Per the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the birth injury rate, in terms of an impairment to a baby’s bodily structure or function, in 2012 was 1.9 per 1,000 live births. Many of these injuries last throughout a person’s life, potentially leading to additional medical complications, and while some are unavoidable, others are preventable and may arise due to medical malpractice. Learn about the different types of birth injuries, as well as the common causes of these conditions, and find out how a knowledgeable New Mexico birth injury lawyer can help individuals with their legal claims related to this issue; contact Erin Marshall Law today by calling (505) 218-9949.
What Are Injuries Caused During the Birth Process Called?
Birth trauma refers to emotional or physical injuries experienced during pregnancy, childbirth, delivery, or shortly after birth. These conditions can range from minor to serious, with some being temporary and others lasting throughout a person’s life, and they may affect the infant, parent, or both. According to the NLM, almost half of new mothers have experienced some form of birth trauma.
What Are the Different Types of Birth Injuries?
The two birth injury categories are those sustained by the parent and those suffered by the child. Below are some examples of these injuries.
Parental Birth Injuries
Mothers can experience perineal tearing, nerve damage around the pelvis (leading to incontinence, sexual dysfunction, severe pain, and sensation loss), and damage to the tissue and muscles surrounding their pelvic organs (potentially causing issues with bowel and bladder control and, in severe cases, pelvic organ prolapse). Alongside physical injuries, mothers may also sustain emotional injuries caused by the birth process; for instance, they might find the birth traumatic due to the infant experiencing distress or the mother suffering prolonged pain, leading to heightened anxiety, event flashbacks, sweating, or an increased heart rate.
Newborn Birth Injuries
Newborns may suffer various injuries prior to, during, or immediately after birth. The following is a list of the injuries they might sustain.
Fractures
Newly born babies might experience fractures sustained during pregnancy or delivery. These may include clavicle fractures, a fractured humerus, or fractures to the rib or femur.
Swelling and Bruising
Bruising to the scalp, caused by trauma from birth canal movement and pelvic tissue and bone contact, may occur during birth. Cuts and bruises to the scalp can also transpire as a result of delivery via vacuum extraction or forceps. This type of swelling and bruising can be either permanent or temporary.
Nerve Damage
Nerve damage sustained during delivery is another potential birth injury, impacting either the spinal cord (caused by trauma to areas of the spinal cord during the birth process, disrupting nerve connections throughout the body), brachial plexus, or facial nerve. A facial nerve injury could arise due to pressure placed on the baby’s face during labor or delivery, potentially resulting in facial paralysis, indicated by the baby crying and being unable to close one or both eyes or unable to make facial movements; typically, this improves after a few days, but for torn nerves, surgery may be necessary to correct. Brachial palsy can arise due to injury to the brachial plexus (the nerves supplying the hands and arms), usually as a result of shoulder dystocia, which refers to issues delivering a baby’s shoulder; here, the baby may be unable to rotate or flex their arm because of swelling and bruising, with movement returning after a few months, but a torn nerve in this region may lead to permanent damage.
Brain Bleeds and Damage
One uncommon birth injury type is an intraventricular hemorrhage, which is a brain bleed arising from labor/delivery trauma that bursts blood vessels transporting blood to and from the brain, resulting in pooled blood around the brain. This usually impacts newborns with undeveloped blood vessels, and the health implications vary depending on severity, potentially leading to a neurodevelopmental disability.
Bleeding of this type, in addition to blood clots, oxygen deprivation, and other issues, may also result in brain damage. The symptoms of this condition include low oxygen levels and blood pressure, eating or swallowing difficulties, scalp lacerations, muscle tremors, seizures, and reduced reflexes.
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
This condition arises when a fetus’s brain experiences sudden, persistent, or recurring oxygen or blood supply loss, which can result in cerebral palsy. Thorough fetal monitoring can help identify this issue and avoid health complications and potential brain damage.
Find out more about birth injuries, including the different types of birth trauma and their causes, and learn how Erin Marshall Law can assist parents with children who have sustained these injuries or parents who have suffered injuries themselves during the birthing process. Get in contact with us today to speak to a New Mexico birth injury law attorney.
Cerebral Palsy
This disorder, caused by brain damage sustained before, during, or soon after birth due to prematurity, environmental factors, or genetics, affects posture and body movement. Medical intervention can help prevent cerebral palsy caused by hypoxia, and while some children may experience a mild form of this condition, others may need help with breathing, moving, and eating throughout their lives. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), no cure for cerebral palsy exists but treatment options are available to help improve patients’ communication and motor skills.
Periventricular Leukomalacia
Periventricular Leukomalacia refers to an injury impacting the brain’s white matter, which sends information between the brain and the body’s muscles. This injury usually impacts premature babies and can result in developmental delays, hearing and vision difficulties, cerebral palsy, and seizures.
Other Birth Injuries
Several other types of birth injuries may impact newborns. These are as follows:
- Hypoxia (insufficient oxygen)
- Anoxia (severe hypoxia, usually due to umbilical cord strangulation)
- Cervical dystonia (neck muscle contractions causing involuntary head movements)
- Hematoma (blood pooling in tissue)
- Infant torticollis (contorted neck)
- Klumpke’s palsy (damaged nerves impacting arm muscles)
- Cephalohematoma (bleeding between skull bone and fibers)
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage (damaged eye blood vessels)
- Newborn jaundice (buildup of bilirubin causing yellowed skin and eyes)
- Kernicterus (rare brain damage type arising due to untreated jaundice, causing motor skill and neurological issues)
- Hydrocephalus (cerebrospinal fluid buildup in brain cavities, causing them to widen)
- Infant meningitis (brain and spinal cord membrane inflammation, prevented by maternal vaccinations)
- Meconium aspiration syndrome (a serious condition where the baby breaths in fecal matter during delivery)
What Is the Most Common Cause of Birth Injury?
Unavoidable maternal health and fetal issues, as well as hereditary birth defects, can cause a birth injury. One of the major causes of these injuries is medical negligence, which occurs when medical professionals involved in the birthing process do not provide the necessary care standards during childbirth and pregnancy. Some examples of common medical errors that can lead to a birth injury include the following:
- Not performing a cesarean section quickly enough
- Misdiagnosing the baby or mother’s health conditions
- Failing to monitor the baby or mother’s health following childbirth
- Not recognizing fetal distress symptoms
- Applying unnecessary force at the point of birth
- Using vacuum extraction or forceps incorrectly during delivery
- Failing to identify and treat low oxygen levels and dangerous changes to heart rates
- Prescribing and administering the wrong medications/doses
- Not addressing umbilical cord issues (for example, entanglement or prolapse)
What Are the Other Causes of Birth Injuries?
In addition to medical malpractice, there are maternal, infant, and other external factors that can contribute to a birth injury. These are as follows:
- Large babies weighing over 8 pounds and 13 ounces are typically susceptible to sustaining a birth injury as the birth process becomes more challenging.
- Babies born prematurely (under 37 weeks) since these babies’ bodies are more fragile and more prone to injuries.
- Prolonged labor, typically defined as 18 hours or more, can make it challenging for the baby to safely exit the birth canal and may lead to brain development issues due to increased pressure on the head, as well as high blood pressure (potentially causing cardiovascular problems or stroke) and fetal distress.
- Maternal obesity, infection, or diabetes.
- Dystocia, which refers to a challenging labor/delivery process, such as when a cervix cannot expand or the baby is awkwardly positioned, causing birth canal exit issues.
- Cephalopelvic disproportion, which is when the mother has an unideal pelvis shape leading to safety complications, such as the potential for the baby to lose oxygen flow after becoming twisted in the birth canal.
- Infants born as a result of an abnormal fetal position, such as being born buttocks-first, head-up, or in the breech position.
- Fetal infection or low blood flow to the fetus, sometimes known as ischemia.
Schedule a Consultation With an Experienced New Mexico Birth Injury Law Attorney To Learn More
Birth trauma can sometimes lead to a baby suffering from long-lasting health complications, such as a brain injury that occurred during prolonged delivery or labor leading to permanent cognitive and developmental disabilities. Furthermore, a baby who sustains one of these injuries may require long-term specialized medical care and equipment, which can result in significant medical expenses for parents for years. If a parent’s baby suffered birth trauma as a result of medical malpractice, they may want to consider filing a claim; to continue this discussion, and to learn more about birth injuries, call Erin Marshall Law today at (505) 218-9949 to arrange a confidential consultation with a New Mexico birth injury attorney.
