NJ Medical Malpractice: Brain Damage During Child Birth

As hard as it may be to believe, one out of every 1,000 births in the United States result in brain damage.  Based on data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are roughly 11,000 births in the U.S. on a daily basis. What this means is that, on average, 11 children are born with some type of brain damage that can end up requiring costly medical treatment and might result in the children being disabled for as long as they live. As your children mature and you entrust their health to a doctor, clinician, nurse, or hospital, you have a right to expect them to meet the standards of care that have been set forth by the New Jersey medical community who are specialists in the field, and who have defined what must and must not be done when diagnosing or treating children. Admittedly, the majority of physicians and facilities follow the standards of care; however, some do not. A skilled New Jersey medical malpractice lawyer will know all the right questions to ask and how to get the answers out of those doctors or facilities so that there is no ambiguity in your case. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of brain damage cases are due to medical malpractice. Even prior to the birth of a baby, physicians should be carefully watching the mother for a variety of signs that might reveal possible birth complications. Also, during labor, the fetus’ health should be constantly monitored, and during the delivery, the appropriate methods must be used in order to prevent injury to the delicate bone structure of the baby’s head. Unfortunately, all too often, hospital staff is rushed, which can lead to a lack of focus and the use of poor techniques. The end result of this behavior is quite often serious injury to your baby that will profoundly change his or her future quality of life and burden your family with both the fiscal and emotional strains of raising a disabled child. In a lot of instances, brain damage isn’t immediately identifiable, which is why a lot of people never suspect birth injury as being the cause of their child’s problems. There are signs that you can look for as your child continues to grow, to include the slow development of motor skills and physical abilities, vision issues, hearing problems, and overall awkward body positioning. If you see any of these symptoms in your child, you should obtain medical advice as soon as possible. If it turns out that your child is diagnosed with brain damage or cerebral palsy, you will probably need someone on your side to give you the answers that you need. If you need a New Jersey medical malpractice lawyer, please contact the Law Offices of Gersowitz, Libo & Korek at (800) 529-9997 for a free consultation