What Causes Cerebral Palsy During Pregnancy?

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a serious birth injury occurring during pregnancy, labor or delivery, which can cause cerebral palsy. Restricted blood flow the baby’s brain can lead to severe or prolonged oxygen deprivation, resulting in HIE injury to the baby. Babies who have experienced an HIE insult may suffer from developmental delays, cognitive impairments, or cerebral palsy.

The following conditions during pregnancy may cause or contribute to cerebral palsy in a baby:

Mismanagement of a High-Risk Pregnancy

Medical negligence in the diagnosis, treatment or monitoring of the baby in a high-risk pregnancy where the expectant mother has conditions, such as gestational diabetes, Group B Strep infection, or preeclampsia (maternal high blood pressure) can cause birth injuries, such as HIE, increasing the risk of cerebral palsy.

Complications of the Placenta or Uterus

Placental insufficiency resulting in inadequate blood supply to the baby, placenta previa (placenta partially covers the cervix), placental abruption (early separation of the placenta from the uterine wall), or full or partial uterine rupture are complications that can disrupt blood flow to the baby’s brain, leading to cerebral palsy.

Complications of the Umbilical Cord

Any problems with the umbilical cord during pregnancy can cut off the baby’s blood supply, resulting in oxygen and nutrient loss. When the cord is too short or too long, does not connect normally to the placenta, or gets entangled or compressed, it increases the risk of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and may lead to cerebral palsy.

Maternal Infections

An infection of the expectant mother can get transmitted to the baby during pregnancy. Invasive infections, such as Group B Strep require urgent and appropriate antibiotic treatment. Timely antibiotic administration is the cornerstone of effective infection management in babies. Failure to do so can lead to birth injuries or birth complications, such as HIE, which puts the baby at a risk of cerebral palsy.

Failure to Perform Cesarean Section

When the baby shows signs of fetal distress or conditions, such as prolonged or arrested labor, macrosomia (oversized baby), CPD (baby’s head does not fit the mother’s cervix), breech position, placenta or umbilical cord complications are diagnosed, the medical provider should be prepared to perform an emergency cesarean section when necessary. Failure to make the right decision on time can expose baby to the risks of birth injury and cerebral palsy.

Improper Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring

The expectant mother’s health history, current maternal condition, baby’s health or a high-risk pregnancy make it necessary to perform continuous fetal heart rate monitoring. In this case, if signs of fetal distress are detected on the monitor, medical interventions can be made to restore the oxygen supply to the baby or perform an emergency cesarean section. If signs of fetal distress are missed, the baby may experience an HIE insult, which could eventually lead to cerebral palsy.

Medication Errors

In case of prolonged or arrested labor, the medical team may administer oxytocin (brand name: Pitocin) to induce labor. Improper use of these medications may result in excessive long or forceful uternine contractions, which aggravates fetal distress. Poor fetal monitoring when the medications are administered intravenously can also lead to medication overuse. When the baby is deprived of oxygen because of excessive contractions, an HIE injury may occur, increasing the risk of 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.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy During Pregnancy