospital, your physician or other medical professional may have contributed to your child’s condition, please contact the Oklahoma cerebral palsy birth injury attorneys at Maples Law Firm. Our experienced lawyers understand the emotional and financial strain that cerebral palsy can have on a family, not to mention the physical trauma experienced by the infant, especially if the condition could have been prevented. To learn more about your legal rights and how we can help, call Maples Law Firm at (888) 429-0609.

Ideally, all expectant mothers should conclude their pregnancy with the delivery of a healthy, beautiful baby. Unfortunately, the negligence of medical professionals can devastate this hope and cause a newborn infant to suffer injuries that could have otherwise been prevented through additional precautions and extended prenatal care.

A birth injury in Oklahoma consists of any form of harm that occurs as an infant is being delivered through the birth canal of its mother. Birth injuries can range in severity from mild injuries, including bruises on an infant’s skull, to more severe injuries, including cerebral palsy, brain hemorrhaging, and even infant mortality in certain cases.

Mild birth injuries, including swelling of the scalp and minor bruising, tend to heal within a few days. Other more severe birth injuries, such as bleeding in the brain or nerve injuries resulting from forceps usage, can cause permanent damage to an infant, if he or she is not treated with special care. Such birth injuries can be the result of the negligence of healthcare professionals in the delivery of a woman’s unborn child. For instance, when medical professionals fail to properly diagnose a pregnancy as high-risk, an unborn infant may be more susceptible to a birth injury.

Further, if medical professionals fail to treat complications that arise during newborn deliveries, such as a rise in the heart rate of the infant, the infant trapped in the birth canal by the mother’s pubic bone, or entanglements with the umbilical cord, a newborn can suffer a momentary loss of oxygen from the brain. If an infant loses oxygen to its brain from an extended period of time, the infant may be more susceptible for cerebral palsy and brain damage.

Cerebral palsy is a chronic neurological condition frequently attributed to birth injury, where a physician has made a medical mistake, which may including leaving the baby in the birth canal too long, or misusing forceps.

Another birth injury is Erb palsy, or brachial plexus injury, where an infant’s nerves have been stretched during birth to the extent that the infant suffers arm paralysis or arm weakness. If this injury does not heal with 6 months, an infant may have to undergo additional surgery to repair the nerve damage caused by birth.

Though caring for a newborn is demanding enough, a new mother should never have to cope with the fact that her baby was injured by the hands of the healthcare professionals she trusted to care for her child. Nonetheless, birth injuries do occur, and the Oklahoma birth injury attorneys of the Maples Law Firm may be able to help a family hold negligent parties responsible for their infant’s injury or harm done to the mother during the birthing process. Contact the Maples Law Firm at 1-888-429-0609 for a free consultation of your potential birth injury case today.