Modern medicine has come a long way in the last few decades, but birth injuries for children born in West Virginia aren’t unheard of. While some birth injuries are increasingly rare, they can still be absolutely devastating.
What’s an example of a rare birth injury?
Birth injuries to the skull have become rare with the advancements of modern medicine. However, skull fractures or head deformities still happen more often than you think – about 1 in 10,000 births.
These head injuries are more often than not depressed skull fractures, or areas where the skull buckled under pressure. Other injuries to the head that can take place during birth include hematomas and brain injuries.
How do skull fractures happen during birth?
Depressed skull fractures and head deformities often happen due to a lot of pressure on the newborn’s head. This can happen when the newborn gets stuck in the birthing canal or due to misuse of medical equipment, like forceps.
Newborn babies have a soft skull that is more likely to buckle under pressure or mold during birth. This is because the baby’s brain is still forming and there needs to be enough room to grow.
Because of this, however, the babies are more prone to injuries to their heads during birth. The good news is though that most babies are able to recover from these birthing injuries without any long-term damage.
What if my baby suffers a birthing injury?
Most depressed skull fractures either get better on their own or require a treatment plan to correct if enough time has passed. Rarely, these skull fractures can have long-term side effects on your baby.
It’s important to follow up with doctors and get an early prognosis. You should also research all your options if you believe your birthing injury is the fault of the hospital.
