A brain injury is often referred to as a head injury or traumatic brain injury (TBI). The most common causes in children are usually falls, sports injuries, being hit in the head accidentally, and car accidents. But in some cases, a child’s brain injury doesn’t happen out in the world. It happens right at the very beginning, that is, during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.
Infant brain damage can affect a child’s development, behavior, and overall quality of life, making early diagnosis, proper medical care, and understanding your legal options especially important for families. Seeking timely medical evaluation, ongoing therapy, and professional guidance can help manage the condition and improve long-term outcomes. In cases where the injury may be linked to medical errors during birth, exploring legal options can also help families secure the support and compensation needed for the child’s future care.
How Do Brain Injuries Happen During Birth?
A baby’s brain is extremely sensitive, especially during labor and delivery. If something goes wrong and it isn’t handled properly, the brain can be affected very quickly.
Some of the more common causes include:
- Lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain (often called birth asphyxia)
- Delayed C-section when the baby is in distress
- Improper use of delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors
- Failure to monitor fetal heart rate properly
- Untreated infections in the mother or baby
- Medication errors during labor
When medical professionals miss warning signs or delay action, the baby’s brain may not get enough oxygen or blood flow, and that can lead to permanent damage.
How Does a Serious Brain Injury Actually Affect a Child After They Are Born?
A moderate or severe brain injury can affect almost every part of a child’s development after they are born, and the effects can last a long time.
Thinking and Learning
Children with a birth-related brain injury may have trouble learning new things, focusing, or remembering information. School can become a struggle, and they may need special education support. They might even suffer a few developmental delays.
Physical Effects
Some children experience muscle stiffness or weakness, trouble with coordination. Even altered sensory perception is possible in a child who suffered a birth injury.
In very rare cases, the child would end up with limited mobility for the rest of their life, or likely need some assistive devices.
Emotional and Mood Changes
As the child grows, emotional regulation can become difficult. They may get frustrated easily, struggle with social interactions, or show behavior that feels out of character.
These aren’t things a child can just push through. As we know, the brain controls mood and emotional regulation, and when it’s damaged, those systems are affected too.
Behavior
Impulse control can also become a problem for these kids as they grow. Personality changes, difficulty managing behavior, and acting in ways that seem out of character for the child are all things that can follow a moderate or severe brain injury.
This is one of the harder parts for families to navigate because it can feel like the child is choosing to behave badly, when in reality their brain is genuinely working differently than it should be.
What Should You Actually Do?
As a parent, your first line of action after suspecting your child has a brain injury would be to panic. Well, here are a few better options that could benefit your child in the long run:
Get Immediate Medical Care
If your child hits their head and shows any signs of a concussion or brain injury, they need to be seen by a medical professional.
Things to watch for include:
- Delays in sitting, crawling, or walking
- Difficulty feeding as an infant
- Stiff or floppy muscles
- Seizures
- Trouble with speech development
Some signs do show up right after the birth. While others wait until months later before they begin to manifest.
Investigate Everything About the Birth
If your child is eventually diagnosed with a brain injury by a licensed professional, you have full legal rights to ask questions about the cause. You can return to their birth hospital and request full medical records. You’re also allowed to review what took place during labor and delivery.
Get a Lawyer
If medical error is the primary cause of your child’s injury, there’s no better person to help you fight this case than a lawyer who handles birth injury cases.
When you get a lawyer, they can help you understand:
- What should have been done differently
- Whether the injury could have been prevented
- What support or compensation may be available for your child’s care
Key Takeaways
- Brain injuries in children range from mild concussions to severe TBIs.
- Symptoms don’t always show up immediately.
- Sometimes they take hours or days to appear.
- A moderate or severe brain injury can affect a child’s ability to think, learn, communicate, manage emotions, and control behavior, often for a long time.