National Birth Defects Awareness Month

National Birth Defects Awareness Month is an annual observation that occurs in January. It is a time to reflect on one of the most crushing types of tragedies that anyone can face and to provide support to those affected.

A Major Problem

A baby is born with a major birth defect every 4.5 minutes in the U.S. Birth defects are the leading cause of death among infants in our country and account for approximately 20 percent of all deaths within a baby’s first year. For those who are able to survive, their defects can lead to a lifetime of pain and disability.

National Birth Defects Awareness Month is a time to not only realize just how pervasive this problem is, but also to examine how these defects occur.

Child Birth Injuries

A major contributing factor to defects is an injury that occurs during the birth of the child. In far too many instances, these injuries are largely caused by the negligence of doctors or other healthcare providers. Examples of long-term problems include cerebral palsy, developmental delays and even death.

These are just a few ways this can happen:

• A doctor fails to provide information to an expectant mother that can help her protect her and her child’s health during a pregnancy.
• A misdiagnosis of a medical condition during pregnancy occurs.
• A health care provider does an insufficient job of responding to the signs of distress in a mother or her child or fails to properly monitor a pregnancy that may be high-risk.
• Doctors either fail to perform a cesarean section when necessary or use too much force when attempting to remove an infant from the womb during a delivery. This often includes the incorrect use of medical devices such as forceps.
• Healthcare providers fail to follow proper hygienic procedures during labor and/or delivery.

Whenever medical negligence occurs, the results can be devastating. This is especially the case when it involves a delicate newborn. When this happens, the healthcare providers involved may face liability for any injuries or illnesses that are suffered.

Taking Legal Action Against Negligent Healthcare Providers

If you have experienced the tragedy of having a child suffer a birth defect due to the negligence of a healthcare provider or medical facility, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against those who are responsible. This can provide you with much-needed resources to help your child, such as therapy, schooling, 24-hour care and other services the child may need. Filing a lawsuit could also help bring about change that could keep other children and their families from suffering.

At Irpino, Avin & Hawkins Law Firm, we have a great deal of experience helping families who have gone through this situation. We are extremely committed to protecting the rights of injured children and their families, and we will fight passionately on your behalf. If you would like more information or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact us online or give us a call at 1-800-7500-LAW as soon as you can.