When your newborn is diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), it can feel like your world stops. Is it a disability? Will your child recover? Did a doctor’s mistake cause this?

These questions are racing through your mind, and they deserve honest answers. While HIE itself isn’t officially labeled a disability, the brain damage it causes can lead to lifelong challenges that affect every part of your child’s future.

What Is HIE?

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a form of brain damage that happens when a newborn’s brain is deprived of sufficient oxygen and blood flow during or shortly after labor and delivery. This lack of oxygen can cause damage to brain cells, potentially leading to a range of developmental challenges or disabilities.

Depending on the severity of the injury, children may experience mild to profound effects; some recover fully, while others may need lifetime care.

If your child was diagnosed with HIE, our experienced Michigan birth injury lawyers can help determine whether medical negligence played a role and what your next steps should be.

HIE and Associated Disabilities

Although HIE isn’t classified as a disability on its own, it is a leading cause of several lifelong disabilities, including:

  • Cerebral Palsy: A motor disorder that affects movement, muscle tone, and posture
  • Developmental Delays: Cognitive, speech, or emotional delays that can require specialized therapy
  • Seizure Disorders and Epilepsy: Resulting from oxygen-deprived areas of the brain
  • Vision and Hearing Problems: Due to nerve or brain damage
  • Feeding and Gastrointestinal Difficulties: Problems with eating, digestion, or nutrient absorption that may require medical support
  • Behavioral and Learning Disorders: Difficulties with emotional regulation, attention, or academic performance

40% to 60% of infants with moderate to severe HIE can develop long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment.

A birth injury attorney can help you pursue compensation that reflects current needs and the full scope of your child’s future challenges.

What Causes HIE?

In many cases, HIE is preventable. It’s often caused by complications during labor and delivery that are either not addressed promptly or are mishandled by the medical team.

Common causes include:

  • Umbilical cord complications (prolapsed cord, cord around the neck)
  • Placental abruption (where the placenta separates from the uterus too early)
  • Uterine rupture
  • Prolonged or difficult labor
  • Delayed emergency C-section
  • Failure to monitor fetal distress
  • Inadequate resuscitation after birth

When doctors, nurses, or hospitals fail to recognize or properly respond to these emergencies, their negligence can have lifelong consequences. That’s when it becomes a legal matter, not just a medical one.

If medical professionals failed to act quickly during your baby’s birth, you may have a case. Talk to a Michigan birth injury lawyer at Fieger Law to learn how to protect your child’s lifelong needs.

Long-Term Needs of Children With HIE

Children who suffer moderate to severe HIE often face a lifetime of medical care. This can include:

  • Frequent doctor and therapy appointments
  • Medications and medical devices
  • Surgical interventions
  • Home modifications
  • Special education services
  • Loss of earning potential in adulthood

These needs don’t end when your child leaves the hospital; they continue for years, sometimes for life. Insurance rarely covers everything. Families are often left wondering how they will afford the support their child will need.

That’s why a successful birth injury claim isn’t just about covering hospital bills. It’s about securing your child’s financial future so that they can live with dignity, opportunity, and access to the best care available.

Fieger Law fights to recover full compensation because your child’s well-being depends on it.

How Fieger Law Can Help

At Fieger Law, we’ve handled countless birth injury cases for Michigan families. We understand the medical complexity of HIE and we work with leading medical experts to investigate what went wrong during childbirth. If negligence occurred, we don’t just negotiate for a settlement—we pursue maximum compensation to cover:

  • Medical expenses (past and future)
  • Specialized equipment and therapies
  • Home care needs
  • Pain and suffering
  • Loss of quality of life
  • Lost income and earning capacity

Our team is relentless in holding hospitals and healthcare providers accountable. We don’t let them minimize your child’s suffering or offer a quick settlement that doesn’t come close to meeting their lifelong needs.

If your child suffered HIE due to medical negligence, contact our Michigan birth injury lawyers for a free consultation today.

Don’t Settle for Less—Get the Support Your Child Deserves

The disabilities HIE causes can affect every area of your child’s life. When that injury was preventable, you deserve justice and the means to give your child the best possible quality of life.

At Fieger Law, we stand with families. We fight with compassion, skill, and experience.

Call us now for a free, no-obligation case review with our Michigan birth injury lawyers.