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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...

When a child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP), parents often want to know why it happened. For some families, questions focus on labor and delivery: Was the baby's oxygen supply interrupted? Did fetal monitoring show a problem? Should a C-section have occurred...

Hearing that your newborn has hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, can leave you with urgent medical questions and difficult questions about what happened during labor and delivery. HIE is a form of neonatal encephalopathy caused by insufficient oxygen and blood...

When a baby suffers a serious injury around the time of birth, parents often want to understand two things: what happened medically and whether it could have been prevented. A difficult delivery, unexpected diagnosis, or NICU admission does not automatically mean...