Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers | July 28, 2025 | Medical Malpractice
Even in the best of circumstances, childbirth puts both mother and baby under significant physical stress. Unfortunately, many babies suffer birth injuries such as caput succedaneum.
Medical professionals must provide a high standard of care during the process of childbirth. If you suspect that medical malpractice led your child to suffer harm, you may have legal recourse. Learn more about what caput succedaneum is, what can cause it, and what your next steps should be.
What Is Caput Succedaneum?
Caput succedaneum is a swelling that affects a newborn’s scalp. It occurs when fluid below the skin builds up due to pressure, usually in the birth canal. This can give the baby’s head a cone shape, with soft and sometimes puffy skin.
One of the most serious implications of this injury is that it puts your child at risk of newborn jaundice. If jaundice is not treated quickly enough, high levels of bilirubin (which causes a yellowish tint to the skin) can lead to infant brain damage.
Common Causes of Caput Succedaneum
Sometimes, caput succedaneum develops before the baby is born. This can happen when membranes in the mother’s womb rupture before they should. Most of the time, however, this problem happens during delivery. Prolonged pressure on the baby’s head, as can occur during difficult births, can lead to significant swelling.
Any baby can experience caput succedaneum, but certain actions taken by medical professionals may increase the risk. One of these is using assistive devices like forceps. If a doctor doesn’t use the appropriate level of care when relying on these tools or if they prolong the delivery process, the result may be caput succedaneum.
Common Symptoms of Caput Succedaneum
Some of the most common signs that point to this injury are:
- Buildup of clear or yellow fluid below the scalp
- Swelling of the head
- Slow reduction in swelling over a few days
There should be no associated skull fracture near the swelling. A fracture could point to more serious head trauma or a brain injury.
Understanding Medical Negligence in Birth Injury Cases
If a medical professional failed in their duty of care and your baby was hurt, you may be entitled to file a medical malpractice claim. Not all injuries that occur during birth point to medical negligence, however. To show that the provider was negligent, you must demonstrate that another professional would not have done the same thing that led to the injury.
That’s not a simple thing to prove. You will need an expert medical witness in the same field to corroborate your claim via an affidavit of merit.
Pursuing a Medical Malpractice Case
Because winning a medical malpractice case is difficult, the next step is to speak to a medical malpractice lawyer. During your consultation, the lawyer can assess your claim. If they agree that your case is strong, they can investigate what happened and start gathering evidence.
A good medical malpractice lawyer will also negotiate aggressively with insurance companies to win compensation for their client. If a settlement isn’t possible because of disputes about fault, your lawyer can take the case to court and litigate it there. That’s a very complex process that only an experienced legal professional should attempt.
Contact the Houston Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
If medical malpractice resulted in injuries to your baby, the first step in beginning a claim should involve consulting an attorney. With the right representation, you can demonstrate what happened and receive the compensation you need to recover your losses.
If your child has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help. For more information, contact the Houston personal injury law firm of Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers by calling (713) 500-5000.
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