How can I tell whether my child suffered a birth injury?

If you think your child may have suffered a birth injury, ask yourself whether any of the following factors played a role in your child’s birth. These factors don’t always mean that a birth injury occurred, but they raise a warning flag that a birth injury might have happened:

• You had an extended labor or other delay in delivery.
• Your baby experienced seizures within hours of delivery.
• There was an unexpected need for a Caesarean delivery (C-section).
• Your doctor had to use a vacuum extractor to aid delivery.
• Your baby had concerning heart rate patterns during labor.
• Your baby was blue or gray at birth.
• A previously unrecognized infection was discovered.
• Your baby spent time in a neonatal unit.