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The hours and days after delivery are a period of rapid change for a newborn. Most babies make the transition from life inside the uterus to breathing, feeding, maintaining body temperature, and regulating circulation without serious difficulty. Some babies need...

Labor induction and oxytocin are common parts of modern obstetric care. Oxytocin—often known by the brand name Pitocin—can be used to start labor or strengthen contractions after labor has already begun. Used appropriately, it can help achieve a vaginal delivery and...

Forceps and vacuum extractors can help doctors deliver a baby vaginally when labor has stalled, the mother should avoid prolonged pushing, or the fetal heart rate suggests that delivery should be expedited. These procedures are known as operative vaginal delivery or...

An unplanned C-section can happen for many reasons, and not every unplanned cesarean has the same level of urgency. Sometimes the medical team has time to continue evaluating labor before proceeding to surgery. In other situations, a change in the mother's or baby's...

Parents sometimes hear that a baby showed signs of “fetal distress” during labor. That phrase is commonly used outside the delivery room, but modern obstetric care is usually more specific. Clinicians evaluate the baby's fetal heart rate (FHR) pattern, contractions,...

A seizure in a newborn can be subtle. Instead of the dramatic whole-body convulsions many people associate with epilepsy, a neonatal seizure may involve repeated movement of one arm or leg, unusual eye or mouth movements, changes in breathing, or electrical seizure...

When doctors or nurses say that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, parents may immediately worry that their baby swallowed or inhaled stool during delivery. Meconium-stained amniotic fluid and meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) are related, but they are not the...

Jaundice is extremely common in newborns. Most cases are temporary and resolve without causing harm. But when bilirubin rises to dangerously high levels and is not recognized or treated appropriately, bilirubin can injure the developing brain. That neurological injury...

A lump, swelling, bruise, or indentation on a newborn's head can be frightening—especially after a difficult delivery involving a vacuum, forceps, prolonged labor, or an emergency C-section. Some newborn scalp findings are temporary consequences of labor and resolve...

When a newborn has little or no movement in one arm after delivery, parents may hear terms such as brachial plexus birth palsy, neonatal brachial plexus palsy, or Erb’s palsy. These injuries can occur during difficult births, including deliveries complicated by...