Signs & Symptoms of a Birth Injury

With the promise of a new life comes many expectations for new parents. Yet, there are often signs and symptoms of a birth injury that suddenly and unexpectedly develop and often lead to crushing worries about the future. At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, our birth injury lawyers in Portland help families find out what happened and who is responsible. The first step is understanding when you could be facing birth injuries.

Most Common Signs of Birth Injuries

Birth injuries are not always immediately evident at the time of birth but can begin to become more noticeable in the hours and days, and sometimes weeks, after the injury occurs. Do not assume that the hospital will be completely open about any noticeable signs either. Instead, look for any of the following indications of a birth injury by monitoring for these types of symptoms:

These signs are often present within the first few days and weeks of a child’s life. They may not seem obvious at first, but look for trends that indicate something is not right. When you feel that way, seek out immediate medical care for your child and then call our birth injury attorneys for guidance.

Toddler Signs of Birth Injuries

There are some situations where it may take years to see the results of a birth injury in your case. Toddlers can develop symptoms that are more obvious, especially as they begin to walk and engage with life around them. These are sometimes brought on by mistakes made at the time of birth, even though it may seem as though they are new developments.

If your child is experiencing any of the following signs of birth injuries as a toddler, report the condition to your child’s doctor and then call our medical malpractice attorney in Portland for guidance:

In situations like these, the child’s brain or mobility may have been impacted for years since their birth, but you may not have noticed any real onset of concerns until now. That does not mean that the damage occurred recently. Since a child’s birth and body structure take time to fully develop, many of these birth injuries take time to become more obvious.

What Symptoms Your Child May Have and What They May Mean

The only way to fully understand what occurred to put your child in this situation is to work with an attorney and a medical expert who can uncover what happened and why. As your birth injury attorney, our legal team will always explore all areas of evidence to determine this. We can then pinpoint what the symptoms your child is having mean about their birth.

For example, damage to the brachial plexus nerves is a common birth injury brought on by improper pulling or twisting of the child while he or she is being born. Some of the most common signs of this type of birth injury include:

If your child is experiencing these symptoms, our birth injury attorney will investigate what occurred during the birth process. This will be an exhaustive undertaking that explores anything that could have happened during the birthing process that puts your child at risk.

Cerebral Palsy Symptoms

A common type of birth injury is cerebral palsy, a condition that can impact your child’s overall well-being and brain function for the rest of their life. Cerebral palsy symptoms are dependent on the severity of the brain damage that occurs during breathing. Some of the most common symptoms of cerebral palsy injuries include the following generally noted early on in the child’s first months of life:

These symptoms may not be obvious right away, but they can develop more fully as the child gets older. That could include the development of learning disabilities, trouble with coordinating and walking property, and awkward movements.

If you notice any of these symptoms of cerebral palsy in your child, contact your child’s doctor as the first step. Then, contact our brain injury attorney for the guidance and support you need right now.

Other Brain Damage Symptoms from Birth Injuries

The location of damage to the brain, the severity of it, and the overall genetics of the child can all play a role in the type of symptoms they have from a brain injury. Our birth injury attorneys want to ensure you know when something is not right and how to get help. Some of the brain damage symptoms your child may experience over time include:

In these cases, you may feel helpless to take action, especially if your child is older. Yet, our birth injury attorneys are dedicated to helping you. We know that these types of charges can mean years of additional medical and developmental support for your child, and we will help you to obtain the compensation owed.

If you believe your child may have any of the signs or symptoms of a birth injury, your first goal needs to be to reach out to the doctor to learn as much as you can about the child’s specific medical and developmental needs. Then, contact a birth injury attorney to inquire about the legal rights you have in pursuing compensation.

For help with birth injuries, contact Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC at 503-862-8712 for a free consultation. We are here to help you.