Birth trauma is damage to the tissues and organs of an infant caused by mechanical forces during childbirth often accompanied by impaired blood circulation and organ functioning. The most frequent and significant birth injuries are to the skull, brain and spinal cord, the severity of which usually distinguishs spontaneous birth traumas from those of an obstetric nature such as injuries which may occur with the use of forceps

Forceps

Forceps or forcipes are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forceps are used when fingers are too large to grasp small objects or when many objects need to be held at one time while the hands are used to perform a task. The term 'forceps' is used almost exclusively...

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Infant

While any number of injuries may occur during the birthing process. A number of specific conditions are well described. Brachial plexus palsy

Brachial plexus injury

The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that conducts signals from the spinal cord, which is housed in the spinal canal of the vertebral column , to the shoulder, arm and hand. These nerves originate in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth cervical , and first thoracic spinal nerves, and...

 occurs in 0.4 to 5.1 infants per 1000 live birth. Head trauma during delivery can lead to a number of conditions include: caput succedaneum

Caput succedaneum

Caput succedaneum is a neonatal condition involving a serosanguinous, subcutaneous, extraperiosteal fluid collection with poorly defined margins caused by the pressure of the presenting part of the scalp against the dilating cervix during delivery.It involves bleeding below the scalp and above the...

, cephalohematoma, subgaleal hemorrhage

Subgaleal hemorrhage

Subgaleal hemorrhage or hematoma is bleeding in the potential space between the skull periosteum and the scalp galea aponeurosis.-Causes:Majority result from vacuum applied to the head at delivery...

, subdural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage

A subarachnoid hemorrhage , or subarachnoid haemorrhage in British English, is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the brain...

, epidural hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage

Intraventricular hemorrhage

An intraventricular hemorrhage , often abbreviated "IVH," is a bleeding into the brain's ventricular system, where the cerebrospinal fluid is produced and circulates through towards the subarachnoid space...

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The most common fracture during delivery is that of the clavicle

Clavicle

In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...

(0.5%).

Epidemiology

Birth trauma is uncommon in the Western world in relation to rates in the third world. In the West injury occurs in 1.1% of C-sections.