In every women’s life, having a baby is the most precious gift. For this purpose, they go through the nine-month journey that is the crucial yet beautiful phase of their life. Many women experience a painful gestation journey and have to face birth injuries in their newborns. By the reported incidents, out of every 100 newborn babies, one will have some form of birth injury that has been observed.
Birth Injury is the damage, suffered by the newly-born because of some physical pressure, at the time or after the birth because of the destruction of nerves or bones. Some of them are insignificant, recovered over time. However, rest are very severe and led to permanent disability for a lifetime.
Birth Injury Types
The types of birth injuries observed in newly born infants are as follow:
Cerebral palsy
The mobility disability triggered by impairment of the brain or irregularities in it, umbilical cord difficulties, placental abruption, uterine rupture, brain bleeding, HIE, and head injury, etc. be able to origin cerebral palsy.
Rachial plexus Injury
When too much force exerted to the infant’s skull and neck during delivery, nerves in the shoulder area are ripped, result in these birth injuries. Also, the infant’s arm may become paralyzed or weak.
Kernicterus
Improperly handled jaundice will be able to origin lifelong newborn mind harm. It might also trigger Cerebral palsy.
Spinal Cord Injured
When the spinal cord was dented, the nerves between the mind and the body also get disturbed. This shock to a particular area of the spinal cord will root the birth injury. It varies from minor bruises to full spinal rupture.
Injury because of Vacuum Extraction
The mishandling of a vacuum extractor causes vacuum extraction injuries. It includes; Scalp wounds, skull fractures, internal bleeding, brain trauma, and brachial plexus nerve damage.
Birth Injury Causes
Birth injuries can origin because of brain impairment because of various threat factors through the birth of a newly born. It might happen with extremely large fetuses. Because of this reason, when the weight of an infant is greater than 11 pounds, medics endorse Cesarean delivery. Also, it because of fetal oxygen deficiency, the impact of trauma during delivery, premature birth, delay in the birth, medical carelessness, and numerous additional reasons.
Other birth injury reasons are as follow:
Oxygen Deficiency
The reason for widespread spectrum in birth injury is a deficiency of oxygen because of the prolapsed umbilical cord or underdeveloped lungs in a newly born. In maximum cases, birth-related brain damage is caused by the deficiency of oxygen.
Pre-mature Birth
Premature birth (before 37 weeks of gestation) affects major consequences, includes; lung and brain immaturity. It will also result in respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and prematurity apnea that will deprive the fetus of oxygen. Furthermore, babies with these conditions are frequently placed on breathing devices, which might result in overventilation injuries.
Infections
Some toxins or infections, both viral and bacterial, in the newly born or in the month, can cause difficulties that will result in lasting impairment, harm, and brain destruction.
Medical Carelessness
Birth injuries also caused because of the carelessness of medical specialists through the labor or delivery process. It includes:
- Inability to recognize and prepare for difficult or high-risk deliveries.
- Not able to recognize and handle umbilical cord concerns.
- When a C-section is required, it is not ordered in a proper time.
- Excessive bilirubin in infants is not properly treated.
- Not capable to recognize and act appropriately to distress heart tracings of the fetus.
- Failed to identify and prevent premature labor, misdiagnosis of maternal medical issues.
Delayed Birth
When a vaginal delivery is considered unsafe (because of the infant’s size, position, breathing, umbilical cord position, among other factors), a C-section must be performed immediately. When there are additional severe maternal or fetal factors present, delaying delivery influence the birth injury in the newly born.
Birth Injury Symptoms
Many signs and symptoms of birth injuries do not appear right after the birth of the child. In some cases, birth injury symptoms may not appear for 1-2 years after a child is born. However, all the symptoms are not definitive evidence that the kid feels the pain of a birth injury. They probably will be an important indicator that harm occurred during childbirth. Some of them are as follow:
- Problem while sucking, eating, or swallowing and drooling excessively.
- Crying with a loud volume
- Heart rate is low.
- Low quantities of oxygen
- Slow reflexes
- Blindness, deafness, or muteness are all situations that affect a person’s ability to communicate.
- Delays in the ability to speak.
- Trouble in walking or crawling, eating, drinking, or holding things.
- Less memory retaining ability and intellectual disability.
- The problem is the matching of Hand-mouth and hand-eye movement.
Birth Injury Treatment
Through labor and delivery, medical staff must keep a watchful eye on the mother and the infant. When problems in the delivery arise, it is the responsibility of specialists to try their level best to treat the infants. However, the treatment of birth injuries in infants is based on their needs. In some cases, they want minimum treatment during their whole life while the rest want medical intervention for a longer period.
- Medical Therapy: Therapy is a popular way to address birth injuries. The various forms of therapies are there for different children.
- Corporeal and water therapy are for those kids that face problems with muscle momentum, association, or management. They can be benefitted from it as they intended to strengthen and loosen muscles.
- Working therapy will be beneficial for children who have difficulty with daily chores that include; to eat, read, write and dress up.
- Speech therapy aid children experiencing delays in their speech development.
- Prescription In every women’s life, having a baby is the most precious gift. For this purpose, they go through the nine-month journey that is the crucial yet beautiful phase of their life. Many women experience a painful gestation journey and have to face birth injuries in their newborns. By the reported incidents, out of every 100 newborn babies, one will have some form of birth injury that has been observed.
Medical Disclaimer: All the content available on the website is just for informational purposes. It’s not a substitute for any Professional advice. Don’t take it personally. As a medical student, I’m just trying to use my information through my content, and please keep in mind it’s not written by a professional doctor. Use the data just for educational purposes.
Dr. Kelly Han is a seasoned medical professional with a passion for holistic wellness and integrative health. Based in San Francisco, her expertise spans across various domains of health, from fitness and skincare to oral health and weight management.
Understanding the intricate connections between different aspects of health, Dr. Han believes in a comprehensive approach. Whether it’s the latest skincare regimen, effective weight loss strategies, or understanding hormonal imbalances, she’s dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based advice and actionable insights on a wide array of health topics.
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