Birth injury in newborn

A birth injury is damage that occurs as a result of physical pressure during the birthing process, usually during transit through the birth canal.

• Many newborns have minor injuries during birth.
• Infrequently, nerves are damaged or bones are broken.
• Most injuries resolve without treatment.

A difficult delivery, with the risk of injury to the baby, may occur with extremely large fetuses. Doctors recommend a cesarean delivery. (C-section) when they estimate the baby weighs more than 11 pounds (more than 10 pounds when the mother has diabetes). Injury is also more likely when the fetus is lying in an abnormal position in the uterus before birth.

Birth injuries are most commonly due to the natural forces of labor and delivery. In the past, when risks of cesarean delivery were high, doctors did difficult deliveries by pulling the fetus out using forceps (surgical instruments with rounded edges that fit around the fetus's head). However, bringing the fetus down from high in the birth canal with forceps had a risk of causing birth injury. Overall, the rate of birth injuries is much lower now than in previous decades because of improved prenatal assessment with ultrasonography, the limited use of forceps, and because doctors often do cesarean delivery if they foresee an increased risk of birth injury.