Complications in the process of labor and delivery can result in a wide variety of problems for a newborn baby. These problems, known collectively as birth injuries, can be mild or severe.

One major cause is oxygen deprivation, which commonly occurs when the umbilical cord is compressed or twisted in the birth process. The other main cause is mechanical trauma, which may occur when the baby assumes an unusual position at the time of birth (buttocks rather than head first, for example) or when the baby is too large to pass through the birth canal easily.

Numerous birth injuries are caused by mistakes made by doctors or hospitals during delivery. Birth injuries can occur if excessive force is applied in the delivery of a child or there is a delay in performing a necessary C-section delivery. Birth injuries can also occur if the delivery team fails to properly anticipate the size of a child, causing a turbulant delivery.

Birth injuries are most often caused by operative deliveries, whether vaginal or abdominal than spontaneous deliveries. Birth injuries have been reported to occur in 27 of 1,000 live births.

Common Birth Injuries are: Cerebral Palsy, Temporary Paralysis, Brain Damage, Erb's Palsy, Fractured Collar Bone, Klumpke's Palsy and Brachial Plexus Palsy.

The most serious birth injuries are those that affect the brain. They are caused by oxygen deprivation or bleeding within the skull or brain. These injuries vary greatly in severity. They may lead to long-term seizure disorders or cause cerebral palsy or mental retardation.