5 Different Types of Birth Trauma
Childbirth can be a traumatic event when something goes wrong, and newborns can sustain birth injuries that can impact their lives in many ways. Birth trauma can happen in different ways and for different reasons. Some risk factors for trauma include prolonged labor, infants who are large, the shape of a mother’s pelvis, and premature birth. Doctors and nurses can also cause birth traumas by misusing assistive devices, proceeding with delivery when the baby is in an abnormal position, or excessively pulling on the newborn during delivery.
Below is some information regarding the five main types of birth trauma. If your child suffered injuries, contact our Ohio birth injury attorneys right away.
1. Brain injuries and hemorrhaging
A newborn can suffer brain damage in different ways, such as:
- Trauma to the brain from hitting the cervix or pelvis.
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which occurs when the supply of blood and oxygen is cut off to the brain.
- Hemorrhaging on the brain, including cerebral hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, cephalohematoma, subdural hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Brain injuries can result in cognitive and physical development problems, and some infants have impairments the rest of their lives.
2. Peripheral nerve injury
This condition is also referred to as Erb’s Palsy, and it involves damage to the brachial plexus nerves, which control the hands and arms. Infants with this condition have difficulty rotating or flexing their arms, and a nerve tear can result in permanent damage.
3. Spinal cord or cranial nerve injury
Some infants suffer these injuries when a doctor overpulls, stretches, twists, or rotates the baby during delivery. The cranial nerve can suffer harm when there is too much pressure on the face, often by forcep misuse. This might cause paralysis on one side of the face, which might require surgery to repair in serious cases.
Newborns can also suffer damage to the spinal cord from trauma, which can result in respiratory issues, hemorrhaging, weakness and movement problems, and more.
4. Fractures
An infant’s bones can break due to trauma during birth, and these injuries often happen during shoulder dystocia or breech deliveries. Larger newborns are also prone to fractures, and common fractures occur to the collarbone, or cause separation of bone and cartilage.
5. Intra-abdominal injury
These are rare and severe birth injuries that can cause hemorrhaging or rupturing of the liver, adrenal gland, spleen, or other organs. These injuries happen due to pressure on the abdomen during delivery, often in breech or other complex birth scenarios.
Doctors should know how to properly handle complicated births to avoid injuries to the child whenever possible. When they fail to take proper care, a newborn can have different injuries due to birth trauma.
Speak with an Ohio Birth Injury Attorney Today
The Eisen Law Firm represents children and their families following many different types of birth injuries. If you believe that your child suffered birth trauma, you should speak with our Ohio birth injury lawyers as soon as you can. Please contact us online or call 216-687-0900 for a free case evaluation.