Hearing that your newborn has Erb’s palsy can feel overwhelming. You may have expected to leave the hospital focused on feeding schedules and sleepless nights, not medical terms and specialist referrals. If your baby is not moving one arm normally or doctors are talking about nerve damage, it is natural to feel scared and confused.

Many parents begin searching for answers as soon as they hear the diagnosis. How did this happen? Did something go wrong during delivery? Could it have been prevented? 

At Aldous Law, our birth injury lawyers have spoken with families across Texas who are asking these same questions. Our goal is to provide clear information and help parents understand their options. If you believe your child’s diagnosis was the result of a birth injury, reach out to us today at (214) 526-5595 to discuss what happens next.

What Is Erb’s Palsy?

Erb’s palsy refers to damage to the upper nerves of the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that runs from the spinal cord through the neck and into the shoulder, arm, and hand. These nerves control movement and sensation in the upper limb.

When these nerves are stretched, compressed, or torn during childbirth, a baby may develop weakness or paralysis in one arm. Brachial plexus birth injuries can vary in severity. Some infants may experience mild weakness that improves with therapy. Others may have more significant nerve damage requiring surgery and long-term treatment.

Common signs of Erb’s palsy include:

• Limited movement in one arm
• Arm held against the body with the elbow straight
• Weak grip on the affected side
• Lack of Moro reflex on one side
• Muscle weakness in the shoulder or upper arm

Doctors often diagnose the condition shortly after birth based on physical examination. In some cases, imaging or nerve studies may be used to assess the extent of delivery-related nerve damage.

How Erb’s Palsy Happens During Childbirth

Most cases of Erb’s palsy occur during difficult deliveries. The injury typically happens when excessive force or improper technique places stress on a baby’s neck and shoulder.

Nerve Stretching and Delivery Force

During vaginal delivery, the baby’s head and shoulders must pass through the birth canal. If the shoulders become lodged behind the mother’s pelvic bone, a complication known as shoulder dystocia can occur. 

If too much traction is applied to the baby’s head or neck in an attempt to free the shoulders, the brachial plexus nerves can stretch beyond their normal range. In mild cases, the nerves are stretched but not torn. In more severe cases, the nerves may rupture or detach from the spinal cord.

Excessive lateral pulling on the baby’s head is one of the most commonly cited Erb’s palsy causes. Improper use of delivery instruments such as forceps or vacuum extractors can also increase the risk of newborn nerve injury.

It is important to understand that not every difficult delivery results in Erb’s palsy. However, when significant force is used or proper protocols are not followed, the risk of injury rises. At Aldous Law, our birth injury attorneys can explain how this diagnosis may become a medical malpractice claim.

Common Delivery Situations Linked to Erb’s Palsy

Certain risk factors make shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus injury birth more likely. These include:

• Large birth weight
• Maternal diabetes
• Prolonged labor
• Breech presentation
• Previous history of shoulder dystocia
• Assisted vaginal delivery with forceps or vacuum

When risk factors are known in advance, medical providers are expected to plan appropriately. This may include closely monitoring labor, adjusting delivery techniques, or considering a cesarean section when necessary.

Arm weakness after birth is often the first visible sign that something went wrong. Parents may notice that their baby moves one arm freely while the other remains limp or still. In some cases, the condition improves within weeks. In others, the injury leads to long-term limitations in strength, coordination, and range of motion.

Can Erb’s Palsy Be Prevented?

Many parents want to know whether Erb’s palsy birth injury could have been avoided. The answer depends on the specific facts of each case. While not every instance is preventable, proper medical care significantly reduces the risk.

Proper Delivery Techniques and Planning

Healthcare providers are trained in specific maneuvers designed to relieve shoulder dystocia safely. These techniques focus on repositioning the mother and baby rather than applying force to the baby’s head and neck.

Prevention may involve:

• Identifying high-risk pregnancies during prenatal care
• Monitoring fetal size and maternal health conditions
• Recognizing shoulder dystocia quickly during labor
• Using accepted maneuvers to relieve shoulder impaction
• Avoiding excessive traction on the baby’s head and neck
• Considering a planned cesarean section in high-risk cases

When providers fail to follow established standards of care, delivery-related nerve damage may occur. In those situations, parents may have grounds to explore a legal claim.

Learning whether appropriate steps were taken requires a careful review of medical records, labor notes, and fetal monitoring strips. Medical experts can evaluate whether the response during delivery met accepted guidelines. At Aldous Law, we work with medical experts and other professionals to build a strong case for your child’s injury.

What Parents Should Do After Diagnosis

If your baby has been diagnosed with Erb’s palsy, your immediate focus will likely be on medical care and recovery. Many babies show improvement with consistent therapy. Nerves can heal over time, particularly when the injury involves stretching rather than tearing. 

However, recovery can take months or even years, and some children experience permanent limitations.

Beyond medical treatment, parents may also want to:

• Request complete copies of prenatal and delivery records
• Keep detailed notes about diagnoses, recommendations, and progress
• Track therapy appointments and related expenses
• Seek a second medical opinion if concerns persist

If you suspect that medical mistakes contributed to your child’s injury, speaking with an attorney can provide clarity. A legal review does not automatically mean filing a lawsuit. It simply allows you to understand whether the standard of care was met and what options may exist.

Contact Aldous Law today at (214) 526-5595 to schedule your free, confidential consultation. Even a single conversation can help you better understand what happened and what steps you may want to take next.

When your baby requires appointment after appointment, specialist after specialist, and ongoing therapy due to a birth injury, it can feel overwhelming. You may be juggling physical therapy sessions, evaluations, feeding challenges, and follow up visits while trying to care for your child and hold your family together. The exhaustion is real, and so is the uncertainty about what the future holds.

At Aldous Law, our team of birth injury lawyers has worked with families facing long-term birth injury challenges and the many questions that come with it. We help parents understand what happened, what their child may need in the years ahead, and whether legal action may help secure the resources necessary for future care. 

What Does This Mean for the Long Term?

A birth injury that requires ongoing therapy often signals that your child’s needs may extend well beyond infancy. While some babies improve quickly with early intervention, others require structured support for years. The long-term outlook depends on the type and severity of the injury, how early treatment began, and how the child responds to therapy.

Long-term birth injury care can include:

• Regular physical, occupational, or speech therapy sessions
• Ongoing monitoring by neurologists or developmental specialists
• Adaptive equipment such as braces, walkers, or communication devices
• Educational support and individualized learning plans
• Possible future surgeries or specialized treatments

For parents, the biggest question is how long this will last. In some cases, therapy gradually decreases as a child gains strength and skills. In others, support continues into adolescence or adulthood.

Why Some Birth Injuries Require Long-Term Therapy

Not all birth injuries resolve quickly. Some affect nerves, muscles, or the brain in ways that change how a child develops.

Common examples include:

• Brachial plexus injuries that affect arm movement and strength
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) caused by oxygen deprivation
• Cerebral palsy linked to complications during labor or delivery
• Skull fractures or bleeding in the brain
• Nerve damage from excessive traction during delivery

When a baby’s brain or nervous system is affected, therapy becomes essential to help build skills that may not develop naturally. Early and consistent therapy can make a meaningful difference in mobility, coordination, communication, and independence.

Types of Therapy Babies Often Need

Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy

Babies with birth injuries often receive a combination of therapies tailored to their needs.

Physical therapy for birth injuries focuses on improving strength, balance, and motor skills. Therapists may work on head control, rolling, sitting, crawling, and eventually walking. For children with muscle stiffness or weakness, exercises can help improve range of motion and prevent contractures.

Occupational therapy for infant injuries addresses fine motor skills and daily activities. This can include grasping objects, feeding, sensory processing, and coordination. Occupational therapists also help parents learn exercises and positioning techniques to continue at home.

Speech therapy is not just about talking. For infants, it may focus on feeding and swallowing issues. As children grow, therapy can help with language development, articulation, and alternative communication methods if needed.

Together, these therapies form the foundation of effective long-term childcare.

What Ongoing Therapy Can Look Like Over Time

In the beginning, therapy may feel constant. You might have multiple sessions each week along with medical appointments and home exercises. Progress can be slow, measured in small milestones that other parents may take for granted.

Over time, the structure may change:

• Early intervention services during infancy
• Preschool based therapy programs
• School supported services through an individualized education plan
• Periodic reevaluations to adjust goals and strategies

Some children transition to maintenance therapy with less frequent sessions. Others require intensified services during growth spurts or after surgeries. Parents quickly become highly skilled advocates for their child, learning medical terminology and coordinating care across providers.

The Financial and Emotional Impact on Families

Birth injury ongoing therapy affects more than just a calendar. It affects finances, careers, relationships, and mental health.

Financially, costs can include:

• Therapy copays and deductibles
• Specialist visits and diagnostic testing
• Adaptive equipment and home modifications
• Transportation to appointments
• Lost income if a parent reduces work hours

Future medical care in birth injury cases can involve significant projected expenses over a lifetime. Even when insurance covers a portion of care, families may still face substantial out of pocket costs.

Emotionally, the toll can be just as heavy. Parents may experience anxiety about their child’s future, guilt over what happened, or isolation from friends who do not understand the reality of long-term care resulting from a birth injury. Siblings may also feel the strain as family routines revolve around therapy schedules.

Acknowledging these challenges is important. You are not weak for feeling overwhelmed. The demands of ongoing therapy are significant, and they are often invisible to others. By hiring a firm like Aldous Law, you can focus on your child and reorganize your life to fit their needs while we work behind the scenes to ensure these ongoing therapy costs are fully covered. 

When Ongoing Therapy Raises Legal Questions

Not every birth injury is the result of medical negligence. However, some injuries occur because of delayed responses to fetal distress, improper use of delivery tools, failure to order a timely cesarean section, or inadequate monitoring.

Long-term therapy needs often indicate that the injury was serious and may be better classified as a catastrophic injury. In those cases, understanding whether the harm was preventable becomes especially important.

At Aldous Law, we can help determine:

• Whether medical providers met the standard of care
• If warning signs were missed or ignored
• How the injury occurred
• What future care costs are likely to be

If medical negligence played a role in your child’s injury, a claim may help secure compensation for future medical care, therapy, assistive devices, lost earning capacity, and other long-term needs. Our firm handles complex cases involving serious and catastrophic harm. 

Was the Injury Preventable?

When a child requires years of therapy, many parents begin to ask a difficult question. “Did something go wrong during labor or delivery that could have been prevented?”

This is often the hardest question for parents to ask. It can feel disloyal or frightening to question medical professionals. But seeking answers is not about blame. It is about understanding what happened and protecting your child’s future.

A thorough investigation may involve reviewing fetal monitoring strips, labor and delivery records, and expert medical opinions. If a preventable error contributed to your child’s condition, knowing that information can be critical in planning for lifelong care.

Getting Answers About Your Baby’s Care

If your baby requires ongoing therapy after a birth injury, you may need to seek legal guidance. You deserve clear information about what happened during labor and delivery and an honest assessment of what resources may be available to support your child’s future.

At Aldous Law, we approach these cases with compassion and determination. We understand that behind every medical record is a family doing everything possible to help their child thrive. Our team takes the time to listen to your concerns, carefully review the medical evidence, and explain your options in practical, straightforward terms.

When you reach out for help, we can:

• Review labor and delivery records in detail
• Consult qualified medical experts about the standard of care
• Evaluate whether the injury may have been preventable
• Assess the full scope of long-term birth injury care needs
• Estimate future costs for therapy, equipment, and specialized support
• Explain whether a legal claim may help secure compensation for your child’s future

Contact us today at (214) 526-5595 to schedule your free, confidential consultation. Even if you are not sure whether you have a case, a conversation can provide direction and peace of mind during an incredibly difficult time.