Birth Injuries

During the birthing process, it is not uncommon for newborns to experience injury or trauma. According to the latest data available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the rate of birth trauma was 1.9 per 1000 live births in 2012. 

According to Stanford Children’s Health and NCBI, some common birth injuries include:

Bruising: Forceps are used during birth when the newborn needs help coming out after the mother has been pushing for a while or when the baby is showing signs of stress. These forceps may leave temporary marks or bruises on the baby’s face and head. 

• Erb’s Palsy: Erb’s Palsy, a condition in which the network of nerves that sends signals from the baby’s spine to its shoulders, arms, and hands are damaged. The result is the baby is unable to properly use the affected limb. One out of every 1,000 babies is born with the condition, which can often be caused when a doctor or nurse pulls too hard on the newborn during a difficult delivery. If the condition is mild and is caught early, Erb’s Palsy can heal on its own. Read more about this condition.
• Epidural hemorrhage: This condition is rare in newborns and usually occurs during a C-section. It can result in bulging fontanelle, bradycardia, hypertension, irritability, and seizures.  
• Caput succedaneum. When the baby travels through the birth canal it can develop significant swelling around its scalp that will typically go down within a few days.
• Facial paralysis. During labor or birth, pressure on a baby’s face — including pressure caused by forceps — may injure the facial nerve, resulting in no movement on the side of the face with the injury. The paralysis typically goes away in a few weeks, but in some cases, surgery may be necessary.
• Fractures. A clavicle fracture is a break in the collar bone that is caused by a difficult delivery or trauma at birth. This injury typically heals very quickly without much intervention or problems.
• Subconjunctival hemorrhage. This is the breakage of small blood vessels in the eyes of a baby. This trauma does not typically cause damage to the eye and the redness is usually absorbed in a week to 10 days.
• Visceral injuries: Abdominal visceral injuries, including a hemorrhage in the liver, spleen, or adrenal gland, are uncommon in newborns. 
• Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries, while uncommon, can happen when excessive traction or rotation occurs during birth.