Cerebral palsy is a devastating condition. The term designates a series of movement disorders caused by brain damage. What makes the problem so severe is that the injury in 90% of the cases occurs even before a baby is born and it affects the child for the rest of his life, as brain injury is incurable.

There are different types of CP depending on the area of the brain that has been damaged and the extent of the injury. Some patients can have only one limb affected, an arm or a leg, others can have the lower limbs affected, in some cases the patient will have difficulties in controlling on side of his body, while in more severe cases the damage can extend to the entire body.

Besides movement disorder, CP patients can also suffer from mental retardation, vision or hearing problems and can have speech difficulties. There are different types of brain damages that can lead to such impairments. The most common ones include:

• The development of the fetal brain is interrupted during pregnancy, especially in the first 20 weeks of gestation which are critical for a normal development

• Tiny holes are formed in the white matter of the brain affecting its capacity of sending electric impulses to the rest of the body

• The baby suffers a stroke during pregnancy as blood vessels in his brain are blocked by a blood clot, or bleeding occurs in the brain due to high maternal blood pressure or weak blood vessels

• Brain cells die due to oxygen insufficiency especially during birth

There are many conditions and circumstances that can cause devastating brain damages to the fetus or newborn. Some of them, like genetic problems, cannot be prevented. But in many cases the baby could have been saved from lifelong impairments if their parents and doctors would have been more cautious.

Since having a child with movement disability will affect the life of the parents too, they should take safety measures to prevent such situations. Parents are advised to inform themselves about cerebral palsy risk factors even before the woman actually becomes pregnant. The mother’s health is essential for a normal development of the baby. If she is too young or too old for a safe pregnancy, if she has some eating disorder, vitamin insufficiency, she suffers from sexually transmitted diseases, infections, high blood pressure, if she takes illegal drugs or drinks too much alcohol, the baby will be at risk. To avoid such situations, before becoming pregnant, women should perform different medical exams and cure potential diseases they are suffering from.

During pregnancy the future mother should periodically perform medical exams to make sure the baby is developing normally. A blood test will also be needed to detect possible blood type incompatibility between mother and fetus. The mother should keep a healthy diet during the entire pregnancy, take the vitamins prescribed by her doctor, avoid alcohol and drugs, take prescription drugs only if they are precisely recommended during pregnancy and protect herself from any physical traumas that can also harm the child.

The birth is also a key moment for the heath of the child, as 10% of brain damages are caused by birth injuries. However in this stage of the pregnancy, the mother has to rely on the doctor assisting the delivery. Only the medical personnel can take the necessary safety measures to protect the newborn from severe injuries. These injuries are more likely to occur in abnormal conditions, like in case of multiple births, premature birth, babies born with a very low body weight, or too large babies and in case of breech deliveries. Doctors should make sure they are performing a cesarean section, in case the baby is too large for normal delivery or if the second stage of the delivery is prolonged, they should make sure the umbilical cord is not twisted around the baby’s neck, preventing his brain from receiving enough oxygen and they should avoid using excessive force during delivery.

If despite all these safety measures, a baby is born with cerebral palsy, parents can contact a birth injury lawyer. If there is evidence that the injury was the result of a medical negligence, they will be eligible to receive financial compensation.