Birth injury symptoms

Common signs of birth injuries

Birth injury symptoms can appear immediately after a baby is born or develop months or years later. It’s common for parents to not know their baby was harmed until developmental delays or missed milestones become noticeable over time.

Here are 3 early signs and symptoms of birth injuries:

1. Abnormal muscle tone (either too floppy or too stiff): This can indicate nerve or brain damage resulting from trauma during delivery.
2. Seizures or twitching movements: These are often early signs of brain injury or lack of oxygen at birth.
3. Difficulty feeding: Problems with drowsiness, sucking (reflexes), swallowing, or latching can point to neurological or physical issues.

If you notice any of these birth injury symptoms, trust your instincts. Doctors may have downplayed concerns during your child’s birth, but if you have a nagging feeling something went wrong, you could be right.

Parents know their child best, so making their own observations is key to identifying birth injury symptoms. Pay close attention to your child’s development and note any delays or concerns.

If you suspect your child was harmed at birth, you may be able to take legal action. A birth injury lawsuit could help secure the compensation your family needs to cover your child’s future care.

Cerebral Palsy Guide works with a network of top birth injury lawyers across the country. Our legal partners have recovered over $1 billion for families affected by preventable birth injuries. We may be able to help your family, too.

Get a free case review right now to see if you could be eligible for financial compensation.

Symptoms of birth injury immediately after birth

There are a few newborn birth trauma symptoms that sometimes show up right after a child is born. Learn more about birth injury symptoms that may appear immediately.

Brain injury at birth symptoms

While these symptoms don’t always indicate a birth injury, they can be important signs that something may have gone wrong during delivery.

Birth injury symptoms to look for immediately after delivery include:

• Arched back while crying
• Excessive drooling
• High-pitched crying, grunting, or overall fussiness
• Low oxygen levels (bluish skin tone) or low heart rate
• Newborn skull fracture

If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms right after they are born, this may be a warning sign of a birth injury related to brain or nerve damage, like cerebral palsy from birth trauma.

It’s important to seek medical help for any symptoms quickly to give your child the best chance of early care and improved outcomes.

Symptoms of nerve damage in babies

Nerve damage during birth can sometimes result in brachial plexus injuries, which affect the network of nerves controlling movement and sensation in the shoulders, arms, and hands.

Our experienced labor and delivery nurses have decades of experience supporting families like yours. If you’re concerned your baby is showing signs of nerve damage, connect with a compassionate nurse today — free of charge.

Talk to a registered nurse about your child's birth injury.

Speak directly with a labor and delivery nurse to find out if medical malpractice may have been involved.

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Identifying birth injury symptoms at 12-24 months old

Some birth injury symptoms may take 1 to 2 years to fully develop and become apparent. Common signs of birth injuries generally become obvious when children miss milestones or show physical signs of brain or nerve damage.

Common signs of birth injuries to look for between 12-24 months of age include:

• Delays in speech or no speech development at all
• Difficulties eating, like grasping utensils or using cups
• Intellectual challenges, like poor memory retention
• Lack of muscle control or tight muscle spasms (spasticity)
• Inability to control movements, a symptom of ataxic cerebral palsy
• Not bringing objects to their mouth
• Not turning their head when hearing loud noises
• Poor coordination or balance could point to a type of cerebral palsy
• Problems walking or crawling
• Trouble passing small objects from one hand to the other
• Unable to sit, stand, walk, or crawl without assistance
• Vision or hearing problems

If your child is showing any of these birth injury symptoms, they may have been harmed at birth.

Talk to their doctor to explore a possible diagnosis of birth injury and discuss a treatment plan to address your child’s symptoms.

Common signs of birth injuries after 2 years old

Not all types of birth injuries will be recognizable within the first two years. Birth injury symptoms may first appear when a child enters preschool or elementary school and shows physical or mental delays when compared to their peers.

Birth injury symptoms to look for after 2 years of age include:

• Blindness, deafness, or muteness
• Challenges dressing, eating, or drinking without help
• Difficulties walking up and down stairs or running
• Inability to draw straight lines or circles
• Muscle stiffness or looseness, a common sign of cerebral palsy
• Onset of developmental disabilities, such as autism or epilepsy (seizures)
• Problems with fine motor skills due to jerky reflexes
• Tremors or shakiness
• Unable to speak or understand full sentences

Many birth injuries are preventable and a result of medical negligence by health care professionals.

If your child is showing any of these birth injury symptoms, you may be able to pursue financial compensation — but don’t delay because there are strict deadlines.

Find out if you may be eligible for compensation right now with a free case review.

Causes of brain damage from birth injuries

Brain damage can be caused by physical injury during the birthing process while a baby exits the birth canal. This may be caused by oxygen deprivation (hypoxia), suffocation (asphyxia), misuse of assisted delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors, and more.

Birth trauma can result in irreversible brain damage. If your child shows birth injury symptoms, it could point to brain damage sustained during birth, potentially affecting areas like the basal ganglia, cerebellum, or motor cortex.

Damage to these areas of the brain can result in different symptoms:

• Basal Ganglia

  Involuntary movement, tremors, and difficulty with overall mobility and balance

• Cerebellum

  Impairments with balance, coordination, fine motor skills, posture, and loss of movement

• Motor cortex

  Stiff muscles, weakness on one side of the body, and loss of fine motor skills

Damage or developmental abnormalities in the basal ganglia during critical periods, such as childbirth, could potentially contribute to conditions like coexisting cerebral palsy and autism.

In many cases, these injuries could have been prevented. If you suspect medical negligence caused your child’s birth injury, you may be eligible for compensation.

A skilled birth injury attorney can investigate the cause of your child’s birth injury symptoms and help you figure out what to do next.

Developmental delays from birth injuries

Birth injuries caused by brain damage can lead to children missing important developmental milestones. Developmental delays are often the first birth injury symptoms that parents notice.

Consult your doctor if your child is missing key milestones. Developmental delays aren’t always linked to birth injuries, so an accurate diagnosis is essential.

Is your baby missing important developmental milestones?

If your baby isn’t meeting milestones like rolling over, sitting up, or babbling, it could be a sign of a birth injury or another medical condition. While every baby develops at their own pace, noticeable delays may need to be checked by medical professionals.

This may be especially true if you and your baby experienced a difficult delivery, which is one of the risk factors of birth trauma.

Our experienced nurses are here to help if you’re concerned. Contact us today for free support and guidance.

Talk to a registered nurse about your child's birth injury.

Speak directly with a labor and delivery nurse to find out if medical malpractice may have been involved.

Talk to a Nurse

What should I do if I think my child has a birth injury?

It is important to contact a pediatrician if you believe your child is showing any birth injury symptoms or developmental delays.

Doctors may diagnose a birth injury by performing a physical exam and ordering imaging, hearing, vision, and intelligence tests.

Treatment options for birth injury symptoms may include:

• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Surgery
• Other ongoing care

Getting a prompt and accurate diagnosis can help your child get the treatment they need to manage their symptoms and live a healthy, independent life.

Many families may struggle to pay for costly birth injury treatment. Thankfully, there are ways families can access financial compensation to cover their child’s treatment costs, like a birth injury settlement.

Get legal help for birth injuries

Many parents and caregivers may feel overwhelmed, confused, and lost when their child is showing signs of a birth injury.

It is important to remember there are many treatment and support options available to help your child get the care they need to lead a happy life.

An experienced birth injury lawyer can help determine whether your child’s condition was preventable and guide you through the legal process.

Our legal partners have secured over $1 billion for families just like yours. We may be able to help your family, too.

Call us right now at (855) 220-1101 or get a free case review to find out if you could be eligible for financial compensation.