While most deliveries go normally, birth injuries occur in nearly seven out of every 1,000 live births in the United States. The common injuries include a swollen scalp, bleeding between the skull and scalp, face and head bruises, broken blood vessels in the eyes, and in some cases, facial paralysis. Most of these injuries are normal and go away on their own.
Unfortunately, other more serious birth injuries can occur, bringing unnecessary health complication or even a lifetime of disability and heartache for the parents and their child. Those injuries include:
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that are characterized by an inability to fully control motor function, particularly muscle control and coordination. Cerebral palsy doesn’t have a specific cause, however, it can occur as a result of injury to the brain before, during, or after birth. Cerebral palsy can also be caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain or trauma to the head during labor and delivery.
Erb's Palsy
Also known as Erb-Duchenne Palsy, Brachial plexus paralysis, Erb’s palsy is a paralysis of the arm caused by injury to the upper group of the arm's main nerves, almost always occurring during birth. Depending on the nature of the damage, the paralysis can either resolve on its own over a period of months or require physical therapy or surgery.
Shoulder Dystocia
Shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby's head is delivered through the vagina, but his shoulders get stuck inside the mother's body. Often a broken arm or collar bone results; however, more serious complications can include a significant lifetime of disability due to injury to the nerves of the shoulder, arms and hand, or shaking or paralysis.
Cephalohematoma
Cephalohematoma is an area of bleeding between the bone and its fibrous covering in a newborn’s head. It often appears several hours after birth as a raised lump on the baby's head. The body reabsorbs the blood. Depending on the size, most cephalohematomas take two weeks to three months to disappear completely. If the area of bleeding is large, some babies may develop jaundice as the red blood cells break down.
Group B Streptococcus
Also known as GBS, Group B streptococcus is a bacterial infection found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. A mother can pass this infection to her baby during delivery and occurs one in every 2,000 babies in the United States. Although GBS is rare in pregnant women, the outcome can be severe for newborns, including:
- breathing problems
- heart and blood pressure instability
- gastrointestinal and kidney problems
- sepsis
- pneumonia
- meningitis