Caring for Your Child With a Birth Injury
Most babies are born without complications and grow to live long and healthy lives. Sadly, however, some babies may sustain a birth injury that can lead to long-term complications. Most birth injuries are preventable with proper medical monitoring and care. Still, when a birth injury happens, many parents have questions about how their children will receive care and how they will manage their symptoms. Here are some treatment options available to help treat birth injuries and mitigate the impact on a child’s life.
Common Treatments and Therapies To Improve Birth Injury Symptoms
Head Cooling Therapy
Head cooling or brain cooling therapy, also known as hypothermia therapy, can help when a baby is experiencing asphyxia or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Head cooling works by lowering the temperature of the brain cells to prevent brain cell death. The procedure involves placing a cooling cap on the baby’s head or laying the baby’s head on a cooling blanket that lowers the baby’s body temperature and metabolic rate.
Medication
There are different types of medications that can reduce the symptoms and pain associated with a birth injury. For example, if a child has cerebral palsy, they may be prescribed Baclofen or Diazepam to treat muscle spasticity.
Surgery
Depending on the severity of the birth injury, surgery may help improve muscle, bone, and joint disorders.
Occupational Therapy
As a baby grows older, occupational therapy can help a birth injury adapt to their abilities and environment. Occupational therapy can teach someone living with a birth injury how to manage their daily routines and necessary life tasks like brushing their teeth, cooking, cleaning, and more.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can help improve body movements and reduce pain associated with birth injuries. Some physical therapy treatments may include massage, strength training, specialized exercises, and fitness routines.
Speech Therapy
If a birth injury has impacted a person’s speech, speech therapy can help strengthen the muscles in the mouth and teach someone how to make sounds and communicate.
Adaptive Equipment
Someone living with a birth injury may have difficulties with walking, speaking, and eating. Adaptive equipment can help improve their quality of life. Some common types of adaptive equipment include wheelchairs, braces, and walkers.
Did Your Baby Sustain a Birth Injury? Learn Your Legal Options.
When up against a challenging situation such as having a baby that sustained a birth injury that could have been prevented, parents may not know where to turn for help. At Dolt, Thompson, Shepherd & Conway, PSC, we are here to hold negligent medical professionals accountable for their actions.
You deserve to receive compensation to provide for your child who suffered a birth injury— now and for their future care. In addition to seeking compensation, our birth injury attorneys can help parents set up trusts and establish caregivers to ensure the child has the necessary means to be cared for throughout their life. Let us help your family through this difficult time.
Call (502) 244-7772 to speak to one of our lawyers today.