Causes of cerebral palsy may occur at any stage in your child’s fetal development, birth process or early childhood. With the vulnerability of the brain during infant development, trauma and negligent care may result in serious consequences for your child. Many causes of cerebral palsy are preventable with proper healthcare, qualified physicians, and close monitoring of your baby’s health. However, not all complications can be avoided. If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy due to the negligence a doctor or healthcare provider, you may be entitled to compensation for your suffering and losses.

Unfortunately, a definitive cause of cerebral palsy is typically difficult to establish. However, there are several factors during fetal development, which may increase the risk that a child would develop cerebral palsy. During pregnancy, causes of cerebral palsy may include fetal stroke, nutritional deficiencies, maternal illness, inadequate care, excessive exposure to teratogens, or blood incompatibility between mother and child. While many of these factors may be caused by unavoidable circumstances, your doctor has a responsibility to identify and treat these complications when they occur to mitigate the risk that your child will develop cerebral palsy or other birth injuries.

A number of causes of cerebral palsy may occur around the time of delivery. Factors that may contribute to the causes of cerebral palsy at the time of birth include low birth weight, premature delivery, lack of oxygen to the baby, underdeveloped lungs, multiple births, jaundice, seizures, and a breech delivery. Babies who do not cry for five minutes after birth and babies who require a ventilator for more than four weeks after delivery are also thought to be at an increased risk for developing cerebral palsy.

Many causes of cerebral palsy, which develop during the prenatal period or delivery, may be attributable to medical negligence. For example, a doctor may fail to identify birth defects during a prenatal ultrasound, which should have alerted the doctor to the increased risk of cerebral palsy. Causes of cerebral palsy may also be related to a doctor’s mismanagement of labor and delivery. Forceful use of vacuum or forceps delivery techniques may do damage to the child’s head during delivery, contributing to the causes of cerebral palsy. Fetal monitoring equipment may have been misread, and the medical team may have failed to identify complications or fetal distress. A medical team may fail to identify and treat potential causes of cerebral palsy, such as newborn airway obstruction, uterine rupture, placental eruption, dehydration in the newborn, and other complications and signs of fetal distress.

If medical malpractice was the cause of cerebral palsy in your child’s case, you may be entitled to compensation for your lifelong medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.

Please Contact us today to speak to a qualified Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney regarding your case. We have a wealth of experience representing those who have developed cerebral palsy and other injuries due to medical malpractice. We are pleased to offer you a free consultation in order to better acquaint you with your legal rights and options. Let us evaluate your case, to determine if we can help you receive the compensation you deserve for your child’s cerebral palsy.