The umbilical cord provides vital sustenance to developing babies before childbirth. Since the child cannot breathe air, the umbilical cord provides the child with the mother’s oxygenated blood. A healthy flow of oxygen allows the baby to mature and develop at a natural pace. If something disrupts the cord’s oxygen flow, it can have catastrophic effects on the child for the rest of his or her life. This happened to Claire Scott and her son Charlie in Bournemouth, UK. When Claire gave birth 14 years ago, medical staff allegedly never noticed that her umbilical cord was crushed for 20 minutes. Her son did not receive oxygen during these crucial moments, and a few years later, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She says her son cannot eat, clothe himself or walk, and he has spasms every day. In response to the hospital’s negligence, Claire filed a birth trauma lawsuit against…
Read More »
Birth Injury and Cerebral Palsy Attorneys Home
Cerebral Palsy and Tangled Umbilical Cords
January 23, 2013Non-profit Examining Correlation Between Veterans and Birth Defects
January 18, 2013The Birth Defect Research for Children (BDRC), a non-profit based in Florida, has noticed a strong correlation between children with birth defects and parents with military experience. “Veterans are dying, but even more tragically, the children they’ve left behind are suffering,” said Betty Mekdeci, BDRC’s executive director. She says she has received many heartfelt letters from veterans and their spouses about hardships their children face, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, physical deformities and heart defects. Mekdeci believes that chemical exposure during wartime played a role in the childrens’ disabilities. Mekdeci says that families are frustrated and do not know where to turn. She wants to create a center where affected individuals can go for solutions. “We want to serve our veterans as they have served us by petitioning for a ‘Children’s Center’ that would be staffed by specialists who would provide free diagnosis and treatment for their serious…
Read More »
Cerebral Palsy Attorneys Secure $23.8 Million Settlement
January 14, 2013A woman in Massachusetts gave birth to a baby with cerebral palsy. She filed a lawsuit against the doctors and the hospital, claiming that a series of medical mistakes led to her child’s disability. Pitocin The doctors administered Pitocin, a drug intended to speed up a prolonged labor. Sometimes the drug speeds up contractions so fast that the baby does not receive enough oxygen during birth. Lack of Attention The lawsuit claims that the doctors on staff did not closely monitor the woman or her child’s vital signs, and they did not notice that the Pitocin had raised her contraction rates to dangerous levels. Failure to Perform a C-Section When a vaginal birth takes too long or risks injury to the mother or child, most doctors will perform a C-section to minimize injury. If the child becomes stuck in the birth canal, for example, it could cause serious injuries like…
Read More »
