Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects the brain in newborns. It can develop in the womb or during birth or early infancy. This condition affects body movement, reflexes and balance. Although the brain damage associated with cerebral palsy does not progress, the symptoms affect function throughout life. There are a number of causes associated with this disease including genetic and environmental factors, trauma to the head, infection or events in the birthing process. A small minority of these cases may be caused by medical negligence, in which case cerebral palsy solicitors handle all cerebral palsy and birth injury cases.
Diagnosis A doctor will not always pick up on cerebral palsy right away in a newborn child, and in many cases it takes a while for any symptoms to manifest. More sophisticated testing methods, such as imaging, can help to give medical staff a better idea of the possible problems early on. One common reaction from parents in cases where cerebral palsy is diagnosed in the newborn child is the feeling of guilt. However, birth defects and congenital malformations are caused by a number of factors, which may have nothing to do with the prenatal care.
Symptoms A newborn with CP may have difficulty nursing or sucking on a bottle due to weak, uncoordinated mouth muscles. Weakness can also cause the baby to have difficulty holding their head up.
Some babies born with cerebral palsy are less active than healthy newborns. Spastic CP is the most common form of this condition, causing muscles to be excessively tight.
Newborns with spastic cerebral palsy may seem unusually stiff due to increased muscle tightness. This can cause difficulty with dressing and bathing the baby. Other types of cerebral palsy can cause low muscle tone, making the newborn seem unusually floppy. Involuntary movements, such as jerking of the arms or legs, may also occur in a newborn with CP. Cerebral palsy may not be obvious in newborns, especially if the baby has a mild form of the illness.
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