First-time parents are usually juggling plenty of different emotions while anticipating the birth of their first child. You hope and pray for a smooth delivery and for your newborn to come into the world perfectly. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Due to unforeseen circumstances or issues during delivery, your infant may suffer from a birth injury. Depending on the individual case, a newborn may end up with a temporary or permanent disability as a result.
It can be devastating when the birth of your child doesn’t go as planned. Though it is no real compensation, you can engage in the legal process if you believe you have a birth injury case of medical negligence or medical malpractice. Depending on the severity of your child’s birth injury, there may be different effects on their overall life moving forward. A difficult delivery process can impact your future and the future of your beautiful baby. Let’s look at a few ways a birth injury can affect your child’s life and how you can cope with these complications.
What is a birth injury?
The definition of a birth injury can be complex. Even if there was no negligence and your healthcare provider gave all the proper medical care, childbirth and delivery are still risky procedures. If your child is in an abnormal position during delivery, born with an umbilical cord around their neck, or needs to be delivered with the help of forceps or other devices, it can cause injury to the child. This may be as minor as bruising or swelling or as major as a lack of oxygen, bone fractures, or result in cerebral palsy. The best tips for navigating a birth injury case are to seek medical advice and understand the overall ramifications of your child’s injury. Your unique situation will determine the overall impact on your child’s life and your grounds to pursue a birth injury lawsuit.
The effects of a birth injury depend on severity.
For many children born with a birth injury, their need for medical treatment does not last for long. Sometimes a difficult delivery won’t affect your child beyond a few days in the hospital after the birth. Other, more severe cases may result in issues throughout your newborn’s life. A type of case that deals with brain trauma or spinal cord injury may result in physical or mental limitations down the line. Cerebral palsy is one of the more serious results of a birth injury, and this condition may affect your child’s ability to breathe, speak, or eat in the future. Brain damage may also require a need for special education opportunities or additional assistance down the line.
Planning Your Finances
A serious birth injury case may result in higher healthcare costs throughout your child’s life. If they have a disability as a result, they may need specialty drugs, medications, or therapies throughout their lives. As you plan for that future, look for ways to save at the pharmacy. You can search Rx to find discounted medications to help you make ends meet while still getting the best care for your child. USA Rx is there to help you find discounts and deals to help lighten the load.
Higher healthcare costs are another reason to consider engaging with the legal process. Consult a birth injury lawyer to see how much compensation you may be able to receive as a result of a birth injury. If the medical professionals who assisted you handled your childbirth and delivery with negligence or improper care, they may owe you money to help cover future costs. This can give you some financial peace of mind as you cope with the emotional impact of a birth injury case.
