Infant Brain Damage Frequently Asked Questions

Based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brain injuries have become one of the leading causes of death and injury in children within the United States. Infants have an increased risk for brain injury because of how their skulls haven’t formed correctly. This makes it easy for small medical mistakes and accidents to cause infant brain damage. Let’s have a look at some of the most common infant brain damage questions to better understand this condition.

What Causes Infants to Suffer Brain Damage?

You have a variety of things that can cause this birth disorder. When a child suffers brain damage, it can happen before birth, during birth or even after birth, depending on the circumstances. Typically, in the time shortly after birth, head trauma has become one of the most common reasons that an infant would suffer this birth disorder. In addition, getting a lack of oxygen has become one of the common reasons that child suffer injuries like this. Some of the most common injuries responsible for oxygen deprivation include:

  • Placental abruption
  • Umbilical cord problems
  • Trapped on the mother’s pelvic bone
  • Long labor and delivery
  • Blocked airways

Another common way that babies get brain damage comes from a condition known as jaundice. When the bilirubin levels in the child reach excess levels, it turns into a health condition known as kernictherus. This form of brain damage can cause problems with teeth, vision and in some cases, it can cause cognitive disabilities.

Can Brain Damage Cause Cerebral Palsy?

One of the common baby brain damage questions, you can get cerebral palsy from suffering brain damage. That’s because of how this neurological condition will have an impact on how the brain communicates with the muscles. With CP, communication with the brain and the muscles get scrambled. Many people think of CP as a muscle disorder, but in fact, this birth injury is a neurological condition.

What are Some of the Signs of Brain Damage?

You have a few signs that your child may have sustained brain damage. Some of the possible signs include:

  • Abnormal behavior
  • Sensory problems
  • Abnormal physical appearance
  • Developmental delays
  • Child not hitting his milestones

You may choose to have your doctor perform an MRI or a CT scan as a way of determining if your child has suffered brain damage. Typically, this will show a traumatic brain injury if it exists. However, if the damage isn’t totally clear, you may have a harder time with getting a diagnosis.

How Will the Doctor Treat My Child?

Another one of the common infant brain damage questions, treating your child will most likely take place in a variety of ways. You have plenty of treatment options available with this condition. Some of them include surgery, emotional-cognitive therapy, physical rehabilitation and medication. You also have a new therapy known as therapeutic hypothermia, which aims to lower the body temperature to reduce the amount of damage to the brain.