Representing Texans Whose Children Were Injured at Birth

Birth injuries can occur due to poor prenatal care or mistakes by the delivering physician or other medical personnel. Regardless of the cause of birth injuries, in most cases, they are irreversible.

Founded in 1951, Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner has several experienced birth injury attorneys who help families obtain compensation after their children were injured before, during or immediately following delivery.

If your child suffered a birth injury due to the negligence of a doctor or medical provider, he or she deserves compensation. These financial resources can provide for the long-term care and rehabilitation your child needs.

To learn how our birth injury lawyers can help you, contact our office online or call 713-396-3964 (toll free 800-594-4884) to schedule a free consultation.

Common Birth Injuries

The most common forms of debilitating birth injury include:

Shoulder dystocia

Brachial plexus palsy

Cerebral palsy

Erb's palsy

Klumpke's palsy

These are generally caused by doctor error during the birthing process and result in nerve damage and reduced motor function.

Other known birth-related and pregnancy-related injuries include:

Prenatal asphyxia, which can result in brain damage and reduced motor function

Childbirth defects related to SSRI antidepressant use during pregnancy

Excessive newborn jaundice

Hydrocephalus

Autism

Brain damage

Our birth injury attorneys know that in many ways, your child's future rests in our hands. In every birth injury case, our goal is to obtain maximum compensation for the child. By obtaining these financial resources, we can help them live lives that are as comfortable, productive and meaningful as possible.

Erb's Palsy and Shoulder Dystocia Birth injuries such as shoulder dystocia can often result in serious complications for infants, including the development of Erb's palsy. This condition occurs when excessive pressure is put on the baby's head or neck during delivery, often when the baby's shoulder is lodged behind the mother's pelvic bone. It is the responsibility of the delivery room doctor and team to recognize this situation and to safely release the impacted shoulder. If your child suffers from Erb's palsy and you believe that medical malpractice likely contributed to the condition, it is important to speak with an experienced attorney about your rights. Doctors in delivery rooms should go through a series of maneuvers to safely release an impacted shoulder before it leads to a more serious condition. Unfortunately, medical professionals sometimes fail to follow this standard and can actually exert more pressure on the baby's head, which can damage the brachial plexus and cause Erb's palsy. The nerves can be stretched to varying degrees and, in the worst cases, can tear away from the spinal cord. Erb's palsy results in paralysis of the shoulder or upper arm, while the related condition of Klumpke's palsy is paralysis of the hand or wrist.

Erb's Palsy and Shoulder Dystocia Birth-Related Brain Injuries The common thread uniting child birth injuries and brain injuries, whether caused by poor prenatal care or mistakes by medical professionals, is that they are irreversible in most cases. If your child is suffering from a birth injury, a brain injury or both, it is important to be fully aware of what your child needs to live as normal a life as possible. All birth injuries and child brain injuries are difficult to deal with, for children and their parents. The most common child brain and birth injuries include: Brachial plexus palsy Erb's palsy Klumpke's palsy A variety of other birth and brain injuries can be caused by a lack of oxygen or other mistakes by medical professionals during delivery. With injuries to children, it is important to consider the full cost of treatment in the short and long term. We can work with you and necessary medical experts to put together a life care plan and determine how much compensation your family and child will need. Has your child suffered a birth or brain injury? He or she may need expensive medical procedures throughout childhood and long-term care throughout adulthood. To learn more about filing a claim to secure the monetary compensation you need, talk to one of our lawyers in a free consultation.

Birth-Related Brain Injuries Childbirth Defects From Antidepressant (SSRI) Drugs Recent studies have found that certain birth defects, including heart defects, lung defects and other congenital birth defects, may be linked to the mother's use of antidepressant drugs during pregnancy. These antidepressant drugs are called select serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI. Our practice is dedicated to protecting the rights of injured individuals and their families. When your child has an SSRI drug birth defect, we understand the importance of getting the compensation needed to cover medical bills, out-of-pocket costs, noninsured expenses and other unforeseen circumstances, as well as to make sure your child can live as comfortably and productively as possible. Because of the strong link between SSRI drugs and birth defects, many medical experts believe that it is negligent for doctors to prescribe certain antidepressant medications to pregnant women. These antidepressants include: Zoloft Prozac Paxil Lexapro Celexa Fluoxetine Effexor Luvox Wellbutrin Serzone Remeron One study revealed that if a mother took an SSRI antidepressant during the first trimester of her pregnancy, the newborn had a 60 percent higher probability of developing congenital heart defects. In addition to these serious cardiac birth defects, SSRI drugs have been found to cause numerous other serious medical conditions in newborns and infants, including: Persistent pulmonary hypertension of a newborn (PPHN) Lung defects such as pulmonary stenosis Abdominal wall malformations such as omphalocele and gastroschisis Clubfoot and other limb malformations Cleft palate Heart murmurs Seizures Apnea Hyponatremia, or low sodium levels and electrolyte imbalances Water on the brain Other injuries to the brain, spinal cord and limbs We employ a team of medical professionals, including experienced lawyers, doctors, doctor/lawyers, nurses, nurse/lawyers, paralegals and investigators to work on these cases. Our SSRI birth defect attorneys have the pharmaceutical litigation experience necessary to hold doctors and large drug manufacturers responsible for creating and prescribing defective and dangerous drugs. If your child was born with a congenital heart or lung defect or signs of any SSRI-related birth defects, you may be entitled to compensation from the drug manufacturer or the doctor if he or she prescribed the medication without disclosing the risks.

Childbirth Defects From Antidepressant (SSRI) Drugs Pregnancy Complications When delivery room doctors, nurses and other medical professionals associated with the birth of a child make errors due to negligence, it can have devastating results for families and their children. Complications that cannot be avoided often happen during pregnancy. Doctors, however, should take the proper steps to recognize and treat these complications when possible. The failure to provide standard medical care can be considered medical malpractice. If your child has suffered any of these types of injuries from pregnancy complications, it is important to talk with an attorney as soon as possible: Cerebral palsy Erb's palsy Shoulder dystocia Brachial plexus injuries Facial paralysis Any type of brain damage or traumatic brain injury Forceps injuries Hematoma Cleft palate Some of these birth defects have been linked to a mother's use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy. Regardless of how it happened, we know that the consequences of a birth injury can be devastating. Families are often forced to deal with a lifetime of medical treatment. Through medical malpractice litigation, our firm is committed to holding health care professionals to high standards of treatment and care.

Pregnancy Complications

Free Consultation: Committed to Our Clients and Their Futures

For almost 70 years, we have been representing clients in complex personal injury matters, including birth injuries, brain damage and paraplegia. We understand birth injuries, medical malpractice and how to build and pursue compelling cases for our clients.

If your child or relative has suffered a birth injury, he or she deserves a chance to live the best life possible given the circumstances of the birth. You need to take action on their behalf. We can help you obtain justice and just compensation for birth injuries.

For a free initial consultation, call 713-396-3964 (toll free 800-594-4884) or complete our online contact form.