Birth injuries can seriously affect a baby's perception of pain later in life

Pain experienced by babies during the delivery process because of a birth injury can have an effect on their pain threshold later in life. This is because the memory of birth injury pain is stored as neurological and sensory information in their memory.

Still-developing nervous systems permanently store pain input
When babies are born, their nervous systems are still immature and clinical studies suggest that early pain related to birth injury and medical interventions can have long-term consequences on pain behaviour and perception when they're older.

Pain experienced extremely early, at birth for example, literally changes the properties of sensory neurons in the spinal cord so that they permanently become more 'receptive' to skin stimulation.

Neurons play a part in pain memory
The central nervous system (CNS) is extremely complex, which is necessary for the high-performing brain. A small but well-defined group of neurons play a strong role in storing abnormal sensitivity to pain following inflammation due to a birth injury.

The brain and CNS then remember the pain from the injury through processes like intracellular signalling pathways and molecular mechanisms.

In the light of these research findings, medical professionals have asked for delivery room procedures and painful medical procedures imposed on newborn babies that can cause birth injuries to be reconsidered.

The process in which memory is stored is called pain memory or birth memory. One case of severe birth injury pain memory affecting a child involved a baby who had large incisions cut in his scalp, neck and abdomen during birth.

Ten years after the operation, the child would not allow anybody to touch his head, neck and abdomen in the areas touched by the surgery. The sight of a hospital continues to make the child start to sweat, tremble and vomit.

Making a birth injury compensation claim
Babies are extremely sensitive at birth and their bodies are very fragile. A birth injury caused by medical negligence not only affects their bodies but their brains too - in the way they react to pain in the future.

Our panel of solicitors are experts in personal injury cases and have an excellent success rate. You won't lose a single penny of any compensation awarded to you and you won't be charged a thing to pursue your birth injury claim with us.

Call us now on 0800 10 757 95 and we'll answer any questions you may have and can even begin making your birth injury claim today.