Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in New York know that pregnancy, labor and delivery can be exciting times and experiences for parents yet there are always some risks associated with them. Sadly, medical errors are often pointed to as the causes of problems. The development of cerebral palsy in a baby or child is an example of a condition that health care providers may be accused of causing incorrectly.
As explained by the Mayo Clinic, a lack of oxygen to a baby’s brain during pregnancy, labor or delivery may contribute to brain damage. However, the number of cases of cerebral palsy actually caused by this is far fewer than once believed. In fact, it is a small minority of all cases of CP.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that up to 90 percent of all cerebral palsy cases are identified as congenital meaning they happen before a baby is born. Much of the time, the actual cause of congenital cerebral palsy is never able to be identified. This makes preventing CP extremely difficult if not impossible for some patients.
While it is the responsibility of medical professionals to provide proper care to pregnant mothers and their babies, is it the responsibility of the pregnant women to seek proper prenatal care as well as appropriate medical attention during labor and delivery. Without doing this, women may increase their risk of certain illnesses that in turn increase the chance that their babies may develop cerebral palsy or some other condition.
