Some birth injury symptoms are immediately apparent, while others can take time to reveal themselves. If you begin to notice symptoms that you believe may suggest that your child suffered a birth injury, it is critical that you act quickly. Early medical intervention can keep a birth injury from becoming worse.
An additional benefit of acting quickly is that you will be more likely to recover the compensation you need to care for your child if you hire a birth injury lawyer soon after your child becomes symptomatic. The earlier your lawyer can get to work, the more likely it is that you will recover the compensation you deserve.
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Immediately Identifiable Symptoms of a Birth Injury
You or a member of the medical team that delivers your baby may notice cuts, bruises, and bulging immediately following birth. These tend to be pretty obvious signs of a birth injury. However, the severity of the damage will take further investigation to uncover.
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Symptoms Revealed Shortly After Your Child’s Birth
You may also notice one or more of the following symptoms shortly after your child’s birth:
- Scalp swelling and bruising
- Scalp scratches
- Limp, floppy muscles
- Stiff muscles
- Full or partial limb paralysis
- Poor skin color
- Difficulty breathing
- Low oxygen levels
- Low Apgar scores
- Lethargy
- Seizures
Many of these symptoms might be signs of a serious birth injury that could affect your child’s entire life. Consult a doctor immediately if you notice any of these signs. Early medical intervention may be able to limit the amount of harm caused to your child by their birth injury.
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Symptoms That Become Evident Over Time
As your child ages, you may also notice birth injury symptoms such as poor or delayed gross and fine motor skills, poor balance, low muscle coordination favoring one side of the body, difficulty walking, excessive drooling, difficulty sucking, swallowing, or eating, speech delays, and learning disabilities.
Because no two birth injuries and no two children are exactly alike, birth injury symptoms can also vary greatly from one child to the next. Monitoring your child’s development is critical to ensuring they receive the care they need.
Learn How to Detect Infantile Spasms
Early detection is crucial for treating birth injuries before they get worse. One possible symptom that’s hard to detect is infantile spasm. PA Homepage posted a story that talks about the condition and how you can detect it. Infantile spasm affects 1 in 2000 children less than a year old and is considered a medical emergency. It is a subtle form of seizure.
However, it’s often misdiagnosed as colic or hiccups. It can be caused by a brain injury during birth, but also by metabolic or genetic disorders. Occasionally, it can be detected prior to birth. We suggest readers look at the video linked in the article to see examples of babies during a seizure.
If you see your baby doing things like this, it is recommended that you videotape the seizure with a smartphone, then take your baby and the video to a doctor for a diagnosis. Since these seizures appear randomly, a video will help the doctor see what is happening. Furthermore, should your child be misdiagnosed, the video will serve as valuable evidence.
There are several treatments for the condition, depending on the reason for the seizures. However, without diagnosis and treatment, the seizures can lead to life-long damage. See a doctor if your child moves like the children in the videos.
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You May Be Entitled to Compensation
If your child suffered a birth injury caused by another party, you may be able to recover compensation. There are a variety of damages you will likely be able to claim, depending on the specific details of your case. Identifying the exact damages that apply is essential for recovering the full amount to which you are entitled.
Fortunately, when you hire an experienced birth injury lawyer to help you on your case, they will be able to easily determine what damages apply. Some of the birth injury damages most frequently recovered include:
- Permanent disability
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Decreased quality of life for you and your child
- Lost wages for time missed from work to provide additional care for your child
- Lost future income that your child’s birth injury will likely prevent them from earning
Furthermore, a small percentage of birth injury cases also qualify for punitive damages. These damages are used to punish the liable party for the role they played in causing your child’s injury. An experienced attorney will be able to determine whether these damages are available in your case.
Be Sure to File Your Lawsuit on Time
When attempting to recover compensation through a lawsuit, it is critical that you check the medical malpractice statute of limitations for the state in which you are filing. Whatever amount of time you have, the clock will begin running from the time that you become aware of your child’s injury or when you reasonably should have become aware of the injury.
If you fail to file your lawsuit on time, you will likely be unable to recover compensation. Of course, there are exceptions that apply in some cases. Additionally, if you don’t recover compensation while your child is still young, they will be able to file themselves when they turn 18, upon which date the clock for the statute of limitations will begin to run.
Birth Injury Symptoms Lawsuit
It can be concerning when you notice birth injury symptoms in your son or daughter. An attorney can help you correctly assign liability for your child’s birth injury and understand your potential for a successful lawsuit.
To discuss your child’s birth injury, medical expenses, and potential financial compensation, call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group or contact us online to connect with a lawyer in your state. We offer free consultations, so don’t hesitate to get started today.
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