My son was born last year after a very difficult and prolonged labour resulting in a Caesarean section which I had under a general anaesthetic. I was in labour for 18 hours and was strapped to a heart machine throughout most of this time which I understand monitored my son’s heart beat and my contractions.
I was left on my own much of the time until about the last half hour when suddenly I was rushed to the operating theatre and everyone was panicking. After he was born, he was taken to the special baby care unit and suffered fits whilst he was there. These were controlled with medication and he spent 3 weeks in special care before I could bring him home.
He has now been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a friend suggested this may have been caused by the delay in his birth. What do you think?
Research indicates that most cases of cerebral palsy are not caused by the birth process. However, approximately 10% are as a result of lack of oxygen to the baby during birth.
If the blood supply to the baby is compromised, the child doesn’t receive the necessary oxygen to the brain and this can cause damage. The longer the period of time without oxygen, the greater the damage and the greater the likelihood of permanent disability.
The baby’s health is monitored during birth, by taking regular readings of the heart which is why you were strapped to the machine. If the heart beat drops or rises from the norm for a prolonged period, then further tests, such as blood samples, can be taken which give a more accurate picture of the baby’s health. Any prolonged period of raised or low heart beat is a cause for concern.
In order to assess whether your child’s condition was caused or contributed to by the birth process we would need to see the maternity records for yourself and your son’s neonatal and paediatric records. Particularly we would look at the heart beat readings and other test results which were done prior to his birth and his condition following birth.
I would advise you to seek the advice of a solicitor as soon as you can, as cases such as yours can take time to investigate properly to assess the correct level of damages for your son.
