My husband and I just brought our new baby girl home from the hospital. A nurse pulled us aside as we were leaving and told us to watch Marissas right arm to see if it was moving normally and to talk to our pediatrician if it wasnt. What did she mean?

She was probably referring to a brachial plexus birth injury called Erb’s palsy. You do not mention if your labor and delivery were complicated in any way. A difficult labor, especially one in which the baby’s shoulder gets trapped as she passes through the birth canal, can spell trouble.

When this happens, it is known as shoulder dystocia, and is considered an emergency in the delivery room. Your delivery team should be well trained and experienced in handling this emergency. When they are not, mistakes can happen and your baby can experience damage to her “brachial plexus”, a network of nerves at the base of the neck.

If your delivery was complicated in any way, you should find out just exactly what happened and what was done. Rarely, but it can happen, a hospital will try to avoid lawsuits by holding back information that you need. What is disturbing about your case is that your doctor never talked to you about the potential problem with your daughter’s arm.

While we cannot give you medical advice, we can tell you to consult your pediatrician right away and see if you can get more information from the hospital. If you discover that mistakes were made in your baby’s delivery, we can offer legal advice.

As Middle Tennessee birth injury lawyers, we know the results of birth injuries can sometimes overwhelm you. Give Greer Injury Lawyers a call in Memphis if you would like to discuss your legal options. You can reach us toll free at 888-470-9143, or simply fill out the confidential form on this page for a quick and free case consultation.