Factors Leading to Fetal Birth Injuries

The term “birth injury” refers to any number of serious physical injuries inflicted on an otherwise healthy newborn during labor and delivery. In this way, a birth injury is different from a birth defect since a birth defect is a genetically inherited abnormality that is pre-coded into a baby’s DNA rather than being caused by any sort of trauma.  

In most scientific journals, the incidence rate of birth injuries is roughly between nine and 12 out of every 1000 births. Birth injuries are unpredictable and typically occur in connection with a difficult delivery process or some form of obstetric complication. There are, however, several factors and conditions that have been associated with a heightened risk of birth injury. The mere presence of one of these conditions during a pregnancy does not automatically mean that a child will be born with a birth injury although it does raise the statistical odds of one occurring.

Factors That Can Lead to Fetal Birth Injuries

Some birth injuries are inevitable, but when a physician or other healthcare professional behaves in any way that deviates from the established standard of medical care, it can meet the legal criteria for negligence and therefore, medical malpractice. In other words, a medical professional failed to recognize a problem, failed to take appropriate action, or failed to act in a timely manner, causing harm to the newborn.

The leading causes of birth injuries are: 

The Size of the Mother and Baby

In a vaginal delivery, the infant must twist and squeeze his or her way through the mom’s rather narrow birth canal while being propelled by uterine contractions. The smaller the mother and/or larger the baby the more dangerous passage down the birth canal could be. This is known as cephalopelvic disproportion. 

Some infants, especially males, grow unusually large during gestation. The medical phrase for an infant that is unduly big for its gestational term is fetal macrosomia. Any infant weighing more than 9 pounds is considered macrosomic and should not undergo vaginal delivery. This is why estimating fetal weight and size and tracking fetal growth is such a critical part of prenatal care. Fetal macrosomia is not uncommon. In fact, the condition occurs in about 11% of all pregnancies. For mothers with gestational diabetes, the incidence rate shoots up to 50%. Even in cases where fetal weight and size fall within the normal range, some women have a birth canal that is not properly shaped or is too narrow, increasing the odds of a birth injury, such as brain damage.

The size of the baby and the mother can greatly increase the chances of many different kinds of birth injuries in vaginal childbirth. If the infant is too large or the mother is too small, the infant could get lodged in the birth canal during the delivery process. One consequence of fetal macrosomia is shoulder dystocia, a birthing complication where the baby's head gets caught behind the mother’s pelvic bone. Being lodged in the mother’s birth canal is also dangerous because the baby’s supply of oxygen could be disrupted. If this happens, the newborn could experience a brain injury or even die if they are not delivered right away. An emergency cesarean section is usually necessary. 

Issues such as shoulder dystocia encourage doctors to turn to assistive tools like vacuum extractors and obstetrical forceps. Once these are introduced into the situation, the infant is now at risk of bone damage, nerve damage, head trauma, and brain injury. The inappropriate use of these assistive tools leading to birth trauma is, in some scenarios, viewed as medical negligence. 

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a condition that often develops near the end of a woman’s pregnancy. It involves the sudden onset and rapid worsening of acute maternal hypertension. In pregnant women, preeclampsia is triggered by specific placental abnormalities and is diagnosed in less than 10% of pregnancies. Preeclampsia leads to an increased danger of numerous kinds of birth injuries, especially those associated with brain damage and oxygen deprivation. One reason preeclampsia raises the odds of a birth injury is that it almost always requires early delivery of the baby.

Maternal Infections

Not too many people associate birth injuries with maternal infections, but pregnant women who have certain kinds of infections during or leading up to labor and delivery have much higher incidences of birth injuries. There are multiple links between birth injuries and maternal infections. To begin with, if the mother has an untreated infection while she is pregnant, it could affect the fetal and placental membranes, potentially disrupting the baby’s oxygen supply. This disruption could harm the infant’s still-developing brain and lead to a serious birth injury like cerebral palsy. Many maternal infections can also problematize the actual process of labor and delivery by causing the mother to develop a fever which could interfere with the baby’s oxygen supply during childbirth. 

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a distinct type of diabetes that can occur in women during pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, her body naturally produces increased levels of different hormones that help promote healthy fetal development. One of these pregnancy-related hormones has the unfortunate side effect of making the pregnant woman somewhat resistant to insulin. Some women have a genetic predisposition to insulin resistance and this condition can eventually make them diabetic. When it is diagnosed promptly, however, gestational diabetes can be effectively managed and will not increase the danger of a birth injury occurring. When it goes undiagnosed, gestational diabetes can result in multiple complications such as premature birth, preeclampsia, and fetal macrosomia, all of which have been definitively linked to an increased risk of birth injuries.

Consult With a Dallas Birth Injury Lawyer Today

Birth injuries can, in many cases, have a permanent effect on a newborn. For example, if a brain injury occurs during labor or delivery, the baby could experience developmental and cognitive disabilities for the rest of their life. Ongoing medical care and specialized equipment may also be needed, leaving the new parents with exorbitant medical and care expenses for years to come.

If your child sustained a birth injury and you are considering filing a claim, consult with a Dallas birth injury lawyer from Rasansky Law Firm. We offer a free initial consultation and can advise you on how to best proceed with your birth injury case.