Even with modern medical advancements, birth can be a risky proposition for both mother and child. We often see birth injury cases where the doctors or nurses physically mishandled a child—but a 2018 study suggests that infant head size can also have a significant bearing on birth injuries.

The Study

The study from Obstetrics and Gynecology International suggests that infant head size correlates to birth injuries. The scientists focused on white matter damage (WMD) at birth, which is caused by too much skull pressure as the child is born. White matter damage is a risk factor for cerebral palsy.

The study found that babies whose heads were even slightly above the median were around seven or eight times more likely to suffer white matter damage. If the baby’s head was significantly larger than the median, they were ten times more likely to experience a WMD birth injury. Boys are about three times more at risk than girls, since they tend to be larger at birth.

How Head Size Can Affect Your Medical Malpractice Case

If you’re suing your doctor for a birth injury, your infant’s head size can have a great impact on the case. As you may know, medical malpractice is a form of negligence theory. To prevail on a medical malpractice claim, you must show that your provider owed a duty of care to you. They must have failed in that duty. Your lawyer will argue that a reasonable practitioner in the same specialty would have done something differently. Often, medical expert witnesses are brought in to testify to what an average doctor would have done in the same circumstances.

Finally, you must prove that their actions (or lack thereof) caused the birth injury. That’s where head size comes in. Doctors have long been able to measure the baby’s head circumference before the birth. A responsible provider should notice whether your infant’s head size is larger than the median, and develop a birth plan based on that information. For example, they may need to prepare to take additional measures during delivery or schedule a cesarean section.

If your doctor didn’t use the information or tools available to them, and your child suffered a birth injury as a result, you may be able to hold them liable for medical malpractice.

Learn More About Your Case from an Ohio Medical Malpractice Attorney

If you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice resulting in a birth injury, I can help. The fallout from birth injuries can be traumatic, expensive, and time-consuming. You shouldn’t have to take on those costs yourself. Call me today at 877.944.4373 to discuss your case and learn how I’ll Make Them Pay!®