When you place your faith in a licensed health care provider to assist you in the birth of your child, you are entitled to expect competent and safe treatment. Yet even though the United States is often considered to possess the highest standards of medical care, far too many physicians, nurses and other members of the medical staff on hand to help women giving birth make serious mistakes or behave negligently in unintentional or willful ways. When a baby's delivery is incorrectly handled, many serious injuries can result that permanently disable the child. Anyone whose infant is the victim of a birth injury caused by negligence should contact a lawyer familiar with medical negligence as it relates to birth injuries to help them reclaim the damages they deserve.

Although childbirth always carries with it the risk of injury to the baby or the mother, any birth injury is a tragic event made all the more devastating when it could have been prevented. Some birth injuries are unavoidable and are caused by genetic or natural factors that no doctor could foresee or prevent, but some of the most serious types of infant injuries sustained during birth are caused by doctor or hospital staff negligence. Injuries caused by the use of forceps or vacuums during birth can compress the baby's head and lead to oxygen deprivation or nerve damage.

Childbirth is an unpredictable and chaotic event that places a medical professional in the position to make quick decisions and take prompt action to prevent or circumvent harm to the baby or the mother. When a doctor is unprepared to work in this environment, they may dangerously delay ordering emergency caesarean sections, improperly respond to complications or misjudge the size of the baby and cause a traumatic delivery.

Two the most common and devastating forms of birth-related injuries caused by medical negligence are Cerebral Palsy and Erb's Palsy, although bone fractures, spinal cord damage, paralysis and acute infections may also result from a childbirth attended to by a negligent medical staff.

Cerebral Palsy can be caused naturally, but is more frequently the result of oxygen deprivation due to negligence on the part of the delivering physician. This condition can be mild to severe and causes problems with coordination, lowered muscle tone and hearing or vision difficulties. Frequently an emergency caesarean section could have prevented the situation that led to the Cerebral Palsy.

Erb's Palsy occurs when the nerves of the brachial plexus are damaged from unnecessary or improper force used by the doctor. When this particular bundle of nerves is damaged the baby will experience full or partial paralysis of the fingers, hands and arms. In some cases, after appropriate treatment, children can recover, but many others sustain permanent paralysis.

If you believe that the negligence of a licensed medical professionals has caused damaged to your child during birth, seek the advice of a personal injury attorney to find out if you qualify for compensation. Statute of limitations may apply, so please act quickly.