A woman’s body is designed to give birth. But when things go wrong during labor, it can be traumatic for both mother and baby. Injuries sustained by the baby during childbirth range from mild to severe. A lot of injuries happen during birth. These include:
- Injury to the perineum (the area between the vagina and anus)
- Fracture of the pubic bone or sacrum (the bones that form the pelvis)
- Anal sphincter injury
- Uterine rupture and/or placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the uterine wall)
- Cord prolapse (when the umbilical cord slips through the cervix before birth)
- Unplanned C-section
- Perineal lacerations
- Shoulder dystocia (a condition in which a baby’s shoulders become stuck during delivery)
- Episiotomy (a surgical incision made into the perineum to relieve the pressure of the fetal head during childbirth)
- Vaginal tears or lacerations
- Hemorrhage (excessive bleeding)
The most common injuries that can be sustained during birth
Following are the six most common injuries that can be sustained during birth:
- Injury to a nerve. Nerves are the communication channels between your brain and the rest of your body. Nerve damage can cause muscle weakness, numbness or tingle in the arms or legs, loss of control over bowel or bladder function, and other problems.
- Injury to an artery. Arteries carry blood away from the heart to all parts of the body. A damaged artery can lead to excessive bleeding after delivery or even death. Rarely, an artery may be torn during delivery, causing severe internal bleeding.
- Injury to a vein. Veins are used by your body to return blood from all parts of your body back to your heart. If these veins become damaged during delivery, they can leak blood into surrounding tissues and cause swelling (hematoma) that must be treated surgically.
- Cerebral palsy – This condition affects muscle tone and movement; it’s more common in premature babies who have low oxygen levels during birth.
- Congenital heart defects – These defects can affect the structures that allow blood to flow from the heart out to the rest of the body. They include holes between chambers of the heart (ventricular septal defect), valves that don’t close properly (ventricular septal defect), and valves that don’t open or close properly (atrial septal defect).
- Jaundice – A yellowish discoloration of the skin or whites of eyes caused by an excess amount of bilirubin in a newborn’s bloodstream; symptoms include lethargy and poor feeding.
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Statistics
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 out of every 10 pregnancies ends in miscarriage — which means that about 1 million miscarriages occur annually in the U.S.
The CDC also reports that nearly 50 percent of pregnancies end in live births and another 1 percent end in stillbirths. If a pregnant woman is taken to a hospital because she is having signs or symptoms of preeclampsia, she will most likely have her baby within 24 hours after arriving at the hospital or she may have an induction of labor or cesarean section if things go wrong during delivery.
In some cases, complications can occur during pregnancy that requires you to be hospitalized until your baby is born. This can lead to complications with your own health or even death if not properly treated right away.
Regardless of what the complication is, it is best to seek the professional help of personal injury lawyer in most cases.
