Signs of Cerebral Palsy During Pregnancy
Signs of Cerebral Palsy During Pregnancy
Medical providers should be alert to a number of signs and risk factors of cerebral palsy during pregnancy. Rh disease (incompatible blood type between the mother and the baby), bacterial infections (such as Group B Strep), maternal bleeding in the later stages of pregnancy, preeclampsia (maternal high blood pressure), gestational diabetes, HELLP syndrome, fetal bradycardia (low heart rate of the baby), multiple pregnancy, and maternal history of birth complications are some of the signs to indicate a high risk pregnancy and increased chances of the baby developing cerebral palsy.
Blood Diseases
When the expectant mother is Rh negative and the in-utero baby is Rh positive, it increases the risk of severe jaundice, seizures, brain damage, and hydrops fetalis (fluid build-up). These complications can lead to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and eventually cerebral palsy. Blood clotting disorders (thrombophilias) in the baby or the mother may also increase the risk of cerebral palsy.
Maternal Infections
About one in four expectant mothers will be affected by a common bacterial infection called Group B streptococcus. In absence of timely diagnosis and aggressive treatment, Group B Strep may trigger very early premature birth, and increase the risk of HIE insult and cerebral palsy. Chorioamnionitis (maternal infection involving the placental membranes) may also contribute to cerebral palsy in premature as well as term babies.
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS)
Sometimes the baby’s first feces (meconium) may get mixed with the amniotic fluid. If the baby gasps for breath due to conditions, such as maternal infection, hypoxia (low supply of oxygen), prolonged or arrested labor, or fetal distress, the meconium may reach the baby’s lungs. Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS) may result in serious complications, including brain damage, which could eventually lead to cerebral palsy.
About Meconium Aspiration (MAS)
Fetal Bradycardia
When the unborn baby’s heart is found to be abnormally low (less than 120 beats per minutes), the condition is known as fetal bradycardia. Low heart rate or arrhythmic heart condition of the in-utero baby should indicate fetal distress. Severe fetal bradycardia (heart rate well below the baseline rate) increases the risk of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE injury), which could finally result in cerebral palsy.
Maternal Health Conditions
Preeclampsia or maternal high blood pressure during the later stages of pregnancy restricts the ability of the placenta to deliver oxygenated blood to the baby. Gestational diabetes may also increase the risk of conditions, such as fetal macrosomia (oversized baby), fetal hypoglycemia (low blood sugar level in the baby), and preeclampsia. Severe or untreated maternal conditions may increase the risk of HIE and cerebral palsy.
Placental Complications
Placenta previa occurs when the cervix gets fully or partially covered by the placental membrane. The condition can be diagnosed early during the pregnancy with an ultrasound test. Improper treatment or avoid emergency cesarean section when required can cause fetal distress, HIE, or cerebral palsy. Placental abruption or premature detachment of the placenta from the uterine membrane is called placental abruption, which can cut off the oxygen supply to the baby’s brain, increasing the risk of cerebral palsy.
Umbilical Cord Problems
During pregnancy, any complications related to the umbilical cord can restrict the flow of oxygenated blood to the baby’s brain, which may cause an HIE injury and eventually lead to cerebral palsy. Umbilical cord compression is a common complication. In some cases, umbilical cord prolapse may occur, when the cord slips through the cervix, causing cord compression. Timely detection of these problems can allow the medical providers to perform an emergency cesarean section to prevent brain damage and cerebral palsy.
Other Risk Factors
HELLP syndrome (elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count in the expectant mother), cephalopelvic disproportion (baby’s head is too large to fit the mother’s pelvis), oligohydramnios (abnormally low amniotic fluid levels), prolonged or arrested labor, and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) are some other conditions that increase the risk of premature birth, umbilical cord complications, fetal distress, respiratory distress syndrome, HIE injury, and cerebral palsy.
Is Your Child’s Birth Injury the Result of Medical Malpractice?
Parents whose children suffer birth injuries want and deserve answers as to whether mistakes by the doctors and nurses contributed to the injury. At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, our award-winning birth injury attorneys have represented families all over the United States in their time of need after a birth injury. We use our skills and expertise to obtain for you and your child a medical malpractice settlement that will help provide specialized medical therapy in order to maximize the quality of life and independence of your child throughout their life.
- Were there signs of birth injury or birth complications during the pregnancy, labor, and delivery process, or presence of risk factors, which were either not recognized or properly treated?
- During the labor and delivery, were there clear indications that the baby was suffering from fetal distress, but appropriate actions were not taken by the maternal fetal specialists, obstetrician or nurses?
- Was there a delay in diagnosis of a likely premature birth that led to later complications, including brain injury?
- Did the medical team fail to order a series of tests to diagnose this birth complication in a timely manner?
- Was the decision to perform a cesarean delivery delayed leading to birth trauma during vaginal delivery or labor?
- Did the neonatal resuscitation team fail to quickly begin important breathing support?
- Should brain cooling (also called “hypothermia therapy”) have been provided to your baby, but the doctors and nurses failed to perform the appropriate tests or ignored the results of the tests?
Our birth injury attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in settlements for families of children that have suffered a birth injury. At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do, no matter how long or tough your case is.
Registered Nurses and Nurse-Attorneys Are a Vital Part of Our Birth Injury Team…and Yours
Most birth injury law firms will employ one or two nurses to assist the review of cases and medical research. But Miller Weisbrod Olesky offers an unmatched number of nurses and nurse-attorney employees support to both the birth injury attorneys and our clients.
Our team of registered nursing staff and nurse-attorneys bring a deep level of medical and personal insight to every client’s case. Our nursing team includes both an experienced labor and delivery nurse as well as an ICU nurse. Working closely with the rest of the team, they investigate the reasons behind a birth injury and how medical professionals breached their standard of care.
Why Should You Talk with the Highly Capable Attorneys at Miller Weisbrod Olesky?
The only way to find out if you have a birth injury case is to talk to a lawyer experienced in birth injury lawsuits. It’s not uncommon that a birth related complication results in a preventable birth injury, including cerebral palsy, but it takes a detailed expert review by a birth injury attorney of the medical records from your child’s birth to determine if the birth injury was the result of medical malpractice.
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, a team of committed lawyers, nurses and paralegals uses our detailed medical negligence case review process to assess your child’s potential birth injury case. We start by learning more about you and your child and the status of meeting/missing developmental milestones. Then we gather medical records to determine what happened before, during pregnancy. We call in documented and proven medical experts who review your records and let us know if they think medical errors could have caused your child’s injuries.
If we feel medical negligence caused or contributed to wrongful birth in your case, we meet with you to discuss how you can receive compensation from the medical professionals who made the errors. Our birth injury attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in settlements for families of children that have suffered a birth injury.
At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment when you do no matter how long or tough your case is.
Contact Our Birth Injury Lawyers
Miller Weisbrod Olesky
At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, the attorneys, nurses, and staff understand that parents of children with birth injuries feel overwhelmed. So, every client has the attention and support of a team of trained, compassionate professionals. But we don’t just offer compassion.
We offer a process to help you discover whether your child’s birth injury, HIE, cerebral palsy or brain injury was caused by a medical error.
Call our offices today at 888.987.0005 for experienced assistance in a free consultation.
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- Lyric C. I feel like our voice was heard in a sense of what can possibly go wrong in a delivery and finding us answers. I feel with our settlement, we are now in a comfortable position to provide for our son.
- Lyssa L. They are not just people that say “hey let's get you money and let's go” The law firm was very thorough with us. It was awesome. I don't want to cry, because I think about and it's amazing that they were able to help me and that we were able to help my son and get the story out there.
- Jay C. Throughout the process, one thing was clear to us, the ultimate interest of our child was the utmost concern of Max and his team and as parents navigating a situation like that, that was refreshing to know we had them firmly on our side. I highly recommend them.