Prolonged Labor Increases Risk of Birth Injury in Infants

Posted on June 8, 2011 at 5:00am by

According to U.S. Politics Today, risk of birth injury increases during prolonged labor. Birth injuries typically occur when a mother’s pregnancy is too short or too long, or when labor complications occur. Prolonged labor adds to the list of risk factors that may increase a chance of a birth injury to an infant.

A birth injury is any type of injury sustained by a newborn during or as a result of the birth process. Some birth injuries are temporary or can be repaired through surgery, however, some birth injuries cause significant impairment and life-long injuries that lead to disability. Cerebral palsy is a birth injury that leads to lifelong disability that requires medical care.

4MyChild, a support organization for families and children with special needs, reports that the risk of birth injuries during a prolonged labor occur when a baby gets lodged in the birth canal without an oxygen supply and when the baby is not delivered within 24 hours of the mother’s water breaking.

Perinatal asphyxia, a shortage of oxygen during delivery, causes brain injuries as it harms the tissue in the cerebral motor cortex of an infant’s brain. Rapid delivery through a cesarean section helps to avoid oxygen supply shortage and ensures breathing by the infant.

Cerebral palsy attorney can answer your questions if your infant has experiences perinatal asphyxia due to umbilical cord compressionm placental abruption, maternal low blood pressure and other birth trauma.



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