Birth injuries are a sad reality for many in the delivery room. While almost four million births occur in the United States in the modern year, millions of women and families are forced to grapple with the lasting effects of a birth injury after welcoming their new baby into the world. Doctors often chalk this up to a natural strain on either the new mother or newborn child, prescribing medication to handle any pain or odd effects associated with the birth.
Yet a birth injury is more serious than a simple recommendation of medication. Many women reach out to therapists, psychiatrists, counselors, and even attorneys for help after a birth injury has left them reeling. If you’ve suffered a birth injury—or your baby has developed symptoms of cerebral palsy, oxygen deprivation, brachial plexus injury, or another type of physical trauma or brain injury during the birth—then this article is for you.
Understand that this is not your fault.
Whether you experienced preeclampsia or other complications leading up to the birthing process or enjoyed a relatively quiet nine months before welcoming your newborn into the world, medical errors made by the medical staff helping to deliver your baby can lead to a wide variety of injuries to you and your newborn.
Shoulder dystocia or a brachial plexus injury can often result from negligence or medical errors during the final push to extricate your baby. These physical birth injuries are often readily apparent – along with head trauma resulting from the misuse of forceps—but other birth injuries will present themselves in the first month and sometimes after the first month has passed.
The most important thing to remember during this time is that medical malpractice, and the birth injury case that you are experiencing are not your fault. With the help of therapists and legal counsel, you can get the mental health and financial aid that you need to shoulder this burden and recover. Help is just a phone call away, as counselors and therapists often offer free consultations and even live sessions with a therapist or legal counsel who specializes in birth injury cases.
Lean on high-quality resources for the mental health assistance you deserve.
Whether your baby suffered a minor setback and will recover or has lasting brain damage or physical limitations as a result of major shoulder dystocia, cerebral palsy, or another birth injury trauma, getting the help you need starts with a therapist.
Online therapy is available nowadays, and providers like BetterHelp and TalkSpace offer quick-hit sessions with a therapist, counselor, or psychologist through online therapy offerings or with a phone call. Online therapy platforms are a great way to receive the teletherapy that you need to recover in a rapid manner. While in the past, online therapy lagged behind in-person therapy with a psychiatrist, therapist, or other mental health professionals, the coronavirus pandemic has changed all of that. Medical professionals offer the same level of care through live sessions and online therapy offerings as they would in a therapist’s office.
In addition to teletherapy, you’ll likely be facing the prospect of a lawsuit against the hospital or medical staff who delivered your newborn. Medical malpractice is no joke, and the people responsible for you or your child’s birth injury must be held accountable for the trauma and stress you’ve had to endure, as well as any medical treatments that you or your child will need going forward as a result. Chicago birth injury lawyers, for example, are well versed in these types of lawsuits and offer the same level of compassionate care as your therapist will.
Speaking with a great lawyer and a therapist who can help you pick up the pieces after a birth injury is two of the most important things you can do as a new parent.