A Guide to Nerve Damage in Newborns

Every parent wants to have a smooth birth with zero complications, but the fact is 7 in 1,000 newborns suffer some sort of injury during delivery. In many cases, they're minor issues like light bruising, but injuries can also cause serious lifelong conditions like brain damage. Throughout this article, we're going to discuss nerve damage in newborns and what signs to look for. 

What Is a Nerve Injury? 

Nerves are responsible for making sure the brain's messages arrive at the correct location, which tells you already how serious nerve damage can be for a newborn. This type of injury is often caused by stretching, pressure, or other similar traumas. When the nerves stop fulfilling their function, muscles can stop working and paralysis can set in.

Common Signs of Nerve Damage 

The signs of nerve damage may not be visible at first, which is why it's important for parents to understand what to look for. Here's a list of the common symptoms associated with infantile nerve damage:

• Muscle weakness or wasting.

• Burning pains. 

• Tingling. 

• Numbness. 

• Sensitivity to touch. 

If your newborn has suffered nerve damage during birth, your medical provider should pick up on it during their initial assessments and will put together a treatment plan. However, the experience can still be traumatic and the damage may be lifelong, which is why we recommend having a free consultation with a lawyer.

To diagnose your newborn with nerve damage, a series of tests will be carried out to test muscle control and search for any other potential birth-related injuries. If the initial tests reveal nerve damage, the following additional examinations may be carried out:

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). 

• A nerve-conduction study to test nerve communication around the spinal cord. 

• EMG (electromyogram). 

Treatment of Nerve Injuries

Nerve damage can come in different shapes and sizes, which means the type of treatment plan your child has to follow will vary accordingly. In some cases where the pain is overwhelming, they may need to have a nerve block, which involves injecting a numbing agent around the problematic nerve to keep the pain away. As well as this, your healthcare provider may suggest the following treatments:

• Physical therapy to train the nerves to communicate. 

• Pain relievers.

• Electrode nerve stim. 

• Desensitization therapy.

• Occupational therapy. 

Claiming for Damages

Nerve damage is often caused by medical malpractice, which is where those responsible for taking care of you and making sure there are no issues act carelessly or against regulations. For example, if suction cups and forceps aren't used properly during birth, they may cause nerve damage and much more severe issues including brain damage. Even though your child is being treated, those responsible should pay for such actions, which you can achieve by finding a lawyer and launching a nerve damage due to birth injury lawsuit. 

Childbirth should be a wonderful experience but complications do happen, including nerve damage and other issues. Even if the injury is treatable, make sure you know what the signs are and be prepared to make those responsible pay compensation.