Birth injury support groups can be extremely helpful for families that are coping with the effects of a birth injury. Support groups can help families of children that have birth injuries to express and cope with the trauma of the incident and daily struggles. Support groups may also be just for children with birth injuries and may offer various different types of therapies and support. Some support groups are just for patients that have one specific type of birth injury condition, such as cerebral palsy, while other birth injury support groups may assist patients that have various types of conditions stemming from birth injuries.
Family Birth Injury Support Groups
For many families, just having another family or person to talk to that is enduring similar hardships can help to ease the emotional trauma of birth injuries and the resulting needs. Birth injury support groups can also help mothers to voice anxieties about the difficult birth and the subsequent diagnosis. It is common for mothers of children with birth injuries to feel guilty about birth injuries. Birth injury support groups can help mothers to overcome these types of feelings, which may help to prevent depression and other emotional conditions. Families may also be able to work with a counselor or other families to work through angry feelings and take constructive action if the birth injury was caused by a physician or medical facility.
Child Birth Injury Support Groups
Birth injury support groups that assist children with different conditions can be very helpful. Children may benefit from working with others that understand the condition or are going through similar experiences. Support groups for children may also help to prevent some developmental delays and emotional conditions that may occur as a result of birth injury conditions.
Intellectual Disability Support
Some groups are specifically geared towards helping those with intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics and groups like The Arc are geared towards providing support for those with intellectual disabilities in a number of different ways. Spreading awareness and fundraising for those in need are huge focus factors for these types of support groups. The Special Olympics also works to boost self esteem by sponsoring competitions and activities for participants that encourage talent development and positive behaviors. These support groups are available for anyone that has intellectual disabilities, not just for those that have been caused by birth injuries, so children with Down syndrome and people that have sustained brain injuries may also participate.
Finding Birth Injury Support Groups
Physicians and medical facilities can usually recommend a support group that will be helpful. Physicians understand the details of the case, so getting birth injury support group information from a physician may help parents and children to receive greater benefit than finding a support group through other means. If parents do not trust the medical facility or wish to find out information about birth injury support groups without assistance, information can be found online and on social media. Local libraries often host birth injury support groups, but will typically have information about local support groups whether or not the groups are hosted at or by the library.
Birth Injury Support Group Networking
Birth injury support groups are about more than just speaking to others that have the same issues in order to relate. Birth injury support groups can also help families of children with birth injuries to form a network. This networking can be very helpful, as parents can share information about financial aid resources, therapies and treatments that have been effective, and legal assistance in the case of malpractice. In some cases, support group networking can be done entirely online. This can allow families with similar issues to communicate even over long distances.
Birth Injury Support Group Benefits
Birth injury support groups can help children with birth injuries and their families with many aspects of support, including:
- Sharing emotional support with other families
- Counseling from qualified professionals
- Finding financial assistance
- Recommendations for daily lifestyle changes
- Physical therapy or recommendations for exercises
- Occupational therapies and child development assistance
Sources:
“Building Communities.” Special Olympics. Special Olympics, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://www.specialolympics.org/build_communities.aspx>
“Cerebral Palsy.” Cerebral Palsy Family Network Online Resource Guide. CP Family Network, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://cpfamilynetwork.org/cerebralpalsyresources/>
“Find Local Resources.” United Cerebral Palsy. United Cerebral Palsy, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://ucp.org/findaffiliate/>
“Just the Facts.” United Brachial Plexus Network Inc. United Brachial Plexus Network Inc, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://ubpn.org/>
“Public Policy.” The Arc. The Arc, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://www.thearc.org/what-we-do/public-policy>
“Support Groups for Erb’s Palsy.” Birth Injury Guide. Birth Injury Guide, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. <http://www.birthinjuryguide.org/erbs-palsy/support-groups/>