Birth injuries do not affect the newborn children only: they also affect the other family members. At the same time, birth injuries may leave the newborn with long-term cognitive, physical, and psychological effects. Siblings and parents can also undergo psychological pain and financial difficulties that can last a lifetime.
In what ways can a family be affected by birth injury?
Emotional Toll on a Parent
A stressful birth can lead to numerous psychological effects on a mother. One of the most common is postpartum depression, which affects around 30% of women who experience traumatic birth experiences. When a child gets injured during childbirth, some mothers may experience anxiety and fear of being out of control. Such feelings lead to long-term effects on both the mother and the baby. Some women may even decide not to sire more children after such a traumatic experience. Parents may experience depression and anxiety after a child is diagnosed with a birth injury. Having a child who may need long-term medical care might strain a marriage.
Psychological Impact on Siblings
Adults are not the only ones who feel the effect of a birth injury. If the child has special needs due to the birth injury, siblings will most likely feel the impact in several ways. Siblings may find themselves with challenging responsibilities at tender ages, compared to their friends. When the young one has special needs; the guardians or parents often spend more time with the child to offer the care they require. Siblings may have to deal with competing emotions such as;
- anger,
- sense of abandonment.
- guilt or even
PTSD and Birth Injuries
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most underrated and serious impacts of birth injury. PTSD can cause the following;
- Painful and intrusive memories,
- Nightmares,
- Flashbacks,
- Insomnia,
- Emotional distress.
PTSD can be the result of any stressful experience, but it most likely happens during labor and delivery in terms of childbirth. Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect parents after a distressing birth experience. Mothers are likely to experience these symptoms immediately after birth. However, fathers are at a higher risk after four months.
A serious birth injury is one of the most traumatic experiences a parent can go through. Serious birth injuries may leave you with numerous questions, worries, and concerns for the future, including how you will provide care for your child and give them the best possible life they deserve.
Birth may cause marriage breakdowns
The emotional and physical demands of caring for a young child with an acute disability can be traumatizing to a caregivers’ social life. Parents may be out of touch with their loved ones, including old friends, family members, due to a lack of time, resources, and energy to invest in those relationships.
Caring for a disabled child means foregoing your hobbies, nightlife, and social gatherings, which can strain the caregivers’ relationship.
In Conclusion
Birth injuries in a child may have a lasting impact on family members’ mental health and family social life in a big way. Parents of disabled children have to make sacrifices like abandoning their job or exhausting their life savings to offer medical treatments to their little ones.
Insurance policies do not certainly cover all the pain and suffering a family goes through after one of their members has been disabled by a birth injury. That’s why you need legal help from an experienced birth injury lawyer in such circumstances.
