Erbs Palsy

The trauma of childbirth soon gives way to the joy of welcoming a baby into your life — until you discover that something is wrong with your baby. It is heart-wrenching to learn that your child may have a permanent and disfiguring disability.

Our medical malpractice lawyers can't truly understand how devastating this is for you as a parent, but we can help to make things right. The Chicago law firm of Seidman Margulis & Fairman, LLP, has held medical providers responsible for negligence resulting in birth injuries, including Erb's palsy. Arrange a free consultation today with our Chicago erbs palsy lawyers to discuss your suspicions.

A common complication of labor is shoulder dystocia, in which the baby becomes stuck in the birth canal. The head clears, but the infant's shoulders become caught on the pubis bone, preventing delivery. Shoulder dystocia can compress the umbilical cord, cutting off the baby's oxygen supply. Brain damage can occur in just a few short minutes.

The response of the medical team is critical. The obstetrician (OB-GYN doctor) should be trained in a series of protocols to reposition the infant, extract the baby by force or perform an emergency cesarean section. Unfortunately, through panic or improper technique, the delivering physician may break the baby's arm or damage the brachial plexus nerve center in the baby's shoulder. This can trigger nerve damage known as Erb's palsy.

The symptoms of Erb's palsy range from impaired function of the hand to total paralysis of the hand, wrist, and arm. Some babies partially or completely recover with time, therapy, or surgery. Other children will experience a lifetime of diminished function, loss of sensation, or complete paralysis in that limb.

Children adapt, but a paralyzing injury can affect their physical, emotional, and social development. Our lawyers are skilled at making the causal connection between medical negligence and the symptoms of Erb's palsy, which may not be diagnosed until months after childbirth. Did the doctor attempt proven remedies for shoulder dystocia? Use suction or forceps improperly? Fail to perform a C-section?

We then work to document the costs of special care and the future impact of the child's disabilities. Our goal is a fair settlement, but medical malpractice lawsuits are vigorously defended. Birth injury attorney Steve Seidman is prepared to go all the way to trial to get justice.

Call our Chicago law office at (312) 781-1977 to schedule your free consultation. There is no cost to have your case evaluated and there are no attorney fees unless we recover compensation.