Birth injuries are extremely devastating because of the fragile state of the baby and its susceptibility to severe neurological damage. Birth injuries arise in a host of situations. For example, over-medication of the mother to stimulate labor can starve the baby of oxygen and cause cerebral palsy. Failure to monitor the baby’s heart rate can result in missing the fact that it is in distress and needs to be delivered immediately. And failure to prevent labor in extremely premature babies can result in numerous neurological problems and even death.

A lack of oxygen for the baby (due to a pinched umbilical cord, maternal infection, etc.) accounts for roughly 60% of all medical malpractice childbirth cases. Depriving a baby of oxygen quickly leads to brain injury and death. Over 20% of childbirth malpractice cases arise because the baby was too large to be delivered via the birth canal, yet the medical providers attempted to do so anyway. However, medical malpractice arises in numerous other situations during childbirth, and can result in all kinds of injuries.