St. Louis Birth Injury Lawyers
The Midwest's Most Effective Injury Law Firm
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 45 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 45 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
- Last Modified:
- July 6, 2026
The day you meet your baby is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, not the start of a fight for answers. When something goes wrong during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, families turn to our St. Louis birth injury lawyers because they still don’t know exactly what happened.
The hospital’s own team begins reviewing the case right away, leaving parents to search for answers during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. Brown & Crouppen, P.C. walks beside families in St. Louis to uncover the truth and protect your family’s future.
We’ll review the records, work with trusted medical experts, and explain what we find in plain language so you understand your options. Call us anytime at (314) 501-9510 or send a message through our online contact form for a free consultation.
Why Trust Brown & Crouppen, P.C. With Your St. Louis Birth Injury Case
Standing up to a medical system requires going toe to toe with seasoned defense lawyers and the experts they hire, and no parent should shoulder that while caring for an injured baby or recovering from a preventable birth injury.
We’ve spent over four decades rooted in St. Louis, and families from the Central West End to the suburbs off Highway 40 have leaned on us when it counted most.
Recognition That Matters
Our work has earned recognition from respected legal organizations and the St. Louis community alike. Brown & Crouppen, P.C. has been named Best Law Firm in St. Louis by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Our attorneys have also been recognized by Super Lawyers, and members of our team have been honored among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers.
A Legacy of Results
Since 1979, our work has returned more than $1 billion to families across Missouri and Illinois. When your family’s future hangs in the balance, experience and results matter.
Prepared for the Battle
We approach every case with the dedication and thoroughness that your family’s future deserves. By being meticulously prepared from the very start, we show hospitals and their insurers that we’re fully committed to uncovering the truth and securing the compensation your family needs.
Answers Without the Jargon
You’ll get honest updates and clear explanations at every turn. Medicine already feels complicated enough, so we’ll make sure the legal process never does. Call (314) 501-9510 or complete our online form, and our team will connect with you right away.
When Does a Difficult Delivery Become Medical Malpractice?
A difficult delivery becomes medical malpractice when a doctor, nurse, or other medical provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure causes a preventable birth injury.
Not every complication is the result of negligence. The question is whether another reasonably careful provider, faced with the same circumstances, would have recognized the warning signs and acted differently.
That’s nearly impossible to judge without reviewing the medical records and the care that was provided. Many families leave the hospital feeling that something was missed, but have no way to know for sure.
Our St. Louis birth injury lawyers work with qualified medical experts to determine whether the care fell below the accepted standard and whether that failure caused harm.
FREE CASE EVALUATION
What Kinds of Birth Injury Cases Does Brown & Crouppen Accept?
Our St. Louis birth injury lawyers handle cases involving a wide range of preventable injuries affecting babies and mothers.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder affecting movement, muscle tone, and posture. It is caused by brain damage in developing infants. Symptoms vary from mild to severe and include spasticity and coordination issues.
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong, non-progressive condition, and treatments aim to improve function and independence. It’s a common childhood motor disability.
Erb’s Palsy
Erb’s palsy is a birth injury affecting arm movement. It’s caused by nerve damage or injury to the brachial plexus during delivery and leads to weakness, loss of motion, or paralysis in the affected arm.
Treatment options for Erb’s palsy include physical therapy and, in some cases, surgery, to improve mobility and strength.
Shoulder Dystocia
Shoulder dystocia is a delivery complication where a baby’s shoulder gets trapped behind the mother’s pelvic bone. This can lead to a difficult and potentially dangerous birth, requiring immediate medical intervention to prevent injury to the baby’s brachial plexus nerves, oxygen deprivation, or other complications.
Surgical Instrument Injuries
Birth injuries caused by surgical instruments can occur during assisted deliveries using tools like forceps or vacuum extractors. These instruments, if improperly used, can lead to injuries such as skull fractures, brain damage, nerve damage, or facial paralysis in the newborn, requiring immediate and sometimes long-term medical intervention.
Cephalohematoma
Cephalohematoma is a birth injury characterized by a collection of blood under a newborn’s scalp. Typically caused by birth trauma or the use of delivery instruments, it appears as a raised bump on the baby’s head.
Caput Succedaneum
Caput succedaneum is a birth injury where the newborn’s scalp swells due to pressure during a head-first delivery or from vacuum extraction. This swelling of soft tissues appears over the baby’s skull, often resolving within a few days.
Caput succedaneum is generally harmless but can indicate more severe underlying issues.
Injuries to Mothers
Medical negligence during pregnancy, labor, or delivery can seriously injure mothers as well as babies. Our attorneys also handle claims involving:
- Perineal tears
- Episiotomy complications
- Cesarean section complications
- Pelvic bone fractures
- Uterine rupture
- Excessive bleeding (postpartum hemorrhage)
- Nerve damage
- Infection
- Epidural-related injuries
- Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)
- Anesthesia-related complications
- Psychological trauma (postpartum depression, PTSD)
Birth Injuries Caused by Prescription Drugs
Birth injuries caused by prescription drugs occur when medications taken during pregnancy adversely affect the fetus, potentially leading to developmental issues, physical malformations, or neurological disorders.
These injuries can result from medications prescribed during pregnancy, underscoring the importance of careful medication management.
For example, a study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences found that certain anti-seizure medications are linked to a higher incidence of birth defects. These defects include cleft lips, organ malformations, and developmental delays.
Other Birth Injuries
Medical negligence can contribute to many other birth injuries and delivery complications, including:
- Bruising and soft tissue damage
- Bone breaks and fractures
- Subconjunctival hemorrhaging
- Meconium aspiration syndrome
- Fetal macrosomia
- Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
- Developmental delays
- Stillbirth malpractice
- Neonatal hypoglycemia
- Pitocin-related injuries
- Fetal lacerations
- Neonatal seizures
- Umbilical cord complications
- Respiratory distress syndrome
- Birth asphyxia
- Chorioamnionitis
What Does It Take to Prove a Birth Injury Claim in Missouri?
A Missouri birth injury claim must show that a medical provider’s mistake caused a preventable injury to the baby, the mother, or both. That means proving the provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care, that the failure caused the injury, and that the injury resulted in real harm.
The hardest part is usually proving the link between what happened during pregnancy, labor, or delivery and the injuries that followed. Hospitals often argue that a birth injury resulted from genetics or an unavoidable complication rather than a medical mistake.
Our St. Louis birth injury lawyers answer those arguments by carefully reviewing the fetal monitoring strips, medical records, delivery timeline, and expert opinions to show what should have happened and what actually did.
Missouri also requires an affidavit of merit early in most medical malpractice cases. That sworn statement from a qualified medical professional confirms the claim has a legitimate medical basis.
We handle that process from start to finish, working with respected experts to build a strong foundation for your case and help protect it from an early dismissal.
Who Is Responsible for a Birth Injury in St. Louis?
Doctors, nurses, hospitals, anesthesiologists, and, in some cases, pharmaceutical companies can all be held liable for preventable birth injuries. Which parties are responsible depends on where the medical care fell below the accepted standard.
In certain cases, more than one party shares responsibility for the harm caused to the mother, the baby, or both. But determining who is liable takes more than reviewing a medical chart.
We review the records, identify all providers involved in your care, and work with qualified medical experts to determine where the accepted standard of care broke down. Identifying every responsible party is an important part of pursuing full compensation.
Parties that may be liable in a birth injury case include:
- Hospitals and Medical Centers: A hospital may be responsible for the actions of its employees or for its own failures, such as inadequate staffing, poor training, or unsafe policies that contributed to the birth injury.
- Doctors: Obstetricians, family physicians, and other treating doctors may be liable if they failed to provide care that met the accepted standard of care. This can include delaying a necessary C-section, misusing delivery instruments, or failing to respond to signs of fetal or maternal distress.
- Nurses: Labor and delivery nurses play a critical role in monitoring both mother and baby. Failing to recognize warning signs, report changes, or follow appropriate procedures may contribute to a preventable injury.
- Anesthesiologists: Errors involving epidurals, anesthesia, or other medications can seriously harm the mother, the baby, or both if they are not administered or monitored properly.
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturers: If a dangerous medication or inadequate safety warning contributed to the injury, the manufacturer may also be liable under Missouri product liability law.
What Types of Compensation Can You Receive Through a Missouri Birth Injury Claim?
A Missouri birth injury claim may provide compensation for the financial costs of the injury as well as the physical, emotional, and lifelong impact it has on your family. The exact damages depend on your circumstances and the harm that was caused.
The compensation available depends on the facts of your case, but it generally falls into two categories:
Economic Damages | Non-Economic Damages |
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Wrongful Death Damages
In the most heartbreaking cases, medical negligence during pregnancy, labor, or delivery results in the death of a baby or mother. Missouri law allows certain surviving family members to pursue wrongful death damages, which may include compensation for the losses caused by that death.
We can explain who may bring a claim and what damages may be available based on your family’s circumstances.
FAQ for St. Louis Birth Injury Lawyers
The best way to know whether you have a real birth injury case is to contact our firm and explain the facts of your case. We’ll listen to what happened and request the complete labor and delivery records.
Qualified medical professionals then review the care to determine whether it met the accepted standard of care and whether a medical mistake caused the injury. Once that review is complete, we’ll give you an honest assessment of your legal options.
A difficult pregnancy, labor, or delivery is not automatically medical malpractice. Some complications happen even when healthcare providers do everything appropriately.
A valid claim exists only when a provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure causes a preventable injury to the mother, the baby, or both.
Conditions often tied to birth injuries include cerebral palsy, brain damage from oxygen loss, nerve damage like Erb’s palsy, and fractures. Many trace their troubles back to labor and delivery. A medical review can help tell whether a provider’s mistake played a role in your child’s condition.
Responsibility can fall on an obstetrician, a nurse, an anesthesiologist, or the hospital itself, depending on who erred. A hospital can also be vicariously liable for its staff. We work to identify everyone whose actions contributed to your child’s injury.
You may still have options even if some time has passed, because claims involving children may follow different timing rules than those involving adults. In Missouri, minors generally have until their 20th birthday to file a medical malpractice claim.
The safest move is to call soon so we can review how the statute of limitations applies to you.
Get started with a free consultation with one of our skilled Personal Injury Lawyers today.
Get a Free Consultation With Our St. Louis Birth Injury Attorneys
A preventable birth injury can change your family’s future in an instant. Whether the harm affected your baby, you, or both, the medical care, uncertainty, and financial strain can feel overwhelming.
If you believe a medical mistake played a role, Brown & Crouppen, P.C. can help you understand what happened and whether you may be entitled to compensation.
For more than 45 years, Brown & Crouppen has helped Missouri families hold negligent healthcare providers accountable. Call (314) 501-9510 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation.
You’re also welcome at our office at 4900 Daggett Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110. The conversation is free, and you pay nothing until we win your case.
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- Last Modified:
- July 6, 2026
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