Causes of Birth-Related Brain Damage—What Parents Need to Know in 2026

Birth-related brain damage can happen before, during, or right after birth. This type of damage often occurs when a baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen, exposed to physical trauma, or affected by medical complications in the mother. Advances in fetal monitoring and NICU care have reduced risks in many areas, but preventable birth injuries still happen—and when they do, families are often left navigating a lifetime of complex care needs and medical issues.

Learn more about common causes of birth-related brain damage, the role of medical care in these causes, and when you may have a medical malpractice case in Ohio. To discuss your birth injury case, contact Crandall & Pera Law, LLC today.

What is birth-related brain damage?

Birth-related brain damage refers to any newborn brain injury caused in the period immediately surrounding childbirth. These injuries are often broken down into three categories:

• Prenatal injuries, which occur during pregnancy
• Perinatal injuries, which happen during labor and delivery
• Neonatal injuries, which take place shortly after birth

Injuries vary widely in severity, ranging from mild developmental delays that resolve with time and appropriate therapies to lifelong disabilities. We can break down some of the most common causes of newborn brain damage.

Oxygen deprivation

Oxygen deprivation is a very common source of birth-related brain injuries. Severe oxygen deprivation can begin damaging brain cells within minutes if blood flow and oxygen are not restored. As a result, babies may develop hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Babies may suffer oxygen deprivation due to prolapse or compression of the umbilical cord, placental abruption, uterine rupture, maternal hemorrhage, prolonged labor, and failure to perform a C-section on time.

This is one of the many reasons that fetal heart rate monitoring is now widely used. Abnormal fetal heart rate patterns may indicate that a baby is not getting enough oxygen, allowing doctors to intervene and potentially prevent brain injury.

Physical trauma

Newborns may also experience physical trauma during labor and delivery. Excessive force or the improper use of delivery tools can lead to brain injuries. Risk factors include:

• Use of forceps or vacuum extractors, especially by an inexperienced practitioner
• Shoulder dystocia
• Macrosomia (high birth weight, which can increase the risk of a baby getting stuck in the birth canal)
• Difficult or obstructed labor

Physical trauma may lead to intracranial hemorrhage, skull fractures, and swelling or bleeding inside the brain.

Obstetric teams must meet the applicable medical standard of care when handling birth emergencies or labor that will not progress. When they use excessive force or ignore warning signs that may warrant further intervention, babies may suffer brain damage as a result.

Untreated infections

Maternal infections can sometimes pass to the fetus through the placenta or infected amniotic fluid and may lead to serious complications, including brain injury. Infections commonly associated with newborn brain damage include:

• Group B strep (which is why OB/GYNs recommend routine screening late in pregnancy)
• Chorioamnionitis
• Maternal sepsis
• Neonatal meningitis

The sooner an infection is identified, the sooner a doctor can begin a course of antibiotics that can keep the infection under control and protect the fetus or newborn from brain damage. If an infection is not identified in a timely manner—either due to misreading of test results or failure to test at all—the risk of long-term neurological defects is significant.

Failure to address maternal complications

Pregnancy can be a dangerous time in a woman’s life, and that danger can spread to the baby when doctors do not address maternal complications. Conditions that may increase the risk of fetal brain injury include:

• Preeclampsia
• HELLP syndrome
• Gestational diabetes
• Severe hypertension
• Placental insufficiency
• Intrauterine growth restriction

Proper prenatal care involves monitoring for these conditions and taking swift action if conditions are suspected or identified. An OB/GYN who follows evidence-based care knows how to adjust labor and delivery plans to account for changes in the baby’s and mom’s condition.

Delayed C-section

A C-section may be the most straightforward and efficient way to address dangerous conditions caused by labor, depending on the specific diagnosis and symptoms. However, when doctors do not catch warning signs in time or do not recommend a C-section in time despite identifying warning signs, the baby may suffer irreparable harm.

Signs of fetal distress or failed labor do not always mean that a C-section is necessary. However, in some situations, a timely C-section may be required to reduce the risk of harm to the baby or mother. A C-section may be recommended in cases involving:

• Signs of fetal distress or oxygen deprivation
• Umbilical cord prolapse
• Failed labor progression
• Uterine rupture
• Severe placental problems
• Placental abruption

Hospitals must have protocols in place to get a laboring woman into surgery as quickly as possible in emergencies. The gap between the time a C-section is recommended and when surgery begins is often referred to as a decision-to-incision time, or DIT. Standardized processes do tend to improve newborn outcomes, resulting in healthier babies immediately postpartum, according to new research out of Boston Medical Center.

Neonatal complications after birth

People often believe that making it through labor and delivery means that the greatest risks are behind them, but new babies are also at heightened risk of unexpected complications. If there’s any delay in resuscitation, undiagnosed metabolic disorders, uncontrolled seizures, or untreated jaundice, the baby may suffer permanent brain damage.

When is it medical malpractice?

Not every birth injury is medical malpractice. For a birth injury to be considered malpractice, a doctor must deviate from the standard of care in a way that causes injury to their patient (in this case, the baby and mother). Red flags that may indicate medical malpractice include failure to identify fetal distress, misuse of delivery instruments, inadequate monitoring, failure to treat infection, or poor communication among medical staff. Birth injury lawyers often rely heavily on medical records, fetal monitoring strips, and other medical evidence to determine whether or not malpractice occurred.

Explore your options with Crandall & Pera Law, LLC

If your baby suffered a brain injury before, during, or after delivery, talking to an attorney may help you discover whether or not you have a viable malpractice case. Contact us today to learn more about birth-related injuries in Ohio.