Did My Baby’s Premature Birth Cause Cerebral Palsy?
Your baby’s due date — as a parent, you anticipate it as one of the most exciting days of your life. You plan and decorate the nursery, buy tiny outfits, and choose a name. As your due date approaches, you start crossing off the days until your bundle of joy is to arrive.
Then your baby comes too early.
The day he is born you are wracked with fear, anger and disbelief.
This wasn’t what you had envisioned for the arrival of your new baby.
When it’s time for you to check out of the hospital, you must leave your new baby behind in the NICU. You still have more questions than answers. But you kiss your baby good-bye for the first time in his short life. And a small part of you dies.
“How did this happen to my child?” you wonder.
Fortunately, doctors are making huge strides in how premature babies are cared for, and “preemie” survival rates are increasing. The long-term prognosis for their health is also improving.
Preterm Babies are at Risk
If your baby is born prematurely, he is 8 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy. This is because his lungs don’t have the chance to fully develop prior to birth, causing a lack of oxygen to his brain. Preemies are also at increased risk for developing cerebral palsy if their oxygen supply is cut off at any time before, during, or after birth.
Complications That May Cause Preterm Babies to Develop Cerebral Palsy
Delivering a baby prematurely can be heart wrenching—watching your child lying in an incubator hooked up to monitors cause you to ask, “What went wrong?”
However, a premature birth is only one of the risk factors that increases the odds of your baby developing cerebral palsy. Other risk factors include:
- Bleeding on the brain
- Brain injury from forceps and/or vacuum
- Small birth canal
- Prolapsed cord
Maternal conditions that may also increase the risk of a baby being born early and having cerebral palsy:
- High blood pressure
- A clotting disorder
- Or diabetes
Often these medical problems can easily be avoided. For example, your doctor can give you medication that will speed up your baby’s lung development before delivery. Your doctor or nurse should also keep a close eye on your blood pressure and take fast action if it rises too high.
Doctors and nurses are trained to take such preventative measures. You are right to expect good medical care. You and your baby deserve it.
If Your Baby was ‘Accidentally’ Born Too Soon
Perhaps you went into labor before your due date, and the doctors and nurses could not stop your body from delivering. This kind of premature birth is shocking, terrifying, and sometimes avoidable. About 25 to 30% of premature babies arrive as a “spontaneous preterm birth.” It can happen if you have:
- Bacterial vaginosis (should be treated with antibiotics as soon as it’s diagnosed)
- A short cervix
- An abnormal uterus
These conditions can be diagnosed by your doctor. If they are overlooked or ignored, your chances of experiencing a spontaneous preterm birth increase.
“Could Elective Cesarean Have Prevented My Child from Developing Cerebral Palsy?”
When your child is diagnosed with any type of medical problem, it’s normal to ask yourself, “What could I or the doctors have done differently to prevent this from happening?” You might also wonder if your child would have avoided developing cerebral palsy if you had asked for a cesarean. Perhaps you didn’t even know you could ask for one.
Some studies suggest that cesarean delivery may prevent medical conditions like cerebral palsy. Others suggest that elective c-sections do not prevent such conditions. However, there are situations where having a cesarean delivery may prevent the development of cerebral palsy:
- If you had placental abruption
- Your baby experienced fetal distress
- If you delivered a large baby
Ultimately, knowing if you would have benefited from a C-section can only be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Did You or Your Baby Have Any of These Complications?
If so, then you need expert advice on what to do. There is only one way to find out for sure if your doctor and medical team did everything they could to keep you and your baby safe and healthy. If your doctor failed you and your baby in any way, then you might be entitled to financial help.
Contact 4MYCHILD today to see if your child is eligible for Benefits4Life.
