They say “It takes a tribe” to care for a newborn baby. That’s even more so the case for newborns with birth injuries. Parents caring for a child with cerebral palsy or another injury can benefit from birth injury resources that lighten their burden.
In this article, you’ll find information about:
- Birth injury guide (What to know once you get your child’s diagnosis)
- Birth injury resources: legal, medical, emotional, and financial
- Cerebral palsy financial assistance
- Cerebral palsy support groups
Birth Injury Guide: Where to Begin
Your doctor says your child has cerebral palsy or another birth injury. What to do next? Everything’s new and overwhelming. There’s a lot of information to take in. You don’t know where to start.
As a law firm specializing in birth injuries, we wish we could give every family dealing with birth injuries this advice:
Seek help sooner, rather than later.
By this, we mean all kinds of help: legal, financial, medical, and emotional. The more help you get, the bigger your “tribe” becomes. The result? Your child will enjoy a better quality of life. You may also be able to lessen the burden on the child’s caregivers (including yourself).
Birth Injury Resources
Now let’s talk about what birth injury resources may be available to you:
- Legal
- Medical
- Emotional
- Financial
Legal Birth Injury Resources
If you have even the slightest suspicion that negligence played a part in your child’s diagnosis, you need to act now. Each state puts a time limit on how many years can pass before filing a lawsuit. It may be just 2-3 years.
Enlist the help of a birth injury lawyer to investigate what happened. You can get a case review for free.
Also, a reputable lawyer will not charge you anything upfront. They will work on a contingency fee basis. That means you don’t pay them unless you get a settlement or win damages.
Medical Birth Injury Resources
Once you receive a diagnosis, learn as much as you can about your child’s condition. Questions you’ll want to ask include:
- What are the symptoms?
- What is the prognosis?
- What treatment is available?
The more you know, the easier it will be to meet your child’s needs. The best source of this information will be your child’s doctor. But you can also read up on your child’s condition on reputable websites.
Here are some examples of internet birth injury resources with reliable information:
- Cerebral Palsy Foundation
- United Cerebral Palsy
- March of Dimes
- United Brachial Plexus Network
- Hydrocephalus Association
- Hope for HIE
- PICK (Parents of Infants & Children with Kernicterus)
- NEC Society (Necrotizing enterocolitis)
Emotional/Social Resources
Your child may see a therapist as part of their treatment plan. This can help them understand and overcome the challenges they face due to their condition.
In addition, you may want to look into daycare centers and summer camps for children with birth injuries. Socializing with others has an enormous emotional impact on children. Attending daycare or camp can also help a child with a disability stay active.
There are also emotional resources available to parents of children with birth injuries. You may want to see a therapist or attend a support group.
Support groups connect you with other families who are going through similar circumstances. It helps to know you’re not alone! Search for a local meet-up in your area, or try one of these online support groups:
Birth Injury/ Disability Support Groups:
Cerebral Palsy Support Groups:
Financial Resources and Cerebral Palsy Financial Assistance
You want to get the very best treatment for your child. But one worrisome question pesters your mind. “How am I going to pay for treatment?”
Many children with birth injuries need lifelong care or assistance. Adequate care isn’t cheap! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says lifelong care for a child with cerebral palsy is about $1 million dollars.
Several government organizations offer financial assistance for families of children with disabilities. These include:
- Medicaid
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Social Security Benefits for Children with Disabilities
If your child’s injury was the result of negligence, a birth injury lawsuit may pay all or most treatment costs. Contact our expert lawyers to find out if you have a case.
Birth Injury Guide and Resources: Further Reading
Here’s a quick guide to further information available on our website about birth injuries:
What are some common injuries associated with malpractice?
What conditions can result from birth injuries?
Birth Injury Guide: Filing a Lawsuit
Have further questions? Contact Hampton & King to discuss birth injury lawsuits and potentially file one yourself.