Cooling Baby’s Brain Saves Her From Brain Damage

After being deprived of oxygen for 10 minutes during a traumatic birth, a Bristol, UK baby was saved from brain damage when doctors used a cooling cap to chill her brain for three days. When a baby is deprived of oxygen for too long during birth, we call this a traumatic birth. When this happens, the brain swells, which can lead to brain damage and possibly cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is an incurable condition. Symptoms vary, but in the most severe cases people with cerebral palsy require life long, around the clock care.

In the case of Baby Olivia Templar, doctors and her mother are both very hopeful that this method of cooling the baby’s brain, which reduced and prevented further swelling, saved her from having cerebral palsy.

Until 2 years old, you cannot tell for sure whether a baby has cerebral palsy or not.

Marianne Thoresen, a pediatrician at St Michael’s hospital where Olivia was born, led one of the research programs that drove the development of the cap. She said the cooling cap is one of at least four effective ways of keeping the baby cool.

Over 800 babies across the world had been involved in a 10-year trial of the cap technique.

Click here download Play Misty for Me to read the full Olivia story.

If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, or you suspect your child may have cerebral palsy, you may have some burning questions such as “How did this happen” and “What are we going to do?” Our Texas birth injury lawyers and our medical experts have helped many families who went through traumatic births answer these questions. Love. Blood. Kryptonite. hd Stormy Weather hd