Trauma arising from childbirth: Causes, indications, and remedies
Birth is a miraculous event, but it can also be a delicate process that sometimes leads to injuries. While severe birth trauma is relatively rare, it's essential to understand the various types of injuries that can occur and their potential impacts.
One such injury is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen before or shortly after birth. This condition can result in long-term physical and cognitive impairments such as developmental delay or cerebral palsy. However, specific data on the frequency of reports about severe birth injuries in 2018 is not readily available.
Newborn birth injuries can also manifest as more common conditions like bruising and swelling of the scalp, fractures, and cephalohematoma. Cephalohematoma is a harmless condition that occurs when blood vessels rupture under the newborn's scalp during delivery, resulting in blood pools that present as a bulge on the scalp.
Some newborns may experience nerve damage from delivery, including injuries to the facial nerve, brachial plexus, or spinal cord. Brachial plexus injuries occur in up to one in every live birth and are stretch injuries that may improve without treatment or with physical therapy. Nerve damage, such as pudendal nerve injury, can occur during childbirth and may result in sensory loss, urinary and fecal incontinence, and sexual dysfunction.
While the incidence of spinal cord injuries during labor and delivery is low, they can have significant impacts. Newborns with damaged nerves may need physical or occupational therapy for rehabilitation.
Birth trauma isn't limited to physical injuries. Psychological and emotional trauma can also occur, with approximately 17% of postpartum parents experiencing birth-related PTSD. Treatment for PTSD may include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, antidepressant medications, or anti-anxiety medications.
Childbirth can also lead to physical injuries like perineal tears or surgical cuts to the area between the vaginal opening and the anus. Approximately 53-89% of people experience some tearing during delivery, and around 4-11% experience severe tearing. For more complex perineal tears or damage to the pelvic muscles, a person may need surgery to repair the tissue and to perform core exercises to improve pelvic floor dysfunction.
Finally, it's worth noting that a Cesarean delivery can also injure some newborns, but the incidence is 60% lower than vaginal delivery. Pelvic organ prolapse, which occurs when the muscles and tissues in the pelvis become weak or damaged, causing one or more of the pelvic organs to drop into or out of the vagina, can also be a consequence of vaginal delivery.
In conclusion, while birth injuries are a concern, it's important to remember that advancements in medical care and technology are continually improving outcomes for both mothers and newborns. If you suspect your child has suffered a birth injury, it's crucial to seek medical attention promptly.
