Do Birth Injuries Occur Often?

 

Birth injuries may result in several disabilities. A medical malpractice may transform a normal baby into a disabled child. That's why parents are expected to become children advocates and know what to look for to prevent birth injuries. But, do birth injuries occur often?

Check out below what statistics have to say about the occurrence of birth injuries.

General Data Of Common Birth Injuries

For every 1,000 babies born, six to eight of these infants incur birth injuries, which means that  1 in 9,714 Americans suffers from a birth injury. This data further shows that there are 28,000 babies born with birth injuries per year, 2,333 per month, and 76 per day. 

Here are the most common types of birth injuries:

  • Intracranial hemorrhage

  • Bone fractures

  • Erb’s palsy or brachial plexus palsy 

  • Facial paralysis

  • Caput succedaneum

  • Cerebral palsy

  • Cephalohematoma

  • Perinatal asphyxia

  • Subconjunctival hemorrhage

  • Spinal cord injuries

Note: Children who suffered from birth injuries will likely have disabilities, and parents can check out this guide to get help and assistance. 

National Healthcare Quality Report 

The National Healthcare Quality Report or NHQR revealed that 6.68 of every 1,000 male babies and 5.08 of every 1,000 female infants born in 2000 in the United States had birth injuries.

Here are the other details of the said report:

  • In the same year, 7.15 out of every 1,000 birth injuries happened at private, non-profit hospitals.

  • Also, 4.33 out of every 1,000 cases occurred in private (profit) hospitals.

  • In addition, 6.11 of over 1,000 birth traumas occurred in public hospitals.

  • About 5.53 of every 1,000 birth traumas happened at hospitals with a 100-bed capacity or less, and 5.45 of every 1,000 birth injuries happened at 100- to 200-bed capacity hospitals.

Maternal Data 

The number of birth injuries among mothers who gave birth via tool-assisted or forceps delivery is the highest among those ages 25 to 34 years old, while the lowest is among mothers ages 40 to 54 years old. On the one hand, the number of birth injuries among mothers who delivered through a non-instrument assisted birth method (vaginal birth) is only high for those ages 25 to 29 years old.

Here are other facts about maternal data related to birth injuries:

  • From 2000 to 2006, the maternal injury rate in terms of non-instrument-assisted births is 30 percent less than the instrument-assisted birth injury rate. 

  • While cesarean section (CS) is accepted as a safe form of delivery, birth injury may occur in this method, and the rate increases with the mother’s age. 

  • Mothers with government-assisted insurance or Medicaid and uninsured patients have less birth injury rates than mothers who have private insurance.

Rural And Urban Birth Injuries

Urban birth injuries are less prevalent than rural birth injuries. Hispanics and Blacks experience lower birth injury rates as compared to Asian-Pacific Islanders and Whites. Birth injuries are higher in the Northeast United States than in the Midwest, South, and West regions.

Common Risk Factors Of Birth Injuries 

There are risk factors that may increase the likelihood of a birth injury. Healthcare professionals and parents should be aware of these risk factors to be guided on the best course of action and for them to know how to respond when facing such a situation.

Here are the common birth trauma risk factors:

  • Baby is too big: When the infant is too big or weighs heavier than eight pounds and 13 ounces, it may lead to birth complications, which is a common risk factor for birth trauma. 

  • Mother is too small: Some women have utterly small pelvis, or their pelvic bone is not shaped properly for them to be able to deliver a baby safely. That's why the baby can be stuck in the birth canal, compressing the umbilical cord and shutting off the oxygen supply to the brain of the baby. 

  • Abnormal delivery positions: Face-first or breech presentation deliveries have higher degrees of birth injuries and other birth complications.

  • Premature babies: Infants born before 37 weeks of pregnancy face birth difficulties and various health hazards. Birth injuries may still happen even with excellent maternal care during a premature birth, such that babies are at a higher risk for lacerations, fractures, and oxygen deprivation.

Conclusion

In the United States, there are about 538 cases of birth injuries per week. Also, more cases of birth traumas occur in public than private hospitals. Non-instrument-assisted births have a lower incidence of birth trauma than instrument-assisted deliveries. In addition, mothers who reside in rural areas have a lower incidence of birth injuries than those who live in urban areas.

 
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