It is every parent’s hope that their child is born healthy. It is important to always monitor the development of your newborn to ensure they are growing as intended. When a parent notices their newborn favoring one side of their body, there is a concern that the child could have suffered a serious birth injury. If you believe your child was the victim of a birth injury, you should consult with an experienced Miami birth injury attorney for infants favoring one side of the body today.
Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA understand a parent’s concerns about their child’s birth injuries, and we can help you hold a negligent medical practitioner accountable for their role in the injury. To schedule a free legal consultation to discuss your claim, contact us today at (305) 694-2676.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
When a person suffers an injury to a certain part of their body, like an arm, they typically favor and guard that arm to avoid any further injuries. No person has to be told that they should protect an already injured body part from a more serious injury, including infants. As a result, many infants naturally will favor one side of their body if they are experiencing pain or believe they are experiencing pain.
If you observe that your child is avoiding performing tasks with one side of their body, this could be a sign that they suffered a serious birth injury. Specifically, favoring one side of the body is often a sign of a child that has developed cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that impacts the type of signals that the brain sends to a person’s muscles. The result is that a person may have great difficulty controlling specific muscle groups. As cerebral palsy can affect more than one type of muscle group, it is not considered one single type of disorder.
There are various signs and symptoms that can help determine whether a child has developed cerebral palsy. Issues with muscle tone are one common symptom of cerebral palsy. Specifically, an infant may have problems walking, picking up objects, or performing other simple tasks due to inconsistencies in muscle tone.
Many children with cerebral palsy also experience difficulty with coordination and reflexes. A child may exhibit unnatural and spastic movements that may become more pronounced if the child becomes stressed. Walking while dragging a leg or walking with toes pointed inward are other symptoms that may prove that a child has developed cerebral palsy.
In some cases, a child may experience spastic reflexes that affect their face muscles. As a result, a child could develop breathing problems or even have difficulty eating. There are other signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy that are not discussed above. To learn more about the causes of cerebral palsy, you should continue reading and speak with an experienced Miami birth injury attorney.
How Cerebral Palsy Birth Injuries Occur
Cerebral palsy is a condition that occurs because a baby suffered an injury to the brain before, during, or after a mother gives birth. This means that many cases of cerebral palsy may be linked to medical malpractice on behalf of a doctor.
Prior to a child’s birth, a doctor in charge of a mother’s pregnancy should ensure that a mother has not contracted any infections that may injure her or the child. If a doctor fails to diagnose an infection that could affect the brain development of a child, they could be held liable if the child develops cerebral palsy.
There are a number of ways that a newborn could suffer a brain injury during delivery. For example, if a doctor fails to exercise due care when using birth-assisting instruments, they could easily bruise the fragile head of a newborn. Additionally, if a child becomes asphyxiated while in the birth canal, they could suffer brain damage if they remain without oxygen for too long. A doctor could be held liable for the birth injury of a newborn if the issue could have been avoided with alternative measures like a birth by cesarean section.
If a newborn suffers a brain injury shortly after birth, it likely means that medical staff acted negligently when caring for the child. It could mean that a medical practitioner dropped the child or used excessive force when handling the child. Fortunately, you may be able to hold a negligent doctor accountable for your child’s injuries by pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Our Experienced Miami Lawyer Could Help You File a Claim if Your Child Suffered a Birth Injury and Favors One Side of the Body
If your child developed cerebral palsy due to the negligence of a doctor, contact an experienced Miami injury lawyer for infants favoring one side of the body. Personal injury lawyer Prosper Shaked possesses extensive experience litigating many types of injury claims, and he would be proud to fight for you. To schedule a free case evaluation, contact Prosper Shaked at (305) 694-2676.