A four year old boy in Illinois was awarded $2.35 million by a jury in a birth injury case on May 7th. The boy suffered a shoulder injury during birth that has resulted in a permanent disability.

The jury found that the doctor who delivered the boy in 2004 was responsible for the injury. He is accused of pulling on the head and neck of the boy when the boy’s shoulder became lodged on the mother’s pubic bone. The lawsuit also claims that the medical facility shared responsibility for the injuries.

The doctor has since moved from Illinois to California.

Multiple surgeries and physical therapy sessions are required for the boy. The lawsuit will help to cover the medical expenses that have resulted due to the negligence of the physician and medical facility.

Birth injury attorneys are working on cases where permanent disability or fatality has resulted because of medical negligence. The ultimate goal of a birth injury lawsuit is to help those who lives have been devastated and to prevent birth trauma from occurring again.

A new study released on May 7th by the Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand demonstrates that the common prescription diabetes drug metformin is just as effective in treating gestational diabetes as insulin alone.

The 363 women who received metformin during the course of the study experienced the same side effects as the 370 women who received insulin injections.

Of the women who received metformin, 77 percent said that they would continue to use the drug if they had developed gestational diabetes in another pregnancy.  Of those 77 percent, about 46 needed additional supplemental insulin at some point during the pregnancy.

Of the women who received only insulin shots, 27 percent said that they would continue to use only insulin if they developed subsequent gestational diabetes.

Despite the positive results of this study, the researchers assert that more research needs to be done in order to fully understand the possible side effects of metformin. Doctors need to treat their patients with caution.

Gestational diabetes is a serious condition that affects 20 percent of pregnant women. It can result in serious risks to both the baby and the mother. If not treated properly, gestational diabetes can result in premature labor and birth injuries, which can develop into serious disabilities as the baby grows.

Birth injury attorneys are working on cases in which children have developed cerebral palsy and other serious conditions due to medical negligence.