Eight Facts About Preventable Birth Injuries

While some injuries to newborns could occur and may resolve without intervention, a birth injury is what happens when destruction or functional deterioration of an infant’s body occurs due to a traumatic event during the birthing process.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that most birth injuries are avoidable when appropriate care is available.

Here are eight additional facts you may not know about preventable birth injuries that could affect parents and their and newborn.

1. Infection might cause preventable birth injuries in the fetus, exposure to certain drugs before birth, severe maternal bleeding, or an undiagnosed illness.
2. A medical professional must identify at-risk pregnancies and provide directions for proper care of the mother and her fetus.
3. A baby can appear weak or experience paralysis of the arm and hand due to a troublesome delivery. In this case, either or each of the baby’s arms can be stretched and injure the brachial plexus’ nerves.
4. Both mother and her baby could be harmed during before or after – not only during labor – in the process of delivery.
5. Newborns with asphyxia may physically appear pale, but internal injuries to the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, liver, and blood systems may not be immediately recognized.
6. Various induction methods may increase a risk of infection for both mother and baby.
7. Using forceps or a vacuum to force a fetus forward from within the birth canal is associated with a high risk of causing birth injury. Forceps used to assist the delivery could be the cause of severe facial nerve injuries and noticeable when the newborn cries and the face appears lopsided.
8. Failure to perform an emergency cesarean section or c-section can result in a severe birth injury to a newborn, including brain damage and cerebral palsy due to oxygen deprivation to the infant and potential lifelong injuries to the mother.

Pignatelli & Associates P.C., 102 East Route 30, Suite 1, Rock Falls, IL 61071, 815.626.0500, www.pignatellilaw.com