This blog has previously discussed the various types of birth injuries parents in the Albuquerque area may have to deal with after labor and delivery. Any type of birth injury is a traumatic affair for New Mexico parents who were probably hoping for and expecting a healthy child at the end of their pregnancy.
Erb’s palsy can be a particularly difficult injury for parents to handle, especially on an emotional level. This is because the most common symptom of this condition is the loss of some motion in the newborn’s arm. In many cases, the baby will not be able to move the arm at all, and it may seem limp or otherwise like a dead weight on the baby’s body.
Erb’s palsy is caused by nerve damage in the upper body. In the most serious cases, the baby’s nerve actually gets severed from the spinal cord. Treatment in this case could include surgery in order to get the baby’s arm mobile again.
The condition affects about one or two babies for every 1,000 babies born. In the majority of cases, the condition will go away as the baby grows, although parents still have to deal with the emotional fallout of the injury and may also have to take their child to physical therapy. Unfortunately, some kids are not so lucky, and they will experience trouble moving their arm for the rest of their lives.
The problem with this condition is that it is largely preventable with the proper care from the obstetrician in charge of delivering the baby. Many times, Erb’s palsy is the end result of a baby’s being twisted or pulled in the birth canal, such as in the case of a delivery by forceps. In some cases, a breech birth done vaginally can contribute to the condition.
New Mexico parents who are having to help their young child get through this medical condition may want to seek compensation via a medical malpractice case. If this is the case, they will want to learn more about their options, so they can decide how to proceed.