Instances of medical professionals’ misconduct during childbirth can result in significant consequences for both the mother and the newborn. One notable type of birth injury is a “cephalohematoma,” a dark-colored swelling at the top of the baby’s head caused by blood collecting between the outside of the skull and the interior of the scalp skin.
While cephalohematomas are generally not life-threatening, they can result in various complications which can be expensive to treat. You should have to bear the financial, physical, and emotional costs of a doctor’s negligence. If your newborn baby developed this condition because of misconduct by the professionals who assisted with their birth, speak with a Connecticut infant cephalohematoma lawyer about a possible civil claim. Our birth injury lawyers at Berkowitz Hanna have extensive experience handling cases like these, and we are prepared to fight for what you deserve.
If the blood vessels in a newborn’s head rupture while they are being born, blood may leak out from those vessels and pool at the top of the skull, creating a soft red bulge at that location, which will often harden into a mass called a “hematoma.” Depending on the circumstances, a cephalohematoma may continue to grow bigger for several days before calcifying, and it may harden in such a way that creates a divot or depression in the center of the hematoma.
Infant cephalohematomas become much more likely during prolonged births and even more likely in births that involve the use of forceps, vacuum extractors, or similar tools and methods to remove the infant from their mother’s womb. Other risk factors for this condition include:
Any physician who fails to account for these or other risk factors and causes this condition to occur when competent medical care likely could have prevented it may hold civil liability for ensuing losses, as a Connecticut infant cephalohematoma attorney can further explain.
Some of the more common complications that an infant cephalohematoma can result in include:
The costs of additional medical care needed to treat an infant cephalohematoma caused by a Connecticut doctor’s negligence can be factored into an ensuing civil claim, as can lost income for parents who need to care for their child and other related expenses. If necessary, a tenacious lawyer can also help demand compensation for long-term physical and psychological suffering if a cephalohematoma has life-altering consequences.
Learning your newborn baby has been injured in any way due to misconduct in the delivery room is a uniquely terrifying and often infuriating experience for any parent to go through. Fortunately, you have the right in a scenario like this to demand comprehensive compensation to make sure that child has the highest quality of life possible despite the trauma they unfairly sustained.
A conversation with a Connecticut infant cephalohematoma lawyer could give you much-needed guidance about what steps you should take in your unique situation. Call us today to schedule your free consultation with a dedicated legal professional.
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