A story by the CBC tells the tale of a Canadian woman who hasn’t let cerebral palsy slow down her career as a structural engineer. Julia Halipchuk started her career search looking for a job in the field that was an office position. The reason was her cerebral palsy, which makes her walk with a…
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Doctors Need To Listen To Women About Epidural Needs
The decision to get an epidural or not is a complicated one. They are meant to block much of the pain of labor by numbing the nerves of the spine. Some women desire to have as natural a birth as possible. Others worry about the complications of anesthesia or wonder if the block will cause…
Erb’s Palsy Doesn’t Stop Archer From Achieving Her Goals
If you were born unable to use an arm well, like if you had Erb’s Palsy, you might think that a lot of activities would be beyond your abilities. But we have an example of another person with this condition who has overcome their limitations doing something you’d think would be impossible without two strong…
Vacuum Extraction Is Rare Now, Which Means Fewer Doctors Are Getting Trained On It
Most people are familiar with vaginal and Cesarean births, but sometimes things to wrong during labor. There are two main tools at hand, forceps and vacuum extraction. A report in ContemporaryObgyn.net talks about the risks and the lack of training in the medical community with vacuum extraction. Vacuum extraction procedures have been undergoing a steady…
Cerebral Palsy Patients Without Intellectual Disability Have Normal Social And Verbal Development According To New Study
Parents sometimes worry that a child born with motor function problems like cerebral palsy might fall behind socially. A new study in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology might smooth over some of these worries. Cerebral Palsy News Today has the story. The study looked at 121 people with cerebral palsy. The researchers wanted to know…
Girl With Shoulder Dystocia Awarded Settlement
Sometimes the full reality of a birth injury doesn’t appear until later in life. What may seem minor and recoverable at first might not turn out that way. In some cases, families can still seek compensation well after birth once the full problem becomes apparent. One case in Ireland proves this. The Irish Times reports…
Survey Hopes To Improve Outcomes Of People With Brachial Plexus Injuries
Injury to the brachial plexus leads to reduced function, life-long pain, and even paralysis of the arms. Erb’s Palsy is a form of injury that happens during birth, but risks to this complex of nerves can happen to anyone in an accident. Surgery to correct the problem is possible, but the outcomes of the surgery…
Boyfriend Arrested For Murder After Shaking Girlfriend’s Baby To Death
Infant brain damage can be caused by a lot of things, but a common one is when a baby’s head is jostled too much. Shaking a baby can cause a syndrome that can lead to permanent infant brain damage or death. Sadly, some new parents cannot handle the stress of a baby and do things…
Research Into Foot Painters May Lead To New Treatments For Cerebral Palsy
Brain researchers keep coming up with astounding findings of how adaptable the human brain can be. In the past, it was thought that the brain stopped changing after a certain age. Once you were “wired” a certain way, you were stuck. That has been overturned with the discovery of neuroplasticity. Now the question is just…
Antidepressant Use Raises Risk Of PPHN
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn, or PPHN, sounds like a blood pressure condition but it’s much worse than that. It’s a defect of the heart that slows blood from moving from one side of the heart to the other. This causes pressure to build up in the vessels, but it also causes a reduction…
Woman With Erb’s Palsy Beaten By Police Because She Couldn’t Move Her Arm To Be Cuffed
People with disabilities face discrimination despite great advances over the past three decades. In this story involving a woman with Erb’s Palsy, we have an especially egregious case. The woman has filed a civil suit against the LAPD after she was beaten by police for trying to enter a home she owned, then charged for…
Daycare Shut Down After Child Experienced Brain Bleeding After Attack
Internal bleeding is a serious sign, especially when it happens around the head. Infants are at an increased risk of brain bleeding due to their soft skulls. It’s just one reason why it’s so important to hold infants right and stop them from bumping their heads. It’s also why this next story is so egregious….
Family Hunts For Suitable Pool Options For Boy With Cerebral Palsy
There is currently no cure for cerebral palsy, but there are plenty of treatment options to help children born with the condition do the best they can. However, some children lack access to these options, even simple ones like swimming. WJHL in Greenville, Tennessee has the story of one mother who is having trouble finding…
Midwife Facing Multiple Lawsuits For Causing Erb’s Palsy, Other Birth Injuries
Medicine is a risky profession and most doctors are sued at least once sometime during their careers. How can a patient protect themselves? By looking at patterns of problems. It is possible to look up the malpractice case history of doctors. One midwife in Washington is having a hard time fighting her mistakes involving brachial…
Child Death And Hysterectomy Blamed On Chorioamnionitis, Parents Sue
One risk of pregnancy that can become quite serious is an infection. Infections can spread to any tissue of the body, including the womb and the umbilical cord. Infection of the womb when there is an unborn baby is called chorioamnionitis. It’s an extremely serious condition that can cause the baby and the mother to…
Social Media Pictures Lead To Diagnosis Of Infant Torticollis
Infant Torticollis is a condition when the muscles of a baby’s neck shorten due to strain. Think of it like a really strong crick in the neck without the pain. Babies with the condition have limited mobility in the neck. A sign of this is when a baby’s head is tilted to one side while…
Store In Matthews, NC Only Hires People With Disabilities
People who have life-long disabilities from birth traumas often face discrimination as they age. Many employers will turn them away because they’re afraid they can’t do the job or will raise their insurance rates, despite anti-discrimination laws. One store in Matthews, NC is trying to change the employment culture of the city by only hiring…
Birth Jaundice And Kernicterus
Kernicterus is a funny word for a very serious condition. It is a type of brain damage caused by untreated infant jaundice. It may surprise you to know that infant jaundice is quite common, happening in about half of all births. Romper.com explains the facts. Jaundice is a sign that there is a problem with…
Track Athlete Breaks Through Erb’s Palsy To Qualify For State
Erb’s Palsy affects around 1-2 babies out of 1000. In minor cases, it causes slight motor issues. In severe cases, it can cause the loss of a limb or even death. Yet even in serious cases, Erb’s Palsy doesn’t have to stop children from achieving high goals, as one young man has. Delmarva Now reports…
Boy To Receive Second Surgery To Fix Facial Paralysis Issue
Another form of palsy is facial palsy. Bell’s Palsy is the most common type, but there are other forms. The symptoms are similar. The nerves and the muscles of the face do not communicate for some reason and cause paralysis or shaking. Birth injuries can cause this illness. However, it can be treatable. According to…
Student Resource Officer Helps Boy With Cerebral Palsy To Walk
A student resource officer usually prevents crime from happening in schools. But some go above and beyond the call of duty to help students in other ways. One officer in Colorado helped a boy with cerebral palsy to walk. The Denver Channel explains. Officer Bradley Gagon built a “railing runway” to help a kindergarten student…
Couple Recounts Their Grief After Their Child Was Killed By Their Umbilical Cord
An umbilical cord strangulation is a rare event, but it can cause all kinds of complications. It can even kill the child as they are born. Surprisingly, it doesn’t have to wrap around the neck to kill a baby. If it wraps around a limb, it can still cut off enough pressure to keep the…
Boxer With Erb’s Palsy Wins Super-Light Weight Title In Italy
Many birth traumas have life-long effects. That’s why it’s so important to seek compensation if someone is at fault for them. But some birth traumas can be compensated for in other ways. There are athletes who have achieved high levels of success despite dealing with conditions like Erb’s Palsy The Bristol Post reported on a…
Man Sentenced To 27 Years For Giving His Daughter A Fatal Hematoma
A hematoma happens when blood escapes a blood vessel and collects inside the body in a clot. It’s a type of internal bleeding that can be fatal, depending on the vessel and the location. Infants can receive these during traumatic birth or through negligent medical practices. However, many infant hematomas are due to injury after…
Kindergartner Faces Bullying For Disabilities, Family And School Intervene
Physical struggles aren’t the only things children with disabilities face. They can also face social issues for their medical needs. Children with disorders like cerebral palsy can be bullied by their peers for being different than them, even at very young ages. KVUE News reported on one such incident where a 5-year-old was bullied for…