What Is The Heck What Exactly Is Birth Defect Attorney

What Causes a Birth Defect?

It's the last thing that an expecting parents wants to hear: Their child may be born with a defect. These birth defects are caused by the things that happen during fetal development and can affect your child's mental or physical health.

A doctor can identify birth defects during pregnancy with newborn screening or prenatal tests. However, other birth defects may not be discovered until after your child's birth or when they start to develop symptoms.

What caused your child's asymmetry?

The causes of many birth defects remains unknown. However, there are a few factors that increase the likelihood of having a child with defects. These include using drugs or birth defects taking certain medications before the birth, having a family member who has birth defects or certain medical conditions, for instance rheumatic heart disease. Women with an ancestry of these disorders should consult an expert in genetic counseling about their options before getting pregnant.

The extent to which a birth defect in a child can cause serious health issues or not is contingent upon the body part that is affected and how much of the body part is affected. Usually, the more severe the defect is, the more severe the problems will be.

The majority of birth defects are caused by genetics or the environment during the development of the fetus. The risk of having birth defects can be decreased by educating yourself about your family's history with health issues and genes by speaking to a genetic counselor and following prenatal care guidelines.

Structural defects are birth issues that affect how an area of your body looks or functions. They can be visible, like cleft lips and cleft palettes, or invisible, such as chromosome disorders or metabolic conditions. Genetically-inherited conditions can be a type of structural birth defects. Environmental factors, such as the lack of folic acids, can cause neural tube defects that lead to brain or spinal cord development not working as intended.

Find More Evidence Than You Think You Can.

There are many medical procedures that a pregnant woman can undergo to discover more about the possibility of birth defects. One of these is amniocentesis that involves a doctor taking a small amount of the fetal fluid to be tested. This procedure can reveal chromosomal defects as well as other health conditions such as infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor may also examine the fetus's blood, amniotic fluid and even the umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are essential to determining the cause of birth defects. They also help determine the severity of a birth defect and the impact it has on a child's future.

However, some birth defects (www.ibong.Net) can be unnoticed until the baby is born or, in rare instances, when an adult. This is because the problems are not easily identified until they are present and can sometimes only be recognized with the help of diagnostic equipment. In these cases, the medical expert witness must be knowledgeable with the technology and have the necessary training to be able identify these defects. An experienced medical malpractice attorney should be able to identify the right expert for your case.

Employ an attorney for Medical Malpractice

A child born with a serious defect or severe birth injury could completely alter the life of a family. These injuries can create life-long physical and psychological challenges and often require an entire lifetime of medical attention.

While medical science can identify the causes of about 30 percent of birth defects others remain a mystery. Research has shown that certain chemicals and substances can cause birth defects, including those present in prescription or over the counter medication that mothers take, the toxic chemicals at work in some communities and homes, as well as contaminated groundwater and air.

Doctors must evaluate the medication taken by an expectant mother and inform her of any possible risks for the baby. If they fail to fulfill this duty, they may be held responsible for birth defects that are caused by medications.

Doctors are also required to assess the safety and efficacy of any equipment or procedure they recommend to pregnant women. This includes xray machines, surgical instruments, and other equipment. If a doctor negligently uses the equipment or fails to correctly calibrate the equipment, it could result in serious consequences for the baby. This is considered medical malpractice. When this happens it is important to seek out a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as you can. In certain states, you only have one year to file a medical negligence claim, so the earlier you begin the process the more favorable.

Start with the First Step

Birth defects affect 1 out of 33 babies born every year, and are a leading cause of infant mortality. These issues could be life-threatening, and they can cause long-term physical, mental and emotional difficulties. Researchers have in a few instances linked the causes of birth defects to exposure to prescription and over-the-counter medications and environmental toxins, complications of motherhood, infections, pregnancy and delivery or a family medical history or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease, PKU, or genetic illnesses). However, in a majority of birth defects cases the causes are not clear.

Some birth defects, like hearing loss or clubfoot are easy to spot and can be diagnosed from birth or within the first year of a child's life. Other birth defects, such as heart defects or developmental and intellectual disabilities, aren't as easy to identify and require special tests.

Researchers are working to understand what can cause birth defects and how some of these can be avoided. For instance smoking and drink alcohol or consume illegal drugs during pregnancy increase the likelihood of having a child with certain birth defects. Women with a family history that involves genetic disorders inherited from their parents may want to consult a genetic counsellor before trying to get pregnant. They should also use the March of Dimes family health history form to gather information about medical conditions that can be found in their families and then share it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.