Birth injuries – Facial Paralysis

One of the more common birth injuries is facial paralysis. This condition is caused by the compression or damage of the facial nerves during labor and delivery. In some cases, facial paralysis simply occurs during the process of natural delivery, and some cases of facial paralysis seem to occur with no apparent reason, while the baby is still in the womb. Other cases result from the use of forceps during delivery.

In most cases, facial paralysis involves just the lower branch of the facial nerve that controls the muscles in the face around the lips. The condition becomes apparent soon after birth, when the baby tries to cry or smile – for example part of the face may not move, the baby’s eyelid on the affected side may not close or normal expressions will look strange. In some severe cases of compression during delivery, the facial paralysis can affect the entire side of the baby’s face, from forehead to chin.

Most of the facial paralysis cases are simply a result of damaged or bruised nerves, not torn nerves, and in these cases, the baby will recover from the paralysis over a few weeks. However, if nerves have been torn, surgery may be necessary to repair them and the case may have been the result of medical error or malpractice.