Microcephaly

by Zev Gershon MD, JD specializes in Cerebral Palsy cases.
Microcephaly which literally means small head - can be an acquired condition at birth. Sometimes a baby can be developing normally during pregnancy. In viewing the ultrasound, the mom’s obstetrician can see that the fetus’ hands, feet, abdomen and legs- and especially the brain are developing normally. That can all change if a hypoxic ischemic insult (a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain) during labor and or delivery can cause the brain to suffer a serious injury which will prevent the brain from continuing to grow normally, and this insult will be readily felt very soon thereafter.

The condition I have just described, of acquired Microcephaly, can aid in pinpointing when an injury occurred during labor and delivery. Infants who suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy will inevitably be born with a normal head size. It is only later in life that their head or brain will stop developing at the normal rate.