What Is an Apgar Score?

Named after and invented by the American anaesthesiologist Virginia Apgar, the Apgar score started to be used by medical professionals in 1952. The Apgar score is a method used by medical personnel to determine the physical health of a newborn right after birth.

What is Birth Injury and How You Can Prevent It?


An unborn baby can come from the womb with serious birth defects caused by birth trauma. E-Medicine and Web MD report that birth injury accounts for about 2% of all neonatal deaths and stillbirths in the country. This converts to about 6-8 injuries per 1000 live births. Some terms associated with birth injuries include brachial plexus, cerebral palsy and Erb’s palsy.

What is Birth Injury and How You Can Prevent It?


An unborn baby can come from the womb with serious birth defects caused by birth trauma. E-Medicine and Web MD report that birth injury accounts for about 2% of all neonatal deaths and stillbirths in the country. This converts to about 6-8 injuries per 1000 live births. Some terms associated with birth injuries include brachial plexus, cerebral palsy and Erb’s palsy.

Can CP Be Detected During Pregnancy?

Mixed Cerebral Palsy - Another Birth Injury Possibility

The chronic condition known as cerebral palsy is usually divided into different types, each causing a different set of symptoms because of the different parts of the brain that have been damaged, often due to birth injury or improper prenatal care. Among those affected with the condition cerebral palsy there are about 10 percent according to Bright Tots who have the mixed type.

According to MedicineNet, Group B streptococcus infections refer specifically to the Streptococcus agalactiae bacteria. This bacterium is regularly found in 10 to 35 percent of all healthy adult women and usually does not cause any adverse symptoms whatsoever. However, sometimes the bacteria can cause dangerous infections in pregnant females, newborns and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes or liver disease.

Group B Streptococcus infections and Newborns

Cerebral palsy, a condition that the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes as “any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in early childhood.” Though this condition does affect muscle movement, it is actually caused by brain injury. The brain has control over these muscle movements and due to abnormalities that occur with injury, the child loses proper function over the muscles.

This refers to the degree of prudence and caution that is required by a doctor or any professional entrusted with a professional duty. A doctor cannot be sued for being human and making an error. However, he can be sued by falling short of the standard of care set by the industry, and breaching a standard of acceptable conduct, which is also considered negligence.

Forceps are an alternative to vacuum-assisted technique for getting the baby out of the birthing canal when complications such as size or positioning become an issue. Forceps are a type of tweezer with spoon-like ends that fit around the baby’s head, according to PregnancyWeekly. Forceps have been known to leave scalp blisters, tear the mother’s vagina or anal sphincter.

Forceps are an alternative to vacuum-assisted technique for getting the baby out of the birthing canal when complications such as size or positioning become an issue. Forceps are a type of tweezer with spoon-like ends that fit around the baby’s head, according to PregnancyWeekly. Forceps have been known to leave scalp blisters, tear the mother’s vagina or anal sphincter.