Birth Injury Information

This page is edited and reviewed by The New York Birth Injury (NYBI) Med-Legal Team of Merson Law, a specialized group of birth injury lawyers & medical professionals.

“Birth injuries often cause unspeakable suffering that can last a lifetime. Birth injuries can also lead to many other medical complications. The good news is that many birth injuries are preventable. However, if a birth injury happened through the negligence of a medical care provider, this is called “medical malpractice” in the United States.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is an official website of the Department of Health and Human Services, the birth trauma-neonatal injury rate was 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2013.”

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What Is A Birth Injury?
What Causes A Birth Injury?
Are Birth Defects & Birth Injuries The Same?
Common Types of Birth Injuries
What To Do If Your Child Experienced A Birth Injury

Did you know?

Between 2004 and 2013, birth trauma-neonatal injury rates fell for all racial/ethnic groups, except for Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Source: Agency For Healthcare Research & Quality

What Is A Birth Injury?

A birth injury describes any type of injury to a baby, during, or directly after childbirth.

More specifically, birth injuries are physical injuries experienced during childbirth, and can affect either the mother or the baby.

In newborn babies, a birth injury (often called ‘neonatal birth trauma’) can include many things, from bruising to a broken bone.

Here’s the thing to remember: many babies suffer from minor injuries during delivery that do not need to be treated and often heal on their own in days or weeks.

However, some birth injuries are more severe and can lead to more health complications. Unfortunately, this can sometimes result in your child having a permanent disability like Cerebral Palsy…for the rest of their life.

What Causes A Birth Injury?

There are several different types of birth injury causes. These causes are typically separated into four groups: delayed birth, oxygen deprivation, medical malpractice and other causes. Each cause is distinct and can lead to injuries with different sets of symptoms.

Are Birth Defects & Birth Injuries The Same?

A birth defect is a health condition or illness that forms while the infant is still in the womb whereas a birth injury occurs while the mother is in labor or in the process of delivery.

What Are The Common Types of Birth Injuries?

Brain Damage
Cerebral Palsy
Erb’s Palsy
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
Intrauterine Fetal Demise
Newborn Jaundice
Vacuum Extraction Complications
Kernicterus
Newborn Cephalohematoma
Spinal Cord Injuries