Category Archives: Birth Trauma

Child With Cerebral Palsy Uses Yoga As A Part Of Her Therapy

Eleven-year-old Abbey Vallance has cerebral palsy. She is unable to speak, experiences frequent seizures and uses a wheelchair to maintain mobility. She has undergone multiple surgeries in order to achieve a better, less painful quality of life. Her mother, Cynthia, is always on the lookout for new ways to enrich Abbey’s life. Cynthia first thought of yoga as a way to deal with her daughter’s anxiety regarding an upcoming surgery. After inquiring at a local yoga studio about an instructor willing to work with Abbey and her disability, Cynthia was put in touch with a registered occupational therapist who includes yoga as a part of her therapy. An occupational therapist uses both mental and physical life activities (like writing a letter or cooking dinner) as a means to strengthen essential motor skills. Yoga has proven to provide both physical and mental benefits to its practitioners. The Windsor Star reported that…
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Birth Trauma Attorney Weighs In On Fraternal Twins With Autism

Parents Peter and Gaynelle Russert were more than surprised when they learned that at the ages of 40 and 44, respectively, they were going to be parents—and to twins nonetheless! The couple’s fraternal twins, Drew and Skyler, were almost four when they were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Skyler’s case was more severe than Drew’s, but with no family history of autism, Peter and Gaynelle began to question what other reasons could have caused this diagnosis. NBC reports that the family wondered whether environmental factors or possibly genetics caused the autism, but were never able to nail down one specific cause like most parents of children with autism. From an early age, Peter and Gaynelle involved the boys in medical studies, like a Stanford University investigation about fraternal twins with autism. Additionally, they began different forms of therapy and augmented the boys’ diet. Now 16, both Drew and Skylar…
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Illinois Mother Files Lawsuit Alleging Medical Negligence

A mother has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois with allegations of medical negligence by the health care practitioners during her child’s birth. The plaintiff alleges that this medical negligence caused severe birth trauma and resulted in a diagnosis of Erb’s palsy. During her pregnancy, the Illinois mother developed fetal macrosomia— a term that is used to describe a newborn who is larger than 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Fetal macrosomia often makes traditional delivery difficult, thereby putting the baby at risk of birth trauma and brain injury. Certain precautions are used by medical professionals in other situations which involve fetal macrosomia in order to lessen this risk. This includes providing alternative methods of delivery, such as a C-section. The plaintiff’s newborn weighed 11 pounds, 11 ounces at birth. Due to the child’s large size, the newborn suffered a brachial plexus injury during…
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