Birth injury statistics

How common are birth injuries in the United States?

Around 30,000 babies are born in the U.S. every year with some form of birth injury.

Here are some key birth injury statistics:

• Birth injuries are more common in males than females, often due to their size.
• 80% of birth injuries are considered moderate to severe, with only 20% classified as minor.
• Birth injuries account for 20% of the 20,000 infant deaths that occur in the U.S. every year.
• Birth injuries are the 4th-leading cause of death among infants.

Birth injury statistics on legal claims

Every year about 20,000 medical malpractice lawsuits are filed in the United States, and many of them are birth injury lawsuits.

The average medical malpractice payout for children under one month old is over $1 million.

However, it is important to remember that there is a wide range of birth injuries, some mild and others permanently disabling, so birth injury settlement amounts vary significantly.

If you suspect your child’s birth injury was the result of a medical mistake, we may be able to help.

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Birth injury statistics on causes

Birth injuries can happen for a number of reasons, and in some cases, the causes of birth injuries remain unknown.

A birth injury is usually caused by maternal or infant conditions but can have other causes as well, including medical negligence.

Maternal conditions

Severe maternal complications during labor occur in about 1% to 2% of all deliveries and can lead to birth injuries when they are not identified and managed.

Infant conditions

Infants can also be affected by a variety of conditions during labor and delivery that can lead to birth injuries when they are not diagnosed and properly managed.

Other causes of birth injury

A birth injury can also result from a physical injury, usually to the baby’s head or shoulders, that occurs either during the birthing process or shortly after delivery.

When infants suffer a broken bone during childbirth, it is most likely to be a clavicle (collarbone) fracture, occurring in 0.2% to 4.5% of deliveries.

If you think your child’s birth injury could have been avoided, get a confidential case review now. There is no cost or obligation.

Statistics on birth injury risk factors

While any child can be born with a birth injury, some infants are more likely than others due to certain risk factors.

Some of these risk factors can be managed in the prenatal period, while others may be outside the control of the medical team.

Here are important birth injury statistics on risk factors.

Delivery complications

Delivery complications include failure to progress, fetal distress, excessive bleeding, and malpositioning of the baby in the birth canal.

Fetal distress (when a baby is not receiving enough oxygen during pregnancy or labor) is estimated to occur in 5% to 10% of deliveries.

Failure to progress is when a mother starts the labor process, but then labor is slowed, and the baby may not be descending, or her cervix may have stopped dilating.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes (occurring only during pregnancy) affects 7% to 8% of all pregnancies in the U.S. each year.

Health of the baby

The infant can also be in poor health at the time of delivery, sometimes due to the mother passing an infection during vital periods of development.

Babies can also experience failed development or growth while still in the womb, making birth injury more likely.

Additionally, 3% of babies are born with birth defects, sometimes called congenital abnormalities, that can negatively affect their overall health and even be fatal in some instances.

Health of the mother

If the mother is in poor health, particularly if she has a viral or bacterial infection, the infant can be at risk for a birth injury.

UTIs during pregnancy can be very dangerous, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, or preterm birth. They can also be passed to the infant as a life-threatening infection.

Labor induction

Around 20% to 40% of labor is induced, according to birth injury statistics from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Labor induction can put an infant at risk for a birth injury, mainly because of certain medications, such as Pitocin.

Pitocin can cause the uterus to contract too often (overstimulate), which can lead to infant distress. Although rare, the use of Pitocin increases the risk of uterus rupturing, which cuts off oxygen to the infant and can cause brain damage.

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a condition that occurs in 5% to 7% of all pregnancies and involves high blood pressure and proteins in a woman’s urine.

It is an extremely dangerous condition and one of the leading causes of death for women during pregnancy.

The infant is also at increased risk for slowed growth in utero and placental abruption (a medical emergency where the placenta detaches from the uterus and stops oxygen/nutrients from the infant).

Preterm delivery is more likely with preeclamptic patients, which places the infant at increased risk for difficulty feeding, vision problems, hearing problems, difficulty breathing, developmental delays, and cerebral palsy.

Position of the baby

A baby's position in the birth canal, especially breech position, can put them at a greater risk for a birth injury.

Around 3% to 4% of babies are in the breech position at the start of labor, often requiring a cesarean section (C-section) for the safety of both the mother and child.

Size of the baby

According to the CDC, 8% of babies are born underweight, and another 8% are born overweight.

Birth injury statistics by condition

There are many different types of birth injuries, ranging from mild to severe. In some instances, a child can even die from a birth injury.

Here are birth injury statistics for some of the various health conditions.

Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders caused by brain damage or injury to the developing brain before, during, or after labor.

Between 8,000 and 10,000 babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy every year in the U.S.

Erb’s palsy

Erb’s palsy, also known as brachial plexus palsy or brachial plexus injury, is a nerve injury and resulting medical condition that occurs in about 1 in every 1,000 live births.

This condition is characterized by nerve damage and muscle weakness in the affected arm or shoulder. It is often the result of difficult labor.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)

HIE is a severe type of brain damage that occurs when the infant’s brain is deprived of oxygen. It is estimated to occur in 1% to 2% of live births.

This condition, also known as birth asphyxia, is one of the leading causes of neonatal death and is much more common in countries with less advanced health care.

Intrauterine Fetal Demise

Intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD or stillbirth) occurs when a baby dies any time at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Despite stillbirth being the 5th-leading cause of death worldwide, it is estimated that less than 5% of stillbirths are reported.

Furthermore, 76% of stillbirths globally have an undetermined cause.

The rate of stillbirths has decreased steadily over the last few decades, as reported by the CDC, but there were still an estimated 21,000 fetal deaths in the U.S. in 2020.

Jaundice

Jaundice is quite common in childbirth, with nearly 60% of newborns experiencing the condition to some degree shortly after being born.

Jaundice occurs when an infant has high bilirubin levels. Bilirubin is a waste product related to red blood cells being broken down.

While it is a common condition, some babies are at a higher risk of developing jaundice.

Kernicterus

Kernicterus is a rare condition that results when a newborn has too high of a bilirubin concentration in their blood. It is often due to severe or untreated jaundice.

Kernicterus is a type of brain damage that can result in cerebral palsy, hearing and vision loss, or intellectual disabilities.

Because jaundice is usually treated, only about 1 in 44,000 newborns develop kernicterus.

Newborn brain damage

Newborn brain damage affects roughly 3 infants out of every 1,000 that reach full-term.

Brain damage in newborns can range from mild to severe and may be treatable depending on the severity of the condition.

Newborn cephalohematoma

Cephalohematoma is a somewhat common condition that is usually harmless and results from blood vessels rupturing on a baby's scalp.

Cephalohematoma occurs in roughly 2.5% of vaginal births. It increases to 10% of vaginal births when forceps or vacuum extraction is used.

Spinal cord injuries

Children account for less than 5% of all spinal cord injuries, but the consequences of spinal cord injury in a child, especially an infant, can be devastating.

Most spinal cord injuries occur when the spine or neck is bent or compressed.

Birth injury statistics on co-occurring conditions

Infants who experience birth injuries often experience co-occurring conditions. The conditions could be present at birth or show up later in life.

For example, people with cerebral palsy often also experience:

• Intellectual disabilities: 45%
• Epilepsy: 25%
• Vision loss or impairment: 10%
• Autism: 7%
• Hearing loss or impairment: 5%

Erb's palsy also has co-occurring medical conditions, particularly a broken collarbone, which occurs in about 50% of Erb’s palsy cases.

Birth injury statistics on treatment options

Birth injuries can range from mild to severe. Some are also more treatable than others. Some mild cases of birth injuries can improve on their own with time.

Physical therapy, which involves exercises and physical activities designed to improve strength and combat muscle weakness, has been shown to increase an affected child’s mobility by up to 13%.

Occupational therapy involves exercises that increase independence by helping to improve fine motor skills and by providing special equipment to help with ADLs (activities of daily living).

Erb’s palsy is a birth injury that has proven to be highly treatable, with nearly a 100% recovery rate in infants who begin treatment within a month of birth.

Using birth injury statistics to understand legal options

While birth injury statistics can seem alarming for new families, they can also serve as a reminder that you’re not alone.

If your child suffered from trauma at birth, understanding birth injury statistics can help pinpoint what may have happened.

If you suspect your child’s birth injury could have been prevented, we may be able to help. You could be able to access financial compensation to help your child live their best possible life.

Call Cerebral Palsy Guide 24/7 at (855) 220-1101 or get a free birth injury case review now.