Guides
The short answer
These are the what-do-I-do pages. If you are at the beginning, start with the first 30 days.
They are ordered roughly the way families need them, from the first month through the years afterward.
The numbers, up front
The parent's own health
Grief, guilt, PTSD after a traumatic birth, marriage, siblings, respite, and where to get help.
Understanding prognosis language
What prognosis language means, how to ask better questions, and what statistics can and cannot tell you.
I think something went wrong: the first 30 days
A week by week plan for the first month. What to ask, request and write down, and what can wait.
Filing deadlines: statutes of limitations and repose
How filing deadlines work: limitations, repose, minor tolling, discovery, and claims against public hospitals.
How to find and evaluate a birth injury attorney
How to build a shortlist, what to ask, how fees work, the red flags, and how to compare two options.
What a birth injury case looks like, start to finish
The whole process in order, the rough timeline, and what is asked of the family at each stage.
Settlements: structures, trusts, liens and court approval
What happens after a settlement: structure, trusts, Medicaid liens, and court approval for a child.
Paying for care
Medicaid waivers, TEFRA, SSI, ABLE, trusts, state programs and charities, and how they fit together.
Florida NICA and the Virginia birth injury program
The two state no-fault programs. Who qualifies, what is covered, the deadlines, and the trade-off.
The mother's own injuries and recovery
The injuries mothers carry, the postpartum warning signs, and what to insist on rather than endure.
The NICU guide: who everyone is and what to ask
The people, the machines, the numbers, how rounds work, and how to keep a binder.
Going home from the NICU
What must be in place before discharge, the appointments that get missed, and the first weeks at home.
How to read your labor and delivery records
Document by document: strips, nursing notes, operative report, Apgar, cord gas, placental pathology, NICU notes.
How to get your medical records, and your baby's
Your right of access, the exact documents to name, deadlines, fees, and what to do when the request comes back short.
Equipment and home modifications
What equipment exists, when it is needed, how funding works, and which home changes matter most.
IEP vs 504: how school plans work
The two kinds of school plan, how to request an evaluation, the timelines, and how to prepare for the meeting.
Early intervention: how it works and how to start
The free federal program for children under 3. How to refer yourself, the 45 day rule, and how to push back.
Therapies explained, and what the evidence says
Each therapy, what it is for, and what the evidence supports. Including what to ask before paying for anything.
Where these facts come from
- CDC. CDC Developmental Milestones, Learn the Signs. Act Early.. 2024. www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Individuals Right under HIPAA to Access their Health Information, 45 CFR 164.524. 2024. www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/access/. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- American Bar Association. State Bar Association Directory. 2025. www.americanbar.org/groups/bar_services/resources/state-loca. Link checked September 3, 2026.