How do you get cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is not a contagious disease. In order for someone to have cerebral palsy, they must have sustained an injury to the brain at some point before, during or very shortly after birth.

Sometimes, a baby’s brain may be injured while still in the mother’s womb. This may be caused by an infection or if the mother is injured in some manner. High blood pressure and diabetes may also cause problems for the unborn baby. If the baby does not get enough oxygen problems may also arise.

If the baby is born prematurely it has a much higher probability of developing cerebral palsy, due to its vulnerable state. A baby’s brain is still developing after birth, which means that even a child born at the right time might still have infections.

There are several different types of cerebral palsy. The type of cerebral palsy developed depends on where exactly the brain injury occurred and just how big it is.

Some of the different types of cerebral palsy include:

Athetoid or Dyskinetic

Ataxic

Mixed Cerebral Palsy

Mild Cerebral Palsy

Spastic diplegia

In future blog posts, we will define each one of these terms.

Cerebral palsy is not a contagious disease, but rather a condition that occurs as the result of brain injury at some point in the birthing process. As such, there are safeguards that medical professionals may put into place to minimize the risk of a baby acquiring the disease. Sometimes, cerebral palsy may be the result of negligence on the part of a health care provider. If this is the case, it is important that you contact a cerebral palsy attorney right away. Your child may be entitled to compensation for pain, suffering and potential lifetime earnings lost.

Contact a cerebral palsy attorney

For more information, visit http://www.ucp.org