Taking care of a normal, healthy family can already be hard enough. That said, you can just imagine how much more difficult life can be if you have to look after a child with birth injuries.
Compared to a normal child, taking care of a disabled child involves more effort, time, and finances. Indeed, they’ll need a different kind of care in order to survive.
Birth Injury And Birth Defects: What’s The Difference?
Birth defects are congenital. This means that they’re genetic and there’s really nothing you could’ve done to prevent them from happening.
Birth injuries, on the other hand, are, typically, a result of careless accidents or medical malpractice during childbirth. Most birth injuries are preventable, yet the damage they cause is often irreversible.
Birth injuries are commonly caused by:
- Infection
- Premature birth
- Premature membrane rupture
- Uterine rupture
- Umbilical cord issues
- Fetal stroke
- Anesthesia mistakes
- Abnormal presentations
- Forceps delivery
- Vacuum extraction delivery
- Placental abruption
Some examples of birth injuries are:
- Death from labor complications
- Brain damage due to oxygen deprivation
- Skull fractures caused by mistakes in forceps pressure
- Cerebral palsy due to decreased oxygen flow to the brain
- Physical injuries to the head or neck, or broken bones during delivery
- Facial injuries due to forceps or vacuum extraction
Children with birth injuries often grow up with developmental and cognitive problems. Thus, their parents or guardians will need to learn how to care for someone with special needs.
General Impact On Families
Although certain disabilities are to be expected from birth injuries, the good news is that not all of them will be permanent. However, these will still involve long-term healthcare, which can be expensive due to specialized treatments.
Close up of asian little baby boy is treated respiratory problem with vapor nebulizer to relief cough symptom in the hospital room , concept of pediatric patient care for sick in the hospital.
If you don’t manage to adapt to the mental, emotional, and financial demands of caring for a child with special needs, the effects on your family life can be devastating. Those who have a hard time overcoming such a burden may deal with the following:
- Difficult time bonding with the infant
- Incontinence
- Relationship breakdowns
- Job loss
- Emotional stress in all members of the family
Impact On Parents
Parents typically go through a lot of emotions when they have a child who’s severely disabled. Oftentimes, childbirth is a celebrated event, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t always pan out as planned or as desired.
The mother may go through trauma and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which can severely affect her mental health and ability to properly care for her child. In this case, both she and the child will suffer if she doesn’t prioritize her mental health first.
The father is not exempted from stress. For instance, PPD (postpartum depression) is a term that’s currently used exclusively for mothers. However, PPD can affect the father as well, and the chances increase when the mother also suffers from PPD.
A father usually feels helpless when they find out that their child has suffered from a birth injury. Since they have this protective instinct for their family, it stresses them out the fact that they can’t do anything to fix the situation.
Depending on the severity of the birth injury, the parents’ normal lives may be put to a halt to provide specialized care for the child. Things are bound to get harder if this prevents them from going to work regularly or getting that steady source of income.
Mothers and fathers need to work on their mental health if they’re determined to keep their family together. Aside from seeking therapy, it also pays to build a strong support system that can readily help them out when needed.
Impact On Siblings
Siblings can be terribly affected by birth injuries because of feelings of isolation. None or very few of their peers will be able to understand what they’re going through. Worse, they may get bullied at school for having a disabled sibling.
Additionally, their parents will need to provide extra attention to their disabled sibling, which just exacerbates their confusion and feelings of abandonment. Hence, age-appropriate information must be given to the healthy sibling so they don’t feel unloved and left out.
A Child With Special Needs Can Still Live Fruitfully With Your Help
Taking care of a child who was injured at birth can be all sorts of challenging. It can stretch your patience and test your spirits if you don’t do proper research and prepare adequately.
However, with the right tools and knowledge, plus a steady support system, you can still make things work out well for you and your child. By learning the right ways to nurture a child with special needs, you’ll be able to create a life that’s good enough for them.