Learn More About Two Specific Types

Brachial Plexus Injuries (BPI)

This is a birth injury that entails significant damage to the nerves that originate in the upper spine and go throughout the shoulder, neck, arms and hands. The amount of damage to these nerves ranges dramatically from mild to permanent. Neuropraxia is the mildest version of this injury and entails the nerve being stretched. The most severe version of BPI is called avulsion, which is when the nerve roots are completely dislodged from the spine causing the newborn to experience complete paralysis.

Perinatal Asphyxia

Cerebral palsy is the term that is often used to describe an injury to a baby’s brain that occurs either during the pregnancy or in the labor and delivery process. Cerebral palsy can result in a baby’s inability to develop in a normal fashion and can result in a lifetime of problems including partial paralysis, seizure disorders, communication disorders, and behavioral and cognitive disorders. Cerebral palsy caused by a lack of oxygen to a fetus in the labor and delivery process is often caused by the negligence of a medical professional involved in the birth and delivery of the baby.