Some Of The Most Common Birth Injuries That Occur During Childbirth

Birth injuries include any harmful complications a baby suffers while being born. Most of these injuries are unavoidable and happen while the baby makes its way through the birth canal. Shoulder dystocia, premature births, and cephalopelvic disproportion are just some of the reasons for the most common birth injuries. Babies who are too large or in an abnormal position can also suffer complications during birth.

Bruising is a main consequence of the excessive pressure the baby endures when being born. This usually happens when the infant comes into contact with the pelvic bones of the mother or when forceps are used to either manipulate the position of the baby or during extraction. Babies are also at risk of clavicle fractures, especially during breech births or if the delivery of the shoulder is complicated.

Facial paralysis can be a result of excessive pressure on the face of the infant causing nerves to be damaged. If the nerve damage is severe then surgery is a possible option, but the paralysis usually goes away after a few days. Another birth injury is when a baby suffers from a cephalohematoma. This condition is caused when the head gets forced through the birth canal and the little veins supplying nourishment to the tough tissue called the periosteum get torn and a collection of blood forms. The periosteum is the tissue covering the bones.

Brachial palsy and cerebral palsy are other common birth injuries that can occur. A baby can develop cerebral palsy if it is trapped for too long in the birth canal or if any distress signals are not picked up and treated. It can also develop if there is umbilical cord compression, occlusion or prolapse, and if the placenta is sheared prematurely. Tragically this irreversible condition affects the brain and central nervous system.

Brachial palsy is caused by a brachial plexus injury. This refers to the network of nerves in the arms and hands being permanently damaged. It usually happens when there is shoulder dystocia and the nerves are torn.

Subconjunctival hemorrhaging, also known as red eye, is identified by a red patch in the whites of the eyes of newborn infants and does not need to be treated. When traveling through the birth canal babies sometimes develop a condition called caput succedaneum. It refers to the swelling of soft tissues surrounding the scalp, which is caused by excessive pressure from the uterus and vaginal wall during delivery.

Common birth injuries also encompass other brain injuries caused by oxygen deprivation and respiratory infections that result from the baby inhaling fecal matter or blood during birth.