Why is a child born with cerebral palsy?  

The dilemma we all face through life, is to ask the question - Why - And in this case, why would a child have brain damage? The answers are rather complex because there are numerous reasons why children may suffer brain damage. Only a wide-range of medical and neurological tests will help you find the answer. Cerebral palsy is generally caused by an injury to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth. In many cases, it's sadly true that we may never know for sure what caused the brain injury or what may have been done to prevent the injury. A large number of factors can lead to injury in the developing brain and the end result may produce cerebral palsy.

Generally speaking however, there are two issues related directly to cerebral palsy:

The failure of the brain to develop properly or an a brupt neurological damage to the child's developing brain

Whatever the precise cause of a child's cerebral palsy, the severity of the brain damage is typically related to the type and exact timing of the injury. One example might be that in very premature babies, bleeding into the brain, called an intraventricular hemorrhage, can cause extensive damage. Secondly, the longer an unborn child goes without oxygen, the greater the chance and potential severity of brain tissue damage.

As much as 15% of all cerebral palsy cases come as the direct result of a recognized brain injury, such as infection - like meningitis, bleeding in the brain, and damage caused by lack of oxygen. It is essential that you recognize that a brain injury caused during delivery in many cases could have easily been avoided. All too often, medical mistakes - medical malpractice issues - are unfortunately responsible for 1000's of cerebral palsy cases. It is, typically quite impossible for a parent, on their own, to ascertain if medical malpractice led to their child's cerebral palsy or brain damage. It is only through the concerted professional efforts of an experienced birth injury lawyer that you can get a definitive answer to the heartbreaking question - Was this cerebral palsy easily preventable or avoidable ?