Birth Injuries: Information, Support & Resources
It’s something no parent should have to think about, but every year birth injuries affect 7 in 1000 newborns in the US. Birth Injuries are physical injuries that happen to baby during childbirth, many birth injuries are minor – like a bruise – and most heal without any treatment. Some more serious injuries may require medical attention and can lead to permanent injuries that affect baby emotionally, cognitively, or physically.
We’ve teamed up with Birth Injury Center to bring you vital information about potential birth injuries, why and when they happen, and where you can find support.
What are birth injuries and how do they happen?
There are many ways that birth injuries happen — some of which are unknown, but there are some potential risk factors that are thought to contribute to birth injuries:
1. Complications during pregnancy or labor: Sometimes, a birth injury is caused by something that occurs during pregnancy or labor, including:
Baby’s size or position during labor and delivery
Birthweight of more than 9 pounds
Preterm birth (before 37 weeks gestation)
Cephalopelvic disproportion (when baby’s head and mother’s pelvis are mismatched)
Prolonged or difficult labor or delivery
Breech delivery
Untreated maternal health conditions such as diabetes, post-term pregnancy, high blood pressure, or obesity
2. Oxygen deprivation: During delivery, oxygen deprivation could potentially lead to brain damage. The brain is the most vulnerable to lack of oxygen, but more severe oxygen deprivation can affect other organs. Causes of oxygen deprivation include umbilical cord issues, uterine rupture, and placental abruption.
3. Trauma: Pressure and torsion on the baby during delivery can cause traumatic birth injuries. These could then lead to injuries such as cerebral palsy or brain damage (see more on this below).
4. Infection: During labor, baby comes into contact with the mother’s birth canal, which naturally exposes them to bacteria and viruses – sometimes these are harmful. You’ll have been tested for specific infections during prenatal care, but if something remains undetected then infection may occur.
We want to reiterate that birth injuries are rare and many are minor, often resolved without any treatment.
Specific birth injuries: causes, treatments, and support
Bruising or minor injuries
Sometimes, a baby can be born with temporary, minor injuries such as bruising, swelling on the head or face, small lumps under the skin caused by fluid, bleeding under the skin, or blood in the eye. These don’t usually need any treatment and will resolve on their own.
Fractures or broken bones
Although rare, a fracture or broken bone may occur when there is difficult getting baby through the birth canal. It’s most common for a baby’s collarbone to break when their shoulder gets stuck — one study showed that this happens in 0.2% to 4.5% of newborns and in the study 100% of babies recovered with no complications.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is the name given to a group of neurological conditions that affect movement and coordination. Cerebral Palsy occurs in 1 to 4 per 1000 births.
It used to be believed that cerebral palsy was the result of oxygen deprivation during birth, however, it’s now thought that that accounts for only a small number of cases. According to the CDC, “the abnormal development of the brain or damage that leads to CP [Cerebral Palsy] can happen before birth, during birth, within a month after birth, or during the first years of a child’s life, while the brain is still developing.”
Support for children and families affected by Cerebral Palsy:
Brachial plexus or Erb’s Palsy
The brachial plexus nerves help control feeling and movement and connect the spinal cord to the arms, when these nerves are damaged during birth, resulting in paralysis of the baby’s shoulder, arm, or hand, it’s called Brachial plexus or Erb’s Palsy. It occurs in 0.9 to 2.6 per 1000 births.
Injury to these nerves can be a result of:
Excess pulling on the baby’s head or neck during delivery
Stretching the child’s feet in a breech (feet first) delivery
Stuck shoulders, head, or neck under the pelvic bone or in the birth canal during delivery
It’s possible for a child with Erb’s palsy to recover without any treatment. Some children require surgery, occupation, or physical therapy to recover fully and severe cases may cause permanent damage, although this is rare.
Spinal damage
The spine transmits signals to the brain, allowing it to control the body’s limbs. Spinal damage can interfere with these signals and affect a child’s movement and sense of touch. An injury to the spine may occur when a child’s spine is pulled too hard during birth.
Spinal injuries can be repaired through surgery and some research suggests that surgery has resulted in “significant neurological recovery.” If surgery is not available or recommended, treatment and physical therapy can prevent the injury from becoming worse.
Kernicterus/Jaundice
Jaundice (appearing yellow) occurs due to high levels of bilirubin, a pigment created when your body replaces blood cells. Although jaundice often clears up within 14 days, too much bilirubin content may continue to accumulate and result in permanent brain damage. Untreated jaundice can cause kernicterus, a condition when the bilirubin begins to collect in the child’s brain.
Symptoms of kernicterus:
Yellow skin or eyes
Fatigue
Difficulty eating
Loud, high-pitched cry
Support for children and families affected by kernicterus/jaundice:
PICK (Parents of Infants & Children with Kernicterus), a nonprofit dedicated to the education and prevention of kernicterus as well as support and research for famlies who are affected.
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) occurs in 2 per 1000 babies and is a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain. It is sometimes referred to as intrapartum asphyxia. HIE is triggered by a combination of an interruption of oxygen circulation, called hypoxia, and ischemia, which refers to blood flow restriction. A lack of oxygen and blood flow during delivery could be due to:
Abnormally long labor
Placental bleeding or abruption (a pregnancy complication in which the placenta detaches from the uterus)
Fetus in the wrong position (the Optimal Fetal Position is head down, facing the mother’s back, with the chin tucked toward the chest)
Umbilical cord prolapse (a rare birth complication that occurs when the umbilical cord drops via the open cervix into the vagina before the child moves into the birth canal
HIE can manifest as difficulty breathing, depression of muscle tone and reflexes, a reduced or absent response to stimulation, and seizure.
Support for families and children affected by Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy:
Hope for HIE – Worldwide support for families affected.
Newborn Cephalohematoma
Cephalohematoma occurs when a newborn bleeds under the skin above the skull, which causes a pool of blood in the tissues surrounding the skull. Although many cephalohematomas resolve themselves, they can cause other problems due to the pooled blood.
Other symptoms of Newborn Cephalohematoma include:
Anemia due to blood loss
Seizures
Depressions or swelling in the head
Larger than average head size
Additional resources and support for birth injuries
Birth Injury Center has a full list of support you can find for birth injuries, in the US, UK and Internationally:
Easterseals: provides services and support from early childhood programs for the critical first five years, to autism services, to medical rehabilitation and employment programs, veterans’ services, and more.
Holton’s Heroes: A not-for-profit charity which provides support, information, and rehabilitative devices for children with and families affected by a post-birth brain injury
United Brachial Plexus Network: A non-profit organization that provides information and support for families and those concerned with brachial plexus injuries (an injury to the nerves that control the muscles of the fingers, hand, arm, and shoulder) worldwide.
NEC Society: A nonprofit that works with patient families and clinicians to better understand, prevent, and treat neonatal intestinal disease.
Hydrocephalus Association: A nonprofit that works to find a cure for hydrocephalus and improve the lives of those affected.
Amercian Pregnancy Association: Provides support for all conception journey’s, pregnancies and births.
National Disability Rights Network: Based in the US, the National Disability Rights Network works on behalf of the Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&As) and Client Assistance Programs (CAPs), the nation’s largest providers of legal advocacy services for people with disabilities.
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