Will a Baby Recover from Brain Damage at Birth?

 Posted on October 26, 2025 in Medical Malpractice

When a baby suffers brain damage during birth, families are often afraid and have overwhelming questions that demand answers. Will our baby recover? How will we afford the treatments, therapies, and lifelong care our baby may need?

These questions do not have simple answers, but when it comes to infant brain damage, one thing is clear: Early diagnosis, immediate medical intervention, and experienced legal support can all make a difference.

For many families, a Rockford, IL birth injury attorney can help uncover what went wrong. This means finding out whether medical negligence played a role in what happened to your baby. It can also mean pursuing compensation to pay for your child’s medical care and future needs.

What Causes Brain Damage at Birth?

Brain damage during labor and delivery often results from a lack of oxygen or blood flow to a baby’s brain. This is a condition called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). HIE can occur for many reasons, including:

• Long or difficult labor

• Umbilical cord compression or prolapse

• Placental abruption (when the placenta separates too early)

• Failure to monitor or respond to fetal distress

• Delayed emergency C-section

• Maternal infections that go untreated

• Misuse of delivery instruments like forceps or vacuum extractors

Doctors and nurses are trained to detect signs of fetal distress, such as abnormal heart rate patterns, and to act immediately. When they do not, a baby’s brain may be deprived of oxygen for too long, leading to permanent damage.

Can a Baby Recover from Brain Damage?

The answer depends on the extent and location of the injury, how quickly it was treated, and the baby’s overall health. Some infants show major improvement, while others face lifelong challenges such as cerebral palsy, developmental delays, or epilepsy.

Advances in neonatal care now offer hope where once there was none. One of the most promising treatments for babies who suffer oxygen-related brain damage is therapeutic hypothermia, also known as head cooling or whole-body cooling.

How Does Head or Whole-Body Cooling Work?

Therapeutic hypothermia is an advanced medical treatment designed to minimize further brain injury after oxygen deprivation. Doctors lower the baby’s body temperature to about 91°F (33°C) for 72 hours using a cooling cap or a cooling blanket system. This slows the body’s metabolism and helps prevent swelling and cell death in the brain.

This treatment must begin within the first six hours after birth to be most effective. Studies show that cooling can significantly reduce the risk of severe disability or death in babies with moderate to severe HIE.

While cooling therapy cannot reverse brain damage that has already occurred, it can help limit the extent of the injury and improve long-term outcomes. For parents, this procedure represents one of the most critical opportunities for early intervention.

What Happens After a Brain Injury Diagnosis?

Once a baby is stabilized, doctors usually order imaging studies such as MRIs and neurological exams to assess the extent of the brain injury. From there, treatment focuses on managing symptoms and recovery through rehabilitation and ongoing care.

For many children, this includes occupational, physical, and speech therapy, as well as medical equipment such as wheelchairs or feeding devices. As they get older, these children may need specialized schooling and in-home nursing care. Surgeries or medications for seizures and spasticity may also be necessary.

These costs can last a lifetime and reach into the millions of dollars. A successful birth injury claim can provide the financial resources needed to cover these expenses and give your child the best possible chance at improvement.

Should We Hire a Lawyer if Our Baby Has Brain Damage? 

When brain damage happens during birth, parents deserve answers. But they can be hard to get on your own, especially when you are dealing with a small child who needs your attention and care.

This is where an attorney comes in. A birth injury attorney will investigate whether medical negligence caused or contributed to the injury. This involves looking at medical records, such as fetal monitoring data, and getting expert medical opinions. In turn, this helps an attorney determine whether doctors or nurses failed to meet the accepted standard of care.

If negligence is proven, your attorney can pursue compensation through a medical malpractice claim for damages such as:

• Past and future medical expenses

• Long-term care and therapy costs

• Pain and suffering

• Loss of normal life

• Emotional distress

Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/2-622) is the law dealing with medical malpractice. It requires a medical expert’s written report confirming that the case has merit. This means each case needs proof that the claim has a valid medical basis before it can move forward in court. An experienced birth injury lawyer ensures these requirements are met so your case moves forward properly.

When your attorney builds a strong case, insurance companies are more likely to settle fairly. If they do not, the case can proceed to trial.

Can a Baby with Brain Damage Lead a Full Life?

With early intervention, medical care, and therapy, many children who suffer brain damage at birth can achieve remarkable progress. Some may experience only mild developmental delays or learning differences, while others require lifelong assistance. Every child’s outcome is unique.

What remains constant, however, is the importance of support, both medical and financial. The right legal action can make that possible. But birth injury cases are some of the most complex and demanding in personal injury law. They often involve multiple medical providers, hospital systems, and insurers, all of whom may deny fault or shift blame.

At Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois, we understand both the legal and medical sides of these cases. By working with neonatologists, neurologists, and life-care planners, we can calculate the full cost of your child’s care and fight for every dollar your family deserves.

Our firm also handles every case with compassion. We understand that parents not only need compensation, but also justice, peace of mind, and the ability to give their child the best possible future. We listen to parents, take their concerns seriously, and pursue every path toward a favorable outcome for our clients.

Contact a Winnebago County, IL Birth Injury Attorney for Babies with Brain Damage

If your baby suffered brain damage during labor or delivery, contact a Rockford, IL birth injury lawyer at Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois. Our firm has recovered large settlements and verdicts because we fight to hold hospitals and insurance companies accountable. We offer free consultations and the experience and determination your family deserves. Call 815-215-7561 today to learn how we can help your child get the care they need.