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The umbilical cord is a piece of rope-like tissue which connects the mother to the baby via the baby’s belly button and the uterine wall by way of a placenta. It is responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the baby, and it is cut off and tied after birth. It is estimated that about 20 percent of all live births prevent with nuchal cord complications, something which can lead to brain injury if not caught in a timely manner.

How Nuchal Cords Occur

Nuchal cords look like nooses which encircle the baby’s neck loosely or tightly depending on a number of factors. Prenatal doctors, with the help of scans, will help diagnose and correct would-be nuchal cord situations from happening, and they may ask that the baby born via cesarean section if the risk of the cord tightening around the neck is too great. At the same time, doctors are supposed to act fast and resolve a nuchal cord scenario by using forceps or vacuum pumps to get the baby out as fast as possible, as well as respond to signs of fetal or maternal distress in a timely manner to resolve a potentially brain-damaging situation.

Nuchal cords can happen due to a number of reasons:

• If you have a family history of nuchal cord births, you are more likely to suffer them.
• If the baby gets too big due to issues such as gestational diabetes, the umbilical cord may become entangled in the womb, leading to nuchal cord formation.
• If you are having twins, triplets, quadruplets or multiple babies, some may have their umbilical cord wrapped around their neck.
• Improper birthing techniques in problem deliveries such as breech, legs first or shoulder first deliveries may cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the child’s neck.

Birth Injuries in Indiana: A Slow Realization

It is important to note that nuchal cord complications in Indiana may not show up within the first hours or weeks of a baby’s birth. As a result, most parents only realize their child’s brain damage when they fail to reach certain development milestones or suffer severe complications after taking it home with them.

Here are some symptoms of nuchal cord birth injuries:

• Your baby may be born with a blue tint to their skin
• They may refuse to feed
• They may have fever
• They may suffer seizures
• They may have a low Apgar score
• They may have a weak cry or not cry at all at the time of their delivery
• They may suffer from respiratory distress requiring artificial breathing tubes inserted into them.

Legal Help for Birth Injuries Caused By Nuchal Cord Complications

Cerebral palsy cases in Indiana are not easy to treat. They require round-the-clock care, patience, up to a million dollars during a child’s lifetime, and accepting that there may not be much one can do to correct this type of Indiana birth injury. If a doctor failed to identify fetal distress or unfurl a nuchal cord in a timely manner, it’s only logical that they pay for their negligence by way of an Indiana personal injury lawsuit. Please call us today on 877-561-3004 for more information into Indiana birth injury cases and what you stand to receive as compensation for your child. Thanks for choosing us.