Expectant parents in New York and around the country long for the day when their children are finally here. If the pregnancy was uneventful, it’s normal to think the birth will go smoothly. However, sometimes, these common forms of birth trauma occur.
Understanding birth trauma
Birth trauma refers to an injury caused by complications during childbirth. Depending on the severity of it, trauma could leave a newborn with a minor injury that clears up on its own within weeks or something far more serious and life-threatening. In more extreme cases, birth trauma can leave babies with permanent mental disabilities or physical deformities.
Common types of birth trauma
Cephalohematoma is a common type of birth trauma that involves bleeding between the skull and its covering. It first appears as a bump on the baby’s head shortly after birth and might last around two weeks or several months. This condition is not serious and normally clears up on its own. Often, it’s caused by assistive birth measures like forceps or vacuum extraction.
A serious form of birth trauma is intraventricular hemorrhage, which causes bleeding in the baby’s ventricular system. Most infants affected by this condition are born premature and have low birth weights. Babies with problems such as respiratory distress syndrome or high blood pressure can also develop intraventricular hemorrhage.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is a birth trauma caused by lack of oxygen or blood flow during labor or childbirth. It’s a serious condition that can be mild or severe and sometimes permanent and result in physical and mental impairments. The level of severity depends on how long the baby was deprived of oxygen or blood flow.
Babies can also suffer clavicle fractures after enduring trauma during delivery. Although they might seem serious, these injuries often clear on their own and only require a sling or no treatment at all.
If your child suffered birth trauma, getting to the bottom of why it happened is crucial.