Cephalohematoma Attorney in Dallas
Find Out What the Delivery Record Actually Shows
A cephalohematoma after birth does not automatically mean that anyone committed medical malpractice. The important questions are what happened during labor and delivery, whether the care met accepted medical standards, and whether any departure from those standards caused additional harm.
At Law Office of Kelly Liebbe, families work directly with Kelly Liebbe from the first conversation through the resolution of an accepted case. Kelly personally reviews the medical records and limits the number of birth injury cases she accepts so she can remain directly involved with each family.
A cephalohematoma is a collection of blood between a newborn's skull bone and the periosteum covering it. It can develop after small blood vessels rupture from pressure on the baby's head during birth. Because the collection can develop gradually, swelling may not become noticeable until hours or days after delivery.
Many cephalohematomas resolve without treatment. A diagnosis alone therefore does not establish negligence or the severity of a legal claim.
Call (855) 650-3359 or contact us online to discuss your child’s delivery and a possible cephalohematoma claim directly with Kelly Liebbe.
Cephalohematoma vs. Caput Succedaneum
Cephalohematoma and caput succedaneum are different forms of newborn scalp swelling.
A cephalohematoma forms beneath the periosteum and generally remains confined by the skull's suture lines. Caput succedaneum is more superficial swelling that can cross those suture lines and is often noticeable at birth.
Other newborn scalp conditions can also resemble these findings.
A child's medical provider should determine the diagnosis and whether additional evaluation or monitoring is appropriate. Information on this page is not a substitute for medical care.
When a Cephalohematoma May Raise Questions About Delivery Care
Cephalohematoma can occur even when medical care was appropriate.
Forceps delivery, vacuum-assisted delivery, prolonged labor, fetal position, infant size, and other delivery circumstances are associated with increased pressure on the newborn's head.
When legal review is appropriate, the issue is not simply whether one of those factors was present.
The questions may include:
- Whether an operative vaginal delivery was appropriate under the circumstances
- How forceps or a vacuum device was applied and used
- The duration and circumstances of vacuum-assisted delivery
- The number of pulls or cup detachments documented in the record
- Whether fetal position and labor progression were adequately assessed
- Whether signs supported changing the delivery plan
- Whether a C-section or another intervention was considered at the appropriate time
No single fact automatically proves negligence.
A medical malpractice claim requires evidence addressing the applicable standard of care, a departure from that standard, and a causal connection between that departure and the injury being claimed.
Our broader birth injury practice addresses medical negligence allegations arising during labor, delivery, and newborn care.
How Kelly Liebbe Reviews a Potential Claim
The review begins with a direct conversation about the pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn care.
You speak with Kelly, not an intake team, case manager, or associate who later hands the file to someone else.
Kelly personally reviews the medical records in accepted birth injury matters. Depending on the circumstances, relevant records may include:
- Prenatal and hospital records
- Fetal heart monitoring strips
- Labor progression notes
- Operative delivery documentation
- Forceps or vacuum records
- Delivery-room notes
- Newborn and NICU records
- Imaging and laboratory findings
- Discharge records
- Follow-up treatment
Records must be evaluated in context.
Kelly works with physicians and other qualified professionals who can address what the delivery team should have done, whether the documented care departed from accepted medical standards, and whether the alleged departure caused the injury.
The firm's baby delivery complications practice provides additional context about how labor and delivery records are examined.
Call (855) 650-3359 to speak with Law Office of Kelly Liebbe about a possible cephalohematoma case in Dallas.
Texas Medical Malpractice Claims Require Expert Review
Birth injury litigation in Texas is governed by specific health care liability rules.
Medical records alone generally do not answer whether a physician, nurse, hospital, or other provider violated the applicable standard of care. Qualified medical review is important to evaluate both negligence and causation.
After a Texas health care liability lawsuit is filed, Chapter 74 also generally requires the claimant to serve a qualifying expert report addressing liability and causation within the statutory period tied to each defendant's original answer.
That requirement is one reason Kelly's review focuses on what the records and appropriate medical professionals can actually support rather than assuming that an adverse outcome proves malpractice.
