Birth Abnormalities/Defects
Birth defects are fortunately a rare occurrence. However, in some cases a child may be born with injury or illness. These injuries can have varying degrees of seriousness and are often not anyone’s fault. However, in some cases the injury or illness may be caused or worsened due to medical negligence.
It is your legal right to receive an acceptable standard of care. If your child has suffered a birth defect as a result of medical negligence you have every right to make a claim and seek compensation.
This data will only be used by Youngs Law for processing your query and for no other purpose.
What is a Birth Abnormality/Defect?
Birth abnormalities or defects normally occur when the child is in the womb. These can vary in seriousness and how they affect the child. Some cases will have an impact on organs whilst others may have an impact on how their body functions.
If the case isn’t serious, they can sometimes be treated in a matter of a few days and your child will be able to make a full recovery. However in some cases they can be extremely serious and could result in them suffering life-long consequences.
Birth defects can broadly be categorised in 2 ways:
- Structural Birth Defect: This is when en a baby is born with a missing body part. The most common types of structural defect effect the heart, contribute to spina bifida and congenital hip dislocation.
- Metabolic Birth Defect: This is when a baby is born with a defect that infects them internally and they’re often referred to as a metabolic birth defect. Generally, metabolic birth defects effect the body’s ability to break down food and/or processes vital vitamins.
It is important to note that some birth defects can be identified during the pre-natal period. If the defect is identified it may be prevented or treated before or just after birth.
How are they diagnosed?
Thanks to advancements in technology and medical science, medical professionals can, in some cases identify and diagnose a birth defect during the prenatal period. The tests are available to help determine if a mother is suffering with an infection and/or the baby is not developing in the expected way.
Birth defects which can be identified during prenatal screening include:
- Spina Bifida
- Down Syndrome
- Cleft Lip
- Defects of the Limbs
Although prenatal screening can only identify the potential presence of a defect, it allows medical professionals to properly plan for the outcome. More importantly, it allows parents to prepare for it.
It is also common for medical professionals to take further tests can also be carried out after the child is born. A huge range of defects can be tested for using a technique known as tandem mass spectroscopy (MS/MS) which is a new advancement in newborn screening for inherited metabolic disorders.
What are some of the more common birth injuries?
There are a wide range of birth injuries that can occur. Some of the injuries can be identified and treated quickly. However, other birth injuries can take many years to identify and can require lifelong care for the victim.
Some of the most common birth defects that result from medical negligence are:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Heart Defects
- Kernicterus
- Stillbirth
- Erbs Palsy
- Congenital Dislocated Hip
- Preeclampsia
No Win No Fee:
Youngs Law offer no win, no fee for all of our medical negligence claims, so if you don’t win your case and receive compensation, you don’t pay us a penny. We will also wait for any fee to be paid to us when you receive you compensation and not upon winning you case.
How we can help
Our team of specialist medical negligence lawyers have years of experience representing clients with complex birth abnormalities claims. Our team of lawyers can help you to put forward you case and give you best in class legal advice throughout the process, so you can get as much compensation and support as needed.
We will help you to get the compensation you deserve and in the case of birth abnormalities, the compensation can include the extra costs associated with caring for a child with a significant disability, which can include both mental and physical disabilities. In these types of cases the aim of compensation is to provide financial support for the disabled person, as long-term care is normally required.
Contact us
Youngs Law have decades of experience in dealing with medical negligence claims and are here to support you should you need it. Our nationwide team can help you not matter where your based in the UK and we offer free consultations to anyone who feels they have a claim.
Please fill out a contact form or give us a call to book some time in with a solicitor to talk through your experience and we will tell you if you have a claim.
