When parents welcome a child into the world, a birth injury is the last thing they expect to face. Yet, if medical professionals involved in the delivery do not fulfill their responsibilities to provide the best possible care, it could be a reality.
Although birth injuries are not altogether too common, they still impact several families across the U.S. and New Jersey each year. These injuries can have lasting impacts on a child and the whole family – it might even lead to lifelong effects.
So, what options do families have for treating these serious injuries?
What treatment is available after a birth injury?
Of course, the kind of treatment will vary depending on the injury the child suffered before or during birth. However, most birth injuries require treatment such as:
- Surgery: In some cases, infants might need surgery right away if they suffer a birth injury during delivery. For example, a broken clavicle is one of the most common birth injuries, and surgery would be necessary to repair the broken bone. However, birth injuries that affect the brain might also require surgeries as time goes on.
- Physical therapy: Physical therapy is often a critical aspect of treatment after suffering a birth injury. It is a primary treatment for injuries that affect the brain, muscle development and motion, such as cerebral palsy. This therapy can help children develop and maintain their strength and coordination as time goes on.
- Occupational therapy: This type of therapy is also helpful if children suffer traumatic brain injuries during delivery. Occupational therapy helps children to improve their fine motor skills, life skills and even manage their emotional behavior.
These treatment options also often involve medication therapy and treatment.
This is why compensation is important
Often, these treatments are long-term, and there is no doubt that arranging such treatment can be expensive. Regardless of whether or not health insurance could cover some of these costs, families deserve compensation to cover these essential treatments if their child’s birth injury was the result of medical malpractice.
