Soon-to-be parents in Kentucky hope that the birth of their baby will go without a hitch, but there are some injuries that occur more commonly. There are numerous reasons as to why these injuries occur, and most of them heal quickly and have no complications.
According to Stanford Children’s Health, birth injuries often occur due to a complicated labor. The reasons for a difficult birth vary, and they include:
- Births that occur prior to 37 weeks
- Babies who weigh nine pounds or more
- Abnormal presentation, such as breech, at birth
- Size of the pelvis does not support vaginal birth
- Long labor
When labor is difficult, the doctor may have to use assistive equipment, such as forceps. One birth injury is marks or bruising due to forceps use. Vacuum extraction can also cause bruising or cutting of the scalp. Vacuum extraction can also cause swelling of the scalp tissues, and experts call this caput succedaneum.
A common injury is a subconjunctival hemorrhage, which is when the baby’s eyes’ blood vessels break. The redness eventually goes away, and there is no lasting damage. Babies can also experience bleeding under the bones of the head. Called cephalohematoma, this may also lead to some jaundice as the blood absorbs back into the body.
Very Well Health reports that fractures are common during difficult births. The most frequent is a collarbone break. Other fractures can occur to a growth plate and the thigh bone.
Birth can result in injury to the brachial plexus, which is the collection of nerves from the neck to the arm. This can lead to arm weakness, and time usually heals the nerves. While this injury may take months to recover, most of the other injuries will resolve within days or weeks.