Birth asphyxia is one of a number of tragic birth injuries that can occur during childbirth. Birth asphyxia can cause long-term damage to your child’s brain, resulting in seizure disorders, developmental delays and learning disabilities if not properly recognized and treated.
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A birth asphyxia lawyer can help you get financial compensation for your child’s injuries.
If your child’s birth asphyxia was caused by the negligence of a medical professional or hospital, you may be entitled to compensation for all the present and future expenses the injury will cost you. To learn more, contact the expert birth injury law team at Merson Law PLLC.
If you are unsure of whether you have a birth injury case, you can contact Merson Law PLLC for a free initial consultation, or read on to learn more about birth asphyxia.
OB/GYNs are trained to understand the signs of birth asphyxia and treat them. If your doctor did not act in a reasonable manner while your child suffered from birth asphyxia, you may be entitled to financial compensation for their negligence.
What is Birth Asphyxia?
Asphyxia, more commonly known as “suffocation” is a condition arising when the body is deprived of oxygen. Asphyxia can cause unconsciousness or death.
If you’ve ever choked on a piece of food or taken a Jiu Jitsu class, you’re probably familiar with what asphyxiation feels like, and it’s certainly not pleasant.
In short increments, suffocation does not cause harm to the body – you’ve probably tried to see how long you can hold your breath. Even though most of us can’t hold our breath for very long, the body is capable of surviving several minutes without oxygen without any repercussions.
After five minutes or so, serious damage can begin to occur.
As in adults, asphyxiation can cause serious harm to an infant during childbirth. When this occurs, the brain and other organs do not get enough oxygen and nutrients. Without oxygen, the brain cannot function properly, and without proper blood flow, waste products (acids that are normally expelled) build up in cells and cause damage.
This can happen without anyone knowing.
The Stages of Birth Asphyxia
Two stages of injury can happen with birth asphyxia:
The first stage happens within minutes if blood flow is low and cells do not get enough oxygen. This stage is where the asphyxiation actually occurs.
The second stage is called “reperfusion injury.”
This stage can last for days or even weeks. This injury happens after the brain starts getting normal levels of blood and oxygen. Toxins released from the damaged cells cause this injury.
Causes of Birth Asphyxia
There are many different reasons why a child may suffer from birth asphyxia.
A common cause is the umbilical cord. During childbirth, the umbilical cord can become wrapped around your child’s neck, causing suffocation. This is a fairly common occurrence, and OBGYNs are trained to be able to recognize, prevent, and treat this occurrence.
Other causes of birth asphyxia are not as obvious to the untrained eye. Sometimes, birth asphyxia is not caused by a physical occurrence, but rather some biological reason for oxygen deprivation.
Common causes of birth asphyxia include:
- Too little oxygen in the mother’s blood before or during birth
- Problems with the placenta separating from the womb too soon
- Very long or difficult delivery
- A serious infection in the mother or baby
- High or low blood pressure in the mother
- Baby’s airway is not formed properly
- Baby’s airway is blocked
- Baby’s blood cells cannot carry enough oxygen (anemia)
What is Birth Asphyxia?
“Hi, my name is Jordan Merson and i’m the founder of Merson Law.”
“Birth Injury and medical malpractice questions and topics like the one stated above are what the Lawyers and Attorney’s of Merson Law are specialists at.”
“It was my dream to one day be a fierce advocate for those that have no voice and seemingly no recourse for the wrongs they have suffered at the hands of others.”
Some of Merson Law’s birth injury case wins:
- $17 million for failure to timely perform c-section on baby
- $14.8 million for baby brain damaged when c-section was delayed
- $14.4 million for Queens family whose child suffered brain damage
- $11 million for Brooklyn woman who had untreated post-delivery bleeding
- $11.3 million jury verdict for brain damage child
“To make that dream a reality, i’ve worked hard to build a unique and successful medical malpractice personal injury law firm in New York, Merson Law.”
“At Merson Law, our birth injury team of experts are focused on bringing justice and compensation for those people whose lives will never be the same because of medical negligence.”
Signs & Symptoms of Birth Asphyxia
Symptoms of birth asphyxia may include:
- Very weak breathing or not breathing at all
- Skin color that is bluish, gray, or lighter than normal
- Low heart rate
- Poor muscle tone
- Weak reflexes
- Too much acid in the blood (acidosis)
- Amniotic fluid stained with meconium (first stool)
- Seizures
Treatments for Birth Asphyxia
If your baby has mild asphyxia at birth, they are supposed to get breathing support until they can breathe well enough on their own. A doctor will monitor them to watch for signs of complications or serious injury.
If your baby has severe birth asphyxia at birth, they may need more serious treatments, including:
- Breathing support from a machine that sends small, rapid puffs of air into your child’s lungs. Some babies may need nitric oxide through a breathing tube or a heart-lung pump for life support.
- Body cooling (hypothermia).
- Medicine to control blood pressure.
- Kidney support with dialysis.
- Medicine to treat seizures.
- Intravenous (IV) nutrition to give their bowels time to recover.
Get connected with emotional, medical, and financial help
We understand how important it is for you to get back to some normalcy and give your child the best life possible. The New York Birth Injury Guide can provide you with the information and resources that fit you and your family’s needs.
How do you manage birth asphyxia?
If your baby has mild asphyxia at birth, they are supposed to get breathing support until they can breathe well enough on their own. A doctor will monitor them to watch for signs of complications or serious injury.
If your baby has severe birth asphyxia at birth, they may need more serious treatments, including:
-Breathing support from a machine that sends small, rapid puffs of air into your child’s lungs. Some babies may need nitric oxide through a -breathing tube or a heart-lung pump for life support.
-Body cooling (hypothermia).
-Medicine to control blood pressure.
-Kidney support with dialysis.
-Medicine to treat seizures.
-Intravenous (IV) nutrition to give their bowels time to recover.
How is birth asphyxia diagnosed?
Birth asphyxia is detected by an OB/GYN when blood flow is low and cells do not get enough oxygen. These conditions can be deduced by several signs that your doctor is trained to identify, as described below.
What are the signs and symptoms of birth asphyxia?
Symptoms of birth asphyxia may include:
-Very weak breathing or not breathing at all
-Skin color that is bluish, gray, or lighter than normal
-Low heart rate
-Poor muscle tone
-Weak reflexes
-Too much acid in the blood (acidosis)
-Amniotic fluid stained with meconium (first stool)
-Seizures
How Dangerous is Birth Asphyxia?
Birth asphyxia is a broad term, so the severity of the condition varies significantly.
Many babies suffer from birth asphyxia briefly, and a trained OB/GYN can recognize the issue and treat it promptly. If this were to be the case with your child, it is unlikely any damage would occur.
If your child were to suffocate for a longer duration of time, they could suffer from short-term, long-term, or even permanent brain damage.
The amount of harm depends on a variety of factors:
-How long your baby does not get enough oxygen
-How low the level of oxygen is
-How quickly the right treatment is given
In many cases of birth asphyxia, quick assessment and action by your doctor can be the difference between an easy recovery for your child and a lifetime of incurable conditions.
Have a question about birth injury? Contact us.
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