Brachial Plexus Injuries and Mental Illness: What’s the Link?

Brachial Plexus Injuries Mental Health
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Article at a Glance
  • Brachial plexus injuries are injuries to the nerves in the arm or hand, typically occurring during childbirth or in other cases of trauma, such as a car accident. Many brachial plexus injuries heal on their own or with little treatment, but some can cause lifelong damage.
  • Children with brachial plexus injuries may be more likely to also suffer from mental health issues as they get older. Even if the injury is healed, trauma and discrimination — as well as a lack of support — may make girls from low-income families more than twice as susceptible to mental illness than boys from wealthy families.
  • Help is available for those who may have a birth injury claim. Safe Birth Project offers free case reviews for families of children with birth injuries.

Article at a Glance Brachial plexus injuries are injuries to the nerves in the arm or hand, typically occurring during childbirth or in other cases of trauma, such as a car accident. Many brachial plexus injuries heal on their own or with little treatment, but some can cause lifelong damage. Children with brachial plexus injuries […]

Uterine Rupture: Seeking Help After a Birth Injury

Uterine Rupture
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Article at a Glance
  • Uterine rupture is a rare yet serious condition that occurs more commonly in women who have uterine scars from a previous C-section or other surgery. If doctors don't act fast enough during childbirth, mom and baby can both be in extreme danger.
  • Signs of uterine rupture, while not always specific, include pain at the site of the scar, excessive vaginal bleeding, pain at the pubic bone, and baby's head receding into the birth canal. Baby's heart rate is a major indicator of distress, and after diagnosis, doctors must work quickly to get baby out.
  • VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) is the most common source of uterine ruptures, though 70% of VBACs are successful. If you are considering a VBAC as part of your birth plan, you'll want to go over all the risks with your doctor ahead of labor. The success rate for VBAC decreases when taking in a number of factors, including if baby is more than 41 weeks or very large, or if labor is induced (particularly with Pitocin).
  • Once a uterine rupture occurs, the uterus is removed and a woman can no longer have children. Women with more than one prior C-section who attempt VBAC have an increased risk of uterine rupture, so this, along with the experience of your doctor team, where you decide to give birth, and your individual pregnancy factors should all be considered in ways to reduce the chance of uterine rupture.

Article at a Glance Uterine rupture is a rare yet serious condition that occurs more commonly in women who have uterine scars from a previous C-section or other surgery. If doctors don’t act fast enough during childbirth, mom and baby can both be in extreme danger. Signs of uterine rupture, while not always specific, include […]

Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Was it a Doctor’s Fault?

Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
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Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is a serious problem at birth. In fact, it is one of the scariest injuries that happens to full-term infants. A staggering 40-60% of infants with HIE die before they turn 2 years old or they become severely disabled. Shockingly, there are fewer babies who survive from HIE than there […]