A Birth Injury can result in life-long suffering to the mother and/or child as a result of medical negligence during labor and delivery.

Common types of birth injury are:

• Brachial Plexus injury/ Erb's Palsy - Injury to the nerves that control arm and hand movement, i.e. the brachial plexus nerves. Oftentimes normal movement returns within a few months, but the injury can be permanent.


• Brain Injury - Catastrophic injury occurs if the baby doesn't have enough oxygen. Prolonged oxygen deprivation can result in brain damage and neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, hypoxic ischemia injury, and epilepsy.


• Cerebral Palsy - Neurological disorder affecting movement and coordination.


• Facial Paralysis - Occurs when facial nerves are damaged either from pressure in the birth canal or forceps use. A severe injury could require surgery or result in permanent damage.


• Bruising - Develops on the head from trauma in the birth canal or from forceps use. Some bruises require surgical treatment.

In a medical malpractice case, the Kreisman Law Offices will seek to prove that your Chicago medical provider acted negligently and that their negligence directly caused the birth injury. Usually, a birth injury results in very high damages because the child may require long-term medical treatment, his or her disabilities may be permanent, and the cost of medical care and rehabilitation can be expensive.

Some medical errors that could demonstrate medical negligence are:

• Failure to recognize a high risk pregnancy, such as a breech position;
• Failure to quickly diagnose and treat preterm labor;
• Failure to appropriately respond to bleeding;
• Failure to appropriately treat umbilical cord entrapment;
• Failure to assess and treat fetal distress during delivery;
• Delay in ordering of a caesarian section, i.e. c-section;
• Misuse of vacuum extraction or forceps during delivery;
• Inappropriate administration of labor-inducing drugs.

A birth injury to your child is devastating. It is imperative that you have experienced lawyers on your side. With over thirty years of experience in handling birth injury cases, the Chicago medical malpractice lawyers at the Kreisman Law Offices have the know-how and resources to aggressively handle your birth injury legal claim and obtain justice for you and your child. Contact our Chicago office at (312) 346-0045 or (800) 583-8002 for an immediate free consultation, or fill out a contact form.