Birth defects impact one in every 33 babies born in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/index.html]. That means every four and a half minutes a baby is born with a birth defect in this country, totaling about 120,000 children each year. Birth defects can occur at any time during pregnancy. Most birth defects are thought to be caused by a number of factors including genetics, maternal behavior and the environment.

Although relatively rare, for too many children in this country the cause of their birth defects was medical malpractice.

• These mistakes could be made during the pregnancy or injuries could occur during birth, or a combination of the two.
• If the mother is having a “high risk” pregnancy but the treating physician misses that situation, it may make a difficult birth more likely with a higher risk of injury, with a greater risk of a severe injury.
• A pregnant woman may have also been prescribed a medication whose side effects resulted in birth defects.

Negligent acts by a medical team (including obstetrician, anesthesiologist, nurses and paramedics) could result in birth defects including cerebral palsy, kernicterus, erb’s palsy and developmental delays. Injuries due to blood and air supplies to the baby being reduced or cut off caused during labor could be the result of the improper use of a vacuum or forceps during delivery.

If your child has suffered a birth defect that you think may have been caused by medical malpractice, contact our office [Link to contact page] so we can talk about your situation. These cases can be very complex, depending on the mother’s medical history and other factors may have lead to the birth defect. Given your child may need help for the rest of his or her life, these are very high stakes cases that you should only trust to attorneys who will work hard for you and your child.