All healthy humans have an important fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cords, protecting the crucial central nervous system. CSF helps prevent injury to these fragile parts of our body, cushioning them when they are injured by falls or impact injuries. CSF also plays an important role in transporting nutrients to the brain and taking away waste products. 
Certain kinds of brain damage can cause pseudocysts, or fluid-filled sacs, to present in the brain’s white matter and neocortex after serious brain injuries that cause softening or loss of brain tissue. This condition is known as…
Continue Reading Multicystic Encephalomalacia and Cerebral Palsy in Infants

Before modern medicine, roughly a third of women died during pregnancy or childbirth. Current medical standards of care make this a number almost impossible to fathom; the vast majority of present-day childbirths go well, even when the mother and infant are facing serious complications. But when doctors, nurses, midwives, or hospitals are ill-prepared to respond to complex situations, mothers can still suffer serious injuries during and after childbirth. 
One of the most common causes of postpartum injuries still associated with childbirth and its aftermath are maternal infections; while these are not always avoidable, they are often a consequence of…
Continue Reading What Are Common Causes of Postpartum Maternal Infection?

The unfortunate reality for many mothers giving birth vaginally is that tearing injuries can easily occur. The skin of the vagina is biologically prepared to thin and stretch during delivery, but certain situations can make perineal tearing unavoidable. And while perineal tears are usually fairly easy to repair, poor medical treatment can make a mother’s recovery excruciatingly painful, sometimes requiring expensive further treatment and causing irreparable harm. 
If your doctor committed a mistake that cause unnecessary perineal tearing, or if they improperly tried to repair perineal tearing, you may be able to take action. 
What Kind of Mistakes Cause Unnecessary…
Continue Reading My Doctor Did a Terrible Job Stitching My Perineal Tearing. Can I Sue?

Abortion has always had a painful stigma for the women who seek it, even when their own lives are at risk. Due to recent political events, this threat may have increased, making it hard for women to talk about having an abortion and to seek the help and emotional support they need. When an abortion goes wrong and a woman is injured, this lack of support can leave a woman feeling like she has nowhere to turn for help. 
Tragically, this lead leads to a lack of resources about what a woman can do after a injury resulting from…
Continue Reading Can I Sue an Illinois Doctor for a Botched Abortion?

Illinois parents-to-be must navigate a large amount of complex information as they prepare to welcome their child into the world. When tragedy strikes and pregnancy ends in miscarriage, parents often feel a challenging combination of grief, confusion, and anger. There may be many questions – Why did this happen? Is anyone responsible? Sadly, parents who try to preempt unhealthy pregnancies by testing for genetic anomalies may risk inadvertently ending the pregnancy when the test itself causes a miscarriage. 
New Research from Yale Medicine tries to help grieving parents by looking for answers to difficult questions about miscarriages. If you…
Continue Reading New Research May Help Grieving Parents Determine Cause of Multiple Miscarriages

Doctors, nurses, midwives, and other childbirth medical specialists have an array of tools at their disposal to aid in ensuring babies are born safely. While the vast majority of deliveries do go smoothly, sometimes urgent intervention is needed. Delivering mothers have no choice but to put their faith in their attending doctor’s skill and knowledge. 
Tragically, not all doctors are as educated or dedicated to their patients’ well-being as they should be. And even when a mistake is just that – an accident – the results can be devastating. One kind of tool that has the potential to cause great…
Continue Reading Can Forceps Injure a Mother During Childbirth?

The process of pregnancy and birth ends well for most children, but it also presents a long period of complicated genetic development during which a child’s body and brain are fragile and susceptible to injuries. Many of these injuries can happen because of recklessness or carelessness on the part of childbirth healthcare providers, and a surprising number of injuries appear to be linked to a higher risk of developing autism. 
While there are many treatments and therapies for autism, a child with autism may need medical, social, and educational support for the rest of their life. If your child suffered…
Continue Reading Does Stem Cell Therapy Show Promise for Children with Autism?

Healthcare providers are essential during childbirth for ensuring a safe delivery and healthy infant. The responsibilities these caregivers have are enormous and parents must place their trust in their team of doctors during a physically vulnerable and emotionally heightened moment. While most deliveries are successful and parents are rewarded with the joy of meeting their child for the first time, some deliveries are complicated and require quick, deft decision-making and medical treatment. 
When labor is not progressing or a baby needs urgent delivery, doctors may recommend a forceps delivery to help the baby come out more quickly. Birth forceps are…
Continue Reading When Are Forceps Appropriate During Delivery?

From time to time, a story will make headlines about a child who was screened for genetic or physical abnormalities in utero, given a clean bill of health, and then born with a serious or life-threatening birth defect. And in 2009, the Illinois Appellate Court decided that parents who prove that a doctor mistakenly diagnosed or failed to diagnose genetic disorders can seek damages for the emotional and financial damages the parents incur when they give birth to a child with a diagnosable disability. 
If you requested tests that were intended to show genetic or developmental disabilities while you were…
Continue Reading Can We Sue Our Doctor for Not Telling Us About Our Baby’s Birth Defect?

While a baby dropped on its head may make up a good portion of schoolyard taunts, when an infant is dropped during delivery, it is no laughing matter. Most Chicago mothers envision their labor and delivery ending with a final push, a gentle catch by the attending doctor or midwife, followed by tender first moments with baby. When these first moments are disturbed or taken away altogether because of a doctor’s carelessness or distraction handling a newborn infant, there are no words to describe the confusion and devastation that follow. 
Every child deserves a fair chance at starting her life…
Continue Reading The Doctor Dropped Our Baby During Delivery. Is This Normal?