Newborns’ fragile bodies are susceptible to a wide range of injuries before, during, and immediately after birth. One type of common birth injury is a brachial plexus injury.<\/p>\n
The brachial plexus is a group of nerve fibers near the top of the spinal cord, near the shoulder. These nerves control movement in the shoulder, arm, and hand.<\/p>\n
If a newborn’s shoulders become lodged behind the mother’s pubic bone during delivery, this can result in injury to the brachial plexus. The force of delivery, whether from the mother pushing or from medical personnel pulling, can place excessive force on the shoulders and cause nerve damage. Although most commonly seen in vaginal delivery, brachial plexus injuries can also happen during cesarean section delivery.<\/p>\n
This type of injury is most often seen in larger newborns, especially those weighing over nine pounds. It can occur as a result of the infant being positioned feet-first, called a breech birth. (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newborns’ fragile bodies are susceptible to a wide range of injuries before, during, and immediately after birth. One type of common birth injury is a brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is a group of nerve fibers near the top…<\/span><\/p>\n