What do you know about common causes of birth injuries?

Expectant parents hope for a favorable outcome during their baby’s birth. Unfortunately, a birth injury may cause the child and parents distress.

Stanford Medicine offers various facts on birth injuries. Parents of injured babies deserve to understand the causes and examples of common birth injuries to protect their legal rights and their child’s health.

Reason for birth injuries

Despite advances in medical technology, newborn children may experience harm upon being born. Besides a birth injury, infants may suffer birth trauma. Reasons for such injuries and trauma include the baby not being headfirst in the birth canal, birthing a large baby, premature birth and overweight mothers. Depending on the shape or size of the mother’s birth canal or pelvis, she may experience difficulty birthing her baby.

Physicians may use forceps, a vacuum or another device to deliver the baby, which may cause harm. Cesarean births may also injure the baby.

Examples of common birth injuries

If a parent or medical professional notices bruising or swelling on a newly delivered baby’s head, it may indicate a birth injury. Other common injuries consist of broken blood vessels in the baby’s eyes, bleeding under a cranial bone and fractured collarbones or clavicles.

Should doctors or other medical professionals use too much force during the delivery, the infant may show signs of facial nerve injury. Babies may also endure harm to hand or arm nerves.

Medical professionals must keep careful watch over a baby’s vitals and look for signs of fetal distress during labor. Medical negligence and birth injuries may result in lifelong problems for a newborn.