The Birth Injury Blog

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

The STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) defines sensory processing as “the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses.” SPD occurs when these sensory signals are not detected by the brain or are not matched with the correct responses. This can cause a...

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During their education, doctors learn “medical jargon.” This refers to words and phrases that are useful when communicating with other medical professionals, but may be very confusing to patients. The best doctors are careful not to overwhelm their patients with complicated terminology. They use simple language to explain what is going on (unless the patient...

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Addressing PTSD in NICU Parents

It is well known that soldiers returning home from war often develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition marked by flashbacks to a trauma, hyperalertness, avoidance of situations that trigger upsetting memories, and negative emotions such as guilt or shame. However, fewer people know that parents commonly experience similar symptoms after their babies spend time...

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What is an Orthosis?

Orthotic devices (technically referred to as orthosis) are a type of brace or other wearable that serves one or more of the following purposes: Improvement of mobility Immobilization of an injured body part to promote healing Correction of biomechanical misalignments Prevention of injuries Reduction of weight bearing and pain Are orthotics expensive? Do they require...

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There are 102,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. Children with special circumstances (whether they are older children, are siblings, have disabilities, or they have complex medical needs) have an average wait of nearly 4 years in the foster care system. We are going to focus on those children with...

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Breech Presentation and Birth Asphyxia

Mismanagement of breech presentation caused a little boy to experience a lack of oxygen to his brain, which caused hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), seizures & cerebral palsy....

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The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is essential to the survival of many premature and sick infants. However, beeping monitors, ventilators, and alarms can make it difficult for NICU babies to sleep. The layout of a NICU can also influence noise level. The open-bay model, in which multiple infants are kept in one room, has...

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