When a couple finds out they are going to become parents, they need to do be ready to do a lot of things. Usually, they spend the following 9 months in getting a room ready, purchasing toys, cribs, carriages and other things. Aside from this, they have a lot of excitement and joy as they are going to be parents. At the time of delivery, the parents expect their child to be born happy and healthy. However, this is not always the case.
Birth injuries, for the most part, occur during the process of delivery. Normally, the injury occurs on account of too much pressure put on the infant while it is coming out of the birth canal. However, this is not the only cause of a birth injury. Instead, there are a lot more factors that may lead to an injury during delivery. Other causes of these injuries include prolonged labor where the pregnancy takes 42 weeks or even more, a delivery breech where the baby comes out of the birth canal wrong way, premature birth, flawed or questionable medical treatments, and so on. Apart from these, an injury can also occur if the mother has a small or unusual pelvis size. For example, big babies that weigh more than 8 pounds may cause problems at the time of delivery.
Many birth injuries happen more frequently than others. Most of them are minor and the baby recovers in a few days or in a few weeks. These are common injuries that people have in their day-to-day life, such as scars, marks, inflammation and bruising. However, fractures occur every now and then. Fractures, for the most part, occur only during the process of a breech birth. The good news is that these fractures are of minor nature in most cases. Collarbone and clavicle fractures are some of the most common ones.
In some cases, the baby may receive serious injuries during delivery. If the doctor puts too much pressure on the face of the baby, the baby can suffer from facial paralysis as a result. Due to too much pressure, the facial nerves can get injured. The symptoms of these injuries appear when the baby weeps. The baby will find it difficult to move its face while crying to laughing. In case of a minor injury, the baby will be able to move his or her face properly after a few days of delivery. Common solution to this type of problem is surgery.
Another common injury that babies suffer form during birth is known as brachial palsy. This injury is related to the arms of the baby. As a result of this injury, the baby will find it almost impossible to turn or bend his or her arm. In most cases, this type of injury heals on its own in as quickly as one day. However, in case of bruised or torn nerves, the recovery is close to impossible. So, doctor has to carry out surgery in order to treat the injury.