There are several tools that birth injury attorneys use to prove that an injury was caused by negligence or carelessness. An experienced lawyer will closely observe and investigate every aspect of your pregnancy and childbirth. He or she will carefully study the medical records, including neonatal records, the fetal heart monitor strip, newborn records, and your labor and delivery records. Also, copies of imaging studies performed on the child, including ultrasounds, CT scans, or MRIs of the head should be carefully studied. Any deviation from the standard of care is an indication that negligence has occurred. Typical things we are looking for include:

• Fractures or broken bones
• Intracranial hemorrhage — bleeding in the baby’s brain
• Spinal cord trauma
• Cranial nerve trauma
• Swelling, bleeding, bruising, or discoloration of the scalp
• Depressed skull fractures
• Bruising/forceps marks on the head
• Facial paralysis
• Temporary body paralysis
• Group B strep infections
• Spasticity — a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted
• Paraplegia
• Quadraplegia