• Failure to perform timely emergency C-section
• Inappropriate fetal monitoring
• Anoxia - lack of oxygen
• Non-diagnosis
• Misdiagnosis
• Failure to diagnose

The American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine identifies cerebral palsy as "a persistent, but not unchanging, disorder of movement and posture appearing in the early years of life due to traumatic or inflammatory brain damage, or to a non-progressive disorder of the brain..." The United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCPA). the major national voluntary agency serving those with cerebral palsy, states that cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to the brain during pregnancy, labor, or shortly following birth. "Cerebral" refers to the brain, and "Palsy" to a disorder of movement or posture. It is neither progressive or communicable. The UCPA estimates there are 1.5 million persons with cerebral palsy in this country.