Cerebral palsy is a type of brain damage that often happens during birth. It may happen, for instance, if there is a lack of oxygen to the baby for a significant amount of time. The brain is so new and underdeveloped and this lack can cause permanent issues even if the baby still survives the birth.
However, despite being a brain disorder at heart, this is a condition that really can lead to some physical limitations. Examples include:
- Stiff muscles
- Different muscle tone on different parts of the body
- Exaggerated reflexes
- Poor muscle coordination
- Lack of balance
- Trouble with motor skills
- Difficulty walking, crawling and the like
- Excessive drooling
- Issues eating and drinking
- Slow, writhing movements
- Seizures
- Problems using fine motor skills
Some of these problems, such as muscle rigidity or problems drinking, may be clear right away. Parents will know that something is wrong. Other issues may not show up until far later. For instance, an example of fine motor skills is buttoning a shirt, but even children without cerebral palsy may not have that type of skill mastery for years.
As such, parents don’t always know that a child has cerebral palsy for quite some time. They may assume that the birth went well. However, if they find the signs and symptoms as the child grows up, they may realize that it all began with that initial birthing process.
Have you been wondering what you can do after a doctor’s error or negligence injured your child? You do have options, and it’s important to know what they are.