You just gave birth, and your child appears blue. You know something’s wrong, but doctors say everything is fine. Then you realize your child is without oxygen. Immediately you wonder: was my baby without oxygen long enough to cause brain damage?
Even just one minute without oxygen can cause brain damage to a newborn baby. After ten to 15 minutes, a child can sustain irreparable, severe brain damage. Generally, lack of oxygen at birth is caused by negligent doctors who fail to remove a choking umbilical cord or assist a baby who is having difficulty breathing. If you believe a negligent doctor caused your child’s brain injury during birth, reach out to an experienced attorney. The right lawyer can help your family proceed with litigation against a negligent Maryland hospital so that you can get justice for your child.
Our Maryland attorneys are dedicated to helping families hold negligent doctors accountable. For a free case evaluation with the Baltimore birth injury lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras, call today at (410) 694-7291.
How Long Can a Baby Be without Oxygen Before Sustaining Brain Damage in Maryland?
When babies are born, they are at their most vulnerable state. Even moments without sufficient oxygen can be terrifying for parents and life-altering for newborns. Parents need to understand how damaging a lack of oxygen can be for babies to identify issues where doctors claim there are none.
Generally, three minutes without oxygen can cause serious brain damage in babies. After 15 minutes, the damage done will likely be permanent, forever impacting your child’s future. That said, damage can vary from child to child. One baby could sustain irreparable brain damage after just a minute or two without oxygen. That is why Maryland doctors should do everything they can to prevent oxygen deprivation in newborns.
At around 15 minutes of no oxygen, newborns can die. While it may seem like a few minutes is plenty of time to rectify the situation, complications during delivery can make it difficult for doctors and nurses to access the baby. That said, there is generally no excuse for allowing a baby to go without oxygen for 15 minutes, let alone one, once a Maryland doctor recognizes the problem.
If your baby was without oxygen for a significant period of time during or after birth, reach out to an Edgewood personal injury lawyer. Your attorney can help you learn your options to get justice against a negligent Maryland hospital or doctor.
What Kind of Brain Damage Can a Lack of Oxygen Cause in Newborns?
A lack of oxygen at birth can cause a wide range of brain injuries, including hypoxic-ischemic-encephalopathy (HIE). HIE, among other brain injuries, can seriously impact your child’s life before it’s even begun.
The most common type of brain damage sustained by babies who experience a lack of oxygen at birth is HIE. This condition is often characterized by seizures and organ failure. Children with HIE can experience low muscle tone, slow reflexes, and breathing issues.
Brain cells begin to die when deprived of oxygen for too long. Because of this, babies born without enough oxygen can have vision, cognitive, and speech problems. While some brain injuries are more debilitating than others, all are serious, as there is no way to bring back dead brain cells. Asphyxiation at birth can sometimes lead to cerebral palsy, especially if doctors do not act quickly enough. Sadly, brain and bodily death are also possible when a newborn is deprived of oxygen for too long.
Common Causes of Brain Damage From Lack of Oxygen During Childbirth in Maryland
Generally, brain damage due to a lack of oxygen in babies occurs during the birthing process. Often it is negligent doctors who fail to address asphyxiation or a lack of oxygen quickly enough, sometimes causing irreversible brain damage to babies born in Maryland.
More often than not, when a newborn sustains brain damage due to lack of oxygen, it is the delivering doctor’s fault. One of the most common ways this happens is when the umbilical cord restricts a baby’s ability to breathe. This can happen before or during the birthing process. Your delivering doctor should identify this hazard and act responsibly and quickly. Suppose your Maryland doctor does not address an umbilical cord tissue, especially during delivery, and your child has restricted air supply during the entire birthing process. In that case, your baby could sustain serious brain damage.
Other complications may cause breathing issues in babies, which Maryland doctors should immediately recognize and treat. Generally, something is wrong if a baby does not cry a few moments after birth. If you had a traumatic birth, and a doctor assured you everything was fine just for you to realize your child sustained brain damage, reach out to a Maryland birth injury lawyer immediately.
Just one minute without oxygen can cause serious harm to a newborn baby. Maryland doctors know this, so they should be prepared for any potential situation limiting a baby’s air supply.
What to Do if a Maryland Doctor Deprives Your Baby of Oxygen Causing Brain Damage?
You have options if you believe that a Maryland doctor is responsible for your child’s brain damage. Parents can hire an experienced attorney to hold a negligent hospital or doctor responsible for the brain damage their baby sustained at birth due to a lack of oxygen.
When negligent Maryland doctors breach their duty of care and fail to intercede when a baby is without oxygen, they can be liable for the brain damage a child sustains. In fact, parents can enlist help from a Rockville personal injury lawyer to file a lawsuit for compensatory damages.
Our Maryland Attorneys Can Help You File a Lawsuit for Brain Damage
If a negligent Maryland doctor caused your baby’s brain damage, our attorneys can help. For a free case evaluation with the Ocean City personal injury lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras, call today at (410) 694-7291.