Birth Injury | Georgia Personal Injury Blog

Steps in a Birth Injury Claim

By Grant Law Office on April 30, 2021

Birth injuries can have devastating consequences on children and their families. If your child has suffered a serious birth injury due to a medical mistake, you have a right to seek compensation for your losses. But first, you will need to determine how medical negligence caused your child’s injury and prepare certain evidence to support your claim. Below is a summary of what you need to know before filing a birth injury claim in Georgia.

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What Are the Early Signs of Cerebral Palsy?

By Grant Law Office on October 20, 2018

If a child has delays in reaching “movement milestones” from birth to 5 years of age, it could be a sign of cerebral palsy.

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Water Births Almost Banned at Local Georgia Hospital

By Grant Law Office on August 10, 2017

In recent years, water births have become increasingly popular with expecting mothers who desire a more natural approach to child labor and delivery. During labor, the mother enters a pool or tub filled with warm water. The water helps the mother relax, reduces pain and injury, and potentially improves blood flow. When delivery begins, many mothers remain in the water until the baby is born. Research thus far has not found any benefits to delivering the baby while in the water.

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Common Types of Georgia Birth Injuries

By Grant Law Office on June 1, 2017

Giving birth is one of the most treasured and delicate experiences in many people’s lives.

For this reason, welcoming a new life into this world requires great care on behalf of the medical professionals who oversee it. If a doctor or nurse is negligent in his practices, it could result in the serious injury or even death of an infant. Medical professionals who neglect their duties are held responsible for their mistakes by the law.

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Group B Strep Infections May Lead to Prenatal or Birth Injuries

By Grant Law Office on February 16, 2012

Group B Strep (GBS) is a type of infectious bacteria carried by up to 25 percent of American women of childbearing age. For most of these women, GBS causes no symptoms – it simply rides along in the body. Many other women experience recurring vaginal yeast infections or urinary tract infections without realizing these are caused by GBS. However, GBS can cause serious and life-threatening harm to a developing baby or newly-born infant if it is not treated.

Mothers who have high fevers or recurring vaginal or urinary tract infections should have a urine test performed for GBS. Even if the test comes back negative or the mother is not tested, she should alert her doctor immediately if she goes into labor before 37 weeks, goes more than 12 hours between her water breaking and delivering the child, or experiences a fever over 100 degrees at any point during her pregnancy.

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Impaired Neurocognitive Abilities in Young Adults Linked to VLBW

By Grant Law Office on December 26, 2011

Very Low Birth Weight, or VLBW, is dangerous for the health of a newborn, and, according to a recent study published in Neurology, its effects may continue through young adulthood. According to Medscape.com, the study concludes that newborns with VLBW tend to have deficiencies in neurocognitive abilities once they become young adults. It is no surprise that severely preterm births are already associated with impaired mental faculties in children, but there are not many studies that follow-up on these results as the children grow older. “Neurocognitive Abilities in Young Adults with Very Low Birth Weight” is that follow-up study.

Within this study, as part of the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults, two groups of more than 100 adults each were subjected to a battery of tests. One group included young adults who had been born with VLBW and the other included young adults who had normal birth weight. The tests evaluated general cognitive ability in addition to executive functioning and related abilities. Academic performance was also considered. The study concluded that:

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When Your Child Suffers a Birth Injury in Georgia

By Grant Law Office on July 28, 2011

Generally defined, birth injury refers to trauma suffered by a baby during the birthing process. These injuries can be physical or mental and can create undue financial and emotional hardships for the child and his or her family. The injury may be caused by negligent pre-natal care, medical malpractice due to an untimely delivery, or medical negligence from inappropriate use of equipment during delivery.

Medical negligence, malpractice and doctor oversight are common causes of birth injuries in Georgia. It is the duty of the healthcare professionals who provide prenatal care to properly screen and diagnose any medical condition so that injury can be prevented, if possible. Failure to diagnose a debilitating medical condition during pregnancy constitutes malpractice and the attending doctor, and/or the hospital he or she works for, could be held liable. A doctor who is too forceful with equipment during delivery or fails to perform an emergency procedure on time during the delivery may also be held liable.

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