Infant Bleeding Brain

What Happens When an Infant Has a Bleeding Brain?

An infant brain hemorrhage is a term that doctors use for a severe kind of brain bleeding. Normally, this happens as a result of a stroke that broke a blood vessel. As the blood vessel breaks, the blood will fill up the brain’s cavities, which will cause some of the other blood vessels to die. If left untreated, this will lead to brain damage. In fact, brain hemorrhage can also lead to cerebral palsy. As this happens, the brain cells will start to die.

What’s Behind This Condition?

There are a few things that can put your child at a higher risk of a brain hemorrhage. One example of where brain hemorrhaging could occur is when the doctor uses forceps to deliver your child. Often, doctors will choose to use a vacuum extractor instead because it is less risky. Also, there is a condition known as Cytotec (or misoprostol), causing your contractions to happen too fast during delivery. This deprives the child of oxygen. In some cases, the contractions can also cause head trauma that will lead to brain hemorrhaging. Finally, long and difficult labors can be dangerous to the child. When the baby is larger, a prolonged delivery can lead to head trauma as the baby is coming out of the birth canal.

What are the Symptoms of This Condition?

There are a few signs and symptoms of this condition that have come to characterize it, but you should never try to diagnose it yourself. Take your child to a doctor immediately. Some of the signs and symptoms include:

  • Seizures
  • Apnea
  • Difficult breathing
  • Altered muscle tone
  • Irritability

In cases where infant brain bleeding happened due to incorrect medical practices, you could be entitled to compensation. In fact, if your child gets cerebral palsy due to poor medical practices, you should not be the only one to shoulder the bill. CP can cost up to $1 million over the course of a lifetime. Normally, doctors will treat an infant’s brain bleeds with surgery because it prevents more bleeding. As a result, it keeps the other brain cells and blood vessels from dying.