Birth injuries can impact a child’s lifelong health and development, leaving families searching for answers. While some are unavoidable, many birth injuries are the result of medical negligence during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.
By understanding common birth injuries — and when they may be linked to medical errors — parents can take steps to protect their child’s future.
The most common birth injuries include bruising and swelling of the head, nerve injuries like brachial palsy, and bone fractures, according to Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
Learn more about 10 of the most common birth injuries and what you can do if your child was harmed. You may be eligible for financial compensation from a birth injury lawsuit.
1. Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of neurological disorders that affects motor skills and often leads to physical and intellectual disabilities.
Around 1 in 345 children in the United States has cerebral palsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CP may result from medical malpractice when health care providers make mistakes that cause brain damage.
Some common examples of medical errors that can cause CP include:
- Delaying an emergency cesarean section (C-section)
- Failing to monitor the baby’s oxygen levels during labor
- Ignoring signs of fetal distress
- Misusing delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors
- Neglecting to treat infections in the mother or baby
Experienced cerebral palsy lawyers can help determine if medical errors contributed to your child’s condition and guide you through the legal process.
2. Brachial Plexus Injuries
These injuries happen when nerves controlling arm movement are damaged during childbirth. Common types of brachial nerve damage include Erb’s palsy and Klumpke’s palsy.
Brachial plexus injuries occur in as many as 3 of every 1,000 births in the U.S. Unfortunately, many of these injuries could have been prevented with proper care.
Common medical errors that can lead to brachial plexus injuries include:
- Delaying a C-section when the baby is too large for a safe vaginal delivery
- Mismanaging shoulder dystocia (when a baby’s shoulders are stuck behind the mother’s pelvis)
- Misusing delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors
- Neglecting to manage prolonged or difficult labor properly
- Pulling or twisting the baby’s head or shoulders
When errors like these cause nerve damage, it may be considered medical malpractice.
3. Brain Damage
Infant brain damage may occur when health care providers make critical errors during childbirth that harm a baby’s developing brain.
Some common medical mistakes that can cause infant brain damage include:
- Delaying a necessary C-section
- Failing to monitor or respond to signs of fetal distress
- Mismanaging prolonged labor or delivery complications
- Misusing assisted delivery tools, causing head trauma
- Neglecting to treat maternal infections that can pass to infants
Infant brain damage lawyers can help families understand what happened and determine if malpractice is to blame. If so, you may be able to pursue compensation.
Call us right now at (800) 914-1562 or Click to Live Chat to find out how we may be able to help.
4. Erb’s Palsy
Erb’s palsy is a condition that can cause symptoms such as difficulty grasping objects, muscle weakness in the arm, and partial or complete arm paralysis.
Each year, nearly 12,000 babies are affected by Erb’s palsy. Fortunately, 70-80% of children make a full recovery within their first year.
Medical errors that may lead to Erb’s palsy include:
- Applying excessive force to the baby’s head, neck, or shoulders during delivery
- Failing to manage shoulder dystocia properly
- Neglecting to perform a C-section when a baby is too big for a safe vaginal delivery
- Using delivery tools like forceps incorrectly, putting strain on the baby’s neck
These mistakes can stretch or tear the nerves, leading to limited movement or paralysis in the affected arm. These injuries may be considered medical malpractice when better care could have prevented them.
In one case, Erb’s palsy lawyers were able to secure $5 million for the family of a child whose condition was caused by negligence.
5. Kernicterus
Kernicterus is a form of brain damage caused by severe jaundice in newborns. This condition can occur when health care providers fail to treat high levels of a yellowish pigment called bilirubin.
While up to 80% of newborns develop jaundice, only around 5% of cases require treatment. Without proper intervention, jaundice can progress to kernicterus, leading to hearing loss, neurological issues, or even death.
Medical mistakes that may cause kernicterus include:
- Failing to diagnose or monitor jaundice after birth
- Ignoring risk factors like prematurity or blood type incompatibility
- Mismanaging elevated bilirubin levels
- Neglecting to provide necessary treatments, like phototherapy
When proper care could have prevented kernicterus, these errors may be considered medical malpractice.
In Arkansas, kernicterus lawyers secured over $46 million after a doctor failed to properly treat jaundice, resulting in brain damage.
6. Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is brain damage that occurs when a baby doesn’t receive enough oxygen and blood flow during labor and delivery.
This condition often stems from medical malpractice when health care providers fail to recognize or address oxygen deprivation promptly.
Errors that may lead to HIE include:
- Delaying an emergency C-section when the baby is not receiving enough oxygen
- Failing to monitor and treat maternal conditions like high blood pressure
- Ignoring signs of fetal distress, such as an abnormal heart rate
- Mismanaging umbilical cord complications, like cord prolapse or cord around the neck
- Misusing labor-inducing drugs, causing excessive contractions, and reducing oxygen flow to the baby
These mistakes can cause lasting brain injury. When better care could have prevented HIE, it may be considered medical malpractice.
In a New York case, HIE lawyers secured over $35 million for a child who suffered severe brain damage and HIE when doctors failed to notice that the mother’s placenta had separated from the uterine wall before birth.
If your child suffered from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, your family may be eligible for compensation, too.
Get a free case review right now to see if we can connect you with a top birth injury lawyer near you.
7. Cephalohematoma
Newborn cephalohematoma is a collection of blood between the baby’s skull and scalp that can occur when improper techniques or excessive force are used during labor and delivery.
Complications from cephalohematoma include anemia, infections, jaundice, calcifications, and skull fractures. Around 2.5% of prolonged or difficult vaginal deliveries involve this condition.
Common medical errors that can lead to cephalohematoma include:
- Applying excessive force during delivery, especially when the baby is large
- Failing to perform a C-section when needed to avoid birth trauma
- Mismanaging prolonged or obstructed labor, increasing the risk of a head injury
- Misusing delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors causing trauma to the baby’s skull
These mistakes can lead to serious complications. If you suspect that a medical error caused your child’s cephalohematoma, you may be eligible for legal compensation.
In New York, newborn cephalohematoma lawyers were able to secure $1.75 million for a child injured by vacuum extractors during delivery that caused cephalohematoma.
8. Forceps or Vacuum Extractor Complications
Vacuum extractors and forceps can cause injuries during labor and delivery when used improperly.
If health care providers apply excessive force or fail to position the tools correctly, it can lead to serious complications like nerve damage, fractures, or bleeding.
Additionally, using these instruments in cases where a C-section would be more appropriate can result in unnecessary trauma, leaving lasting effects on the baby’s health. In many cases, ordering a C-section earlier could have prevented harm to the child.
Vacuum extractor birth injury lawyers can help families hold doctors accountable for misusing these tools.
9. Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL)
Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) is a brain injury caused by the softening or death of white matter near the brain’s fluid-filled ventricles, often due to reduced oxygen or blood flow.
As many as 30,000 American children born prematurely weighing less than 3.3 pounds are affected by PVL each year, according to Cleveland Clinic. Of these, approximately 7,000 will develop cerebral palsy.
Common medical errors that may contribute to PVL include:
- Delaying an emergency C-section when the baby shows signs of distress
- Failing to monitor and manage premature labor
- Ignoring complications like placental insufficiency, which reduces blood flow
- Mismanaging maternal infections, like chorioamnionitis, may lead to brain damage
- Neglecting to detect and address oxygen deprivation in premature infants
Parents of a child with PVL may suspect medical errors but struggle to find answers. Consulting a birth injury attorney can help determine if negligence occurred and whether you may be eligible for compensation.
In one case, PVL lawyers were able to secure over $2 million for a child who developed the condition from umbilical cord issues.
Get a free case review to find out if you could be eligible, too.
10. Meconium Aspiration
Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) happens when a newborn inhales amniotic fluid containing meconium (the baby’s first stool), potentially leading to breathing difficulties and lung damage if not promptly addressed.
MAS is a major cause of severe illness and even death in newborns, affecting 5-10% of births, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Medical mistakes that can lead to MAS include:
- Delaying an emergency C-section when meconium is causing distress
- Failing to monitor and respond to signs of fetal distress
- Ignoring risk factors like post-term pregnancies or infections
- Mishandling prolonged labor, increasing the risk of meconium aspiration
- Neglecting to clear the baby’s airway right after birth
These preventable errors can lead to serious respiratory complications. If timely medical intervention could have avoided MAS, it may be considered malpractice.
Meconium aspiration syndrome lawyers can help families seek justice and compensation.
Get Legal Help for Birth Injuries
Many families are left wondering what happened to their child — and who may be to blame. At the Birth Injury Justice Center, we’re here to help you put the pieces together.
Our team of patient advocates and registered nurses can support your family by:
- Answering any questions about your child’s condition and care
- Determining your eligibility for compensation due to medical malpractice
- Helping make sense of your child’s symptoms, even before a diagnosis
- Identifying if something may have gone wrong during pregnancy or delivery
Call us right now at (800) 914-1562 or get a free case review to find out if malpractice may have played a role in your child’s birth injury.
You may be eligible for the compensation you need to provide a brighter future for your child.