A British mom whose son was left disabled by a birth injury is fighting to ensure that labor is safer for thousands of mothers. According to news reports, Amy Swift’s son, Theo, suffered permanent injury when his right shoulder got stuck as he was being delivered. The traumatic delivery left the boy with Erb’s palsy (brachial plexus injury) – a paralyzed right hand and an inability to bend his elbow due to nerve damage. The condition also causes reduced movement and grip in his arm.
Swift says while she enjoys watching her son find his own way to move and play, she is also heartbroken as she sees him struggle to perform everyday tasks that are simple and come naturally for most children. Swift says she was induced at 37 weeks and the labor progressed normally. However, when she was fully dilated and tried pushing for a few hours, the baby did not come out. The doctor realized that the baby had become stuck in the birth canal and used forceps to deliver the child.
Living with a Permanent Disability
As a result of the traumatic birth, the boy was left swollen and bruised around his face. Swift says she found he turned blue every time she attempted to feed him. Due to the trauma, he did not have a sucking reflex. He couldn’t breathe and swallow at the same time. She and the baby remained in the hospital for another four days, which is when she was informed that Theo’s right shoulder had got stuck behind her pubic bone as he was being delivered.
At first they believed he just needed a bit of physical therapy. However, the family later got the devastating news that the damage was permanent and that the boy’s arm would never recover. Theo underwent an eight-hour nerve graft surgery, which gave him a little more shoulder movement. However, one of his arms is smaller than the other. His disability makes him accident-prone and more liable to lose his balance, his mother says. Even climbing up and down the stairs can be difficult she said.
Swift is calling for more specialist training and awareness among hospital staff so other children don’t have to suffer the disabling injuries her son did. Britain’s new Secretary of State recently announced a package of measures concerning childbirth including plans to reduce the national pre-term birth rate and supporting programs to reduce the number of babies who are fatally or severely injured/disabled as a result of birth injuries.
Who is Responsible in Erb’s Palsy Cases
When medical negligence causes your child’s birth injury, you may be able to hold the at-fault doctor, obstetrician or hospital staff accountable. The most common instances of medical negligence that result in Erb’s palsy occur when a physician pulls with significant force on the baby’s arms. Such injuries can also occur when a doctor fails to plan and carry out an emergency C-section or when he or she improperly uses birth-assisting tools such as a vacuum extraction tool or forceps. Birth injuries including Erb’s palsy may happen due to a failure on the part of the medical staff to monitor for signs of fetal distress.
The costs associated with providing care to a child with Erb’s palsy over his or her lifetime are substantial. Parents of such children typically have to deal with constant medical bills (including physical and occupational therapy costs), medical visits, consultation expenses, and the cost of psychological services. Further, in these types of cases the lost wages (for parent or caregiver) as well as the future loss of income for the affected child has to be considered.
Contacting an Erb’s Palsy Lawyer
If your child has suffered a birth injury or has been diagnosed with Erb’s palsy as a result of medical negligence, you may be able to file a birth injury lawsuit seeking compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, loss of livelihood, hospital and rehabilitation costs, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. One of our clients secured a $2,850,000 verdict that was reduced by the appeals court to $1,850,000 because the verdict was so large. This was the highest amount upheld by the appellate courts for many, many years. In addition we recovered $1,400,000 for a newborn who lost motion in the arm during birth due to the doctors applying incorrect force on the baby’s head.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/birth-nightmare-mum-reveals-how-13972166