What Causes Infant Brain Damage?

Understanding infant brain damage causes is often one of the first steps families take after a difficult pregnancy, labor, delivery, or newborn hospitalization. Brain damage in an infant can impact movement, learning, speech, behavior, and overall development. In severe cases, it can even lead to lifelong disabilities, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and intellectual impairment. When your child has suffered brain damage due to medical negligence, you deserve answers, justice, and compensation that will cover all the care your child might require.

Talk to an Infant Brain Damage Lawyer for Free

To schedule a free and confidential consultation with an experienced birth injury lawyer, call Burg Simpson at 303-792-5595 today. Based in Denver, we have decades of experience helping families and injured children throughout Colorado.

Leading Infant Brain Damage Causes

Several conditions can damage a baby’s developing brain. Some might be diagnosable before birth. Others may be from a birth injury sustained during labor or delivery. Others still might happen in the first days or weeks of life.

Some infant brain damage causes are unavoidable. Some, however, are tied to delayed diagnosis, poor monitoring, improper treatment, and other forms of medical malpractice. Determining the exact cause of your child’s injury is an important part of building a case for compensation.

Leading infant brain damage causes include:

Oxygen Deprivation and Reduced Blood Flow

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a brain injury that happens when there is inadequate oxygen or blood flow before, during, or shortly after birth. It can occur from complications, including:

• Umbilical cord compression
• Uterine tears
• Prolonged or traumatic labor
• Placental abruption
• Placental insufficiency

Brain injuries from HIE can lead to developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and other serious concerns.

Bleeding in or Around the Brain

Interventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is bleeding into fluid-filled spaces of the brain. It happens most often in babies born prematurely whose brain blood vessels are still fragile. Severe bleeding can involve brain tissue directly and may lead to hydrocephalus and long-term neurological problems.

Prematurity and Low Birth Weight

Babies born early face a higher risk of IVH and HIE. They also face a higher risk of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus. Premature birth and low birth weight both increase the chance of cerebral palsy.

Serious Infection

Infection is another important category when discussing infant brain damage causes. Group B Streptococcus (Strep B) remains a leading cause of meningitis and bloodstream infections in newborns younger than three months. Bacterial meningitis can lead to permanent disabilities, including cognitive impairment, sensory loss, and motor issues.

Untreated Jaundice

Most newborn jaundice resolves without serious harm. However, very high bilirubin levels can damage the brain. This condition, often called kernicterus or bilirubin encephalopathy, can lead to brain damage, hearing loss, and cerebral palsy.

There is no single answer to “what are the leading infant brain damage causes?” The real answer often lies in the medical records, fetal monitoring strips, imaging studies, lab results, NICU notes, and the timeline of decisions made by the care team. Understanding exactly where the breakdown occurred is one of the primary goals of your birth injury lawyer.

Burg Simpson has spent over forty years helping families forced to deal with infant brain damage seek fair and full compensation. Thorough in our investigations, we work with various professionals and specialists to review medical records, identify where problems occurred, and hold those responsible fully accountable for their negligence.

Medical Negligence and Infant Brain Damage

A bad outcome does not automatically mean medical malpractice. Birth and newborn care involve risks, and some infants suffer injuries despite appropriate care. However, when a provider fails to follow accepted standards of care, the results can be devastating.

Medical negligence may contribute to infant brain injuries when providers:

• Ignore or misread signs of fetal distress
• Fail to respond when the baby is showing signs of reduced oxygen
• Mishandle placental complications
• Fail to prevent, diagnose, or treat maternal or newborn infection
• Miss dangerous jaundice after delivery and discharge

Inadequate monitoring is particularly dangerous. Fetal heart rate changes can signal that a baby is not getting enough oxygen. When signs, like a very fast or very slow heart rate, are missed or ignored, the consequences can be permanent.

The same is true after birth. If a newborn develops seizures, abnormal muscle tone, feeding difficulties, severe jaundice, or signs of infection, the medical team must move quickly. This can include neonatal cooling and other emergency interventions designed to prevent serious damage to the brain.

When proper steps are missed or ignored, and your baby pays the price, the birth injury attorneys at Burg Simpson are here to stand by your side, stand up for your rights, and help you pursue maximum compensation.

When to Call an Infant Brain Damage Lawyer

You should call an infant brain injury lawyer as soon as you suspect something is wrong. Waiting rarely helps. Early legal review can help to preserve records, identify witnesses, and give your family clearer answers while the facts are still fresh.

Common reasons families reach out include:

• A diagnosis of HIE, cerebral palsy, IVH, meningitis, or kernicterus
• Seizures after birth
• Developmental delays or missed milestones
• A NICU stay after a difficult delivery
• The need for cooling therapy, brain imaging, or long-term rehabilitation

Colorado limits how long families have to bring a medical malpractice claim. When an injury impacts a child under the age of six, as is the case with birth injury, you may only have until your child’s eighth birthday.

There are, of course, exceptions and even possible extensions to Colorado’s medical malpractice statute of limitations, but waiting is typically not the best option. The sooner you take action, the faster your attorney can help your family recover money that will be useful for helping your child lead their fullest and most rewarding life.

Compensation in an infant brain injury claim may include past and future medical care, therapy, medications, adaptive equipment, home modifications, special schooling and care, and other losses tied to the child’s long-term needs. During your free consultation at Burg Simpson, we can help you understand how damages are calculated and assist you in determining how much your claim may be worth.

When Infant Brain Damage Causes Problems, Burg Simpson Is Here to Help

When your child has suffered injury, you need a law firm with the resources and ability to investigate complex medical cases. The birth injury lawyers at Burg Simpson understand how to build these claims. We work with highly credentialed medical experts to review evidence and establish liability, and we consider all of your damages when calculating compensation due.

Burg Simpson has been fighting for injured babies and their families for more than 45 years. We have recovered more than $2 billion in verdicts and settlements, many involving medical malpractice and birth injury. With dozens of attorneys representing families in Colorado, we have the resources, background, and track record your family deserves when seeking justice for your injured child.

Contact Us for a Free and Confidential Case Review

If you believe your child’s injury may have been preventable, use our online contact form or call our Denver office to schedule your cost-free consultation today. Our medical malpractice and birth injury lawyers serve families in Metro Denver and throughout Colorado with compassion, care, and unyielding support. We are here to protect your family from unfair treatment while we pursue every penny you are due.