Birth Trauma Lawyers in Ontario
Birth trauma is defined as damage to a newborn that occurs shortly before, during or shortly after delivery. They can be caused by a shortage of oxygen to the baby’s brain, drugs in the mother’s system, infection, or physical trauma during the delivery process. Birth injuries may occur by accident, but sometimes they are caused by preventable mistakes made by health care professionals.
The more common injuries that occur at birth include:
- various types of bruising and cuts around the baby’s head, often caused by pressure put on the head during delivery or by a forceps or vacuum-assisted delivery
- facial paralysis, caused when pressure is put on a facial nerve during delivery
- brachial plexus injury, a paralysis of the arm caused by nerve damage during delivery, and
- cerebral palsy, which is caused by brain damage during delivery.
Many of these injuries, such as bruising and some nerve damage, will resolve on their own. Others will require surgery and ongoing therapy to enable your baby to develop to her full potential. Sometimes, a birth trauma will result in permanent disability.
A severe birth trauma may mean that your child will require care for the rest of her life. She may need expensive mobility devices and therapies. She may require frequent hospitalization, making it difficult for you, as her caregiver, to maintain full-time employment. At Girones, our lawyers can help you to deal with your child’s injuries by ensuring that you receive the financial compensation to which you are entitled so that you can focus on taking care of your child. If you are concerned that your child’s birth injury may have been caused by the negligence or mistake of a doctor, nurse or other healthcare practitioner, contact one of our experienced lawyers as soon as possible to preserve your legal rights and those of your child.
