What Causes Birth Injuries?

Birth injuries are physical damage sustained by an infant during the sometimes harrowing process of birth. Injuries can be temporary or represent long term compromises to the infant's integrity that can result in serious deficits in that infant's subsequent adult life. The two main causes of birth injuries are prolonged or difficult labor and failure of attending medical staff to adhere to established medical protocol.

Difficult labors are caused by a variety of different factors that can include:

• Larger babies whose birth weight is over 4,000 grams (8 pounds, 13 ounces)

• Prematurity. Premature babies are more fragile in general and therefore more likely to be injured during the birth process.

• Cephalopelvic Disproportion: If the size and shape of the mother's pelvis does not allow for an easy passage through the birth canal, the infant may be injured or require forceps or vacuum aspiration during the birth process. Cephalopelvic disproportion is usually an indication for a Caesarian section.

• Difficult or prolonged labor or childbirth, known in medical terms as dystocia.

• Abnormal birthing presentation such as a breech (buttocks) presentation. Abnormal birthing presentations are often considered indications for Caesarian sections.

Common birth injuries include:

• Caput Succedaneum, a severe swelling or bruising to the infant's scalp that generally occurs secondary to vacuum extraction. This injury generally resolves spontaneously within one to two weeks.

• Cephalohematoma, bleeding and bruising in an area beneath one of the cranial bones that generally occurs secondary to a forceps delivery. While this injury generally resolves on its own, when the bleeding is extensive it can cause the newborn to become jaundiced which may require additional therapy.

• Subconjunctival hemorrhage is bleeding underneath the conjunctiva of the eye(s). This resolves without intervention, generally within a week.

• Brachial plexus palsy: An injury that occurs when the brachial plexus supplying innervation to the arms occurs during birth. This type of injury affects two out of every one thousand infants. The most common form, Erb's Palsy, will heal spontaneously but the infant may require physical therapy in order to avoid developing contractures in the affected limb.

• Facial paralysis: Pressure on the baby's face during delivery may injure the facial nerve. This injury most often occurs secondary to the use of forceps during delivery, and in some cases may require surgical intervention.

• Fractures: Fracture of the collarbone (clavicle) is the most common fracture seen during deliveries, and occurs when there is difficulty fitting the infant's shoulder through the birth canal. This injury is most often seen in breech births that occur vaginally.

• Cerebral Palsy: Damage to the motor centers of the brain, possibly related to hypoxia (oxygen deficit) during the birth process. This is the most severe birth injury.

One should contact an experienced Birth Injury Attorney when seeking legal counsel.