Birth Injury Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of a Birth Injury

Birth injury symptoms can vary depending on the injury and may not always be spotted immediately after childbirth. For this reason, it’s important for parents and caregivers to closely monitor their child’s growth and development from birth through early childhood.

Common signs of a birth injury include:

• Developmental delays
• Feeding problems
• Fussiness
• Muscle weakness

Families know their children best and should trust their instincts if they suspect something is wrong. By getting prompt medical attention, they can help ensure the best outcome possible.

“I try to remember that while families may not know exactly what went wrong, they know something isn’t right. Investigating and talking with them to get to the root of the issue is so rewarding for me.”

– Beth Carter, Registered Nurse and LawFirm.com case manager

LawFirm.com has registered nurses on staff who can listen to your story and help you figure out what may have happened at no cost to you. Take the first step toward the answers you deserve with a free case review.

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Signs of a Birth Injury in Newborns

Certain signs of a birth injury may appear immediately after the child is born and serve as early indicators that something may have gone wrong during delivery.

Symptoms to look for immediately after birth include:

• Arched back while crying
• Difficulty eating or swallowing
• Excessive drooling
• Extreme fussiness
• Hand curled into a claw-like shape
• High-pitched crying or grunting
• Low oxygen levels or heart rate
• Hearing problems
• Muscle stiffness or looseness
• Seizures
• Sensitivity to light
• Weak or absent reflexes

If your child shows any of these birth injury symptoms, it could indicate a serious health condition like a spinal cord injury or brain or nerve damage. Seek medical attention immediately so your child can receive the care they need as early as possible.

Birth Injury Signs in Babies and Toddlers

As your child grows, certain symptoms or health issues may develop that can suggest an injury during birth occurred.

Birth injury symptoms in babies and toddlers can include:

• Difficulties eating, drinking, or grasping cups or utensils
• Inability to sit, stand, walk, or crawl without help
• Lack of muscle control or muscle spasms
• Poor coordination
• Problems walking or crawling
• Speech delays
• Vision or hearing problems

An older child with a birth injury may not be able to understand instructions, solve problems, or remember things. They may also have poor balance, which can result in frequent falls, trouble running, or difficulty jumping.

Your pediatrician can help identify any issues, so your child can get the treatments and therapies they need.

Brain Damage at Birth Symptoms

Babies who suffer brain damage at birth may have different symptoms, depending on the type of injury suffered and its severity.

Brain injury at birth symptoms include:

• An abnormally large or small head
• Delayed developmental milestones like sitting, crawling, or walking
• Difficulty breathing or requiring resuscitation upon birth
• Excessive sleepiness or difficulty awakening for feedings
• Feeding or swallowing problems
• High-pitched crying
• Poor muscle tone (floppiness or stiffness)
• Seizures
• Weak or absent reflexes

Medical professionals can cause brain damage in an infant by failing to monitor for fetal distress, not performing an emergency cesarean section (C-section), or applying too much force when using a vacuum extractor at delivery.

If your child is showing any of the above birth injury symptoms, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention. Early intervention can improve outcomes.

Early Signs of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of neurological disorders that often result from a brain injury at birth.

Signs of cerebral palsy include:

• Abnormal muscle tone
• Crossed or stiffened legs when picked up
• Delays in sitting, crawling, or rolling over
• Excessive drooling
• Inability to lift the head
• Poor balance and coordination
• Problems grasping objects or clapping hands
• Stiffness or looseness of joints or muscles

If your child’s cerebral palsy was caused by medical negligence, you may qualify to file a cerebral palsy lawsuit to seek compensation for their medical treatment and care.

When health care providers fail to detect or treat infections in the baby or mother, overlook signs of fetal distress, or make decisions that lead to oxygen deprivation (asphyxia), they can cause brain damage that leads to CP.

“The resources that are available now would have been so helpful to my adoptive family.”

– Amie Kroessig, a LawFirm.com contributor living with cerebral palsy

Brachial Plexus Damage Symptoms

A baby may suffer nerve damage during birth, often due to a health care provider’s mistake.

Obstetricians may use excessive force to pull the baby from the birth canal, which can damage the brachial plexus. This group of nerves near the neck controls movement in the arms, shoulders, hands, and fingers.

Brachial plexus nerve injury symptoms include:

• Inability to crawl or sit up
• Limp arm
• Not able to move the arm, elbow, or shoulder

Erb’s palsy is a specific type of brachial plexus injury that results in arm weakness, loss of motion and sensation, and paralysis. Klumpke’s palsy affects the hand and wrist.

While most cases resolve on their own, treatments like medication and surgeries can help those with more severe brachial plexus nerve injuries.

Get a free case review now to see if one of the birth injury lawyers in our network may be able to fight for compensation and justice on your behalf.

See If We Can Help Your Family Get Compensation

$1+ millionaverage birth injury lawsuit settlement

$1 billionsecured for families like yours

$0upfront or hourly fees

Get a Free Case Review

Developmental Delays From Birth Injuries

Birth injury symptoms may become noticeable as children fail to reach developmental milestones. These milestones refer to the motor skills and behaviors children are expected to achieve as they grow older.

If your child is not meeting these or other developmental milestones, it’s essential to consult a doctor. Developmental delays may be signs of an underlying birth injury, so an accurate diagnosis is important to get your child the care they need.

Help for Children Showing Birth Injury Symptoms

If your child is displaying birth injury symptoms and you think they might be related to something that went wrong during childbirth, LawFirm.com may be able to help.

We work with birth injury law firms that have secured over $1 billion for families impacted by preventable birth injuries.

Our trusted legal partners:

• Can help clients in all 50 states
• Have registered nurses on staff to help families get the answers they deserve
• Never charge any upfront costs or hourly fees

Call (888) 726-9160 right now or get a free case review. Let us help you figure out what happened to your child and pursue compensation for their injury.