The birth injury mapWhere injuries happen to mothers and babies
When something has gone wrong during a birth, it can be hard to even find the words for it. You might know your baby isn't moving one arm, or that you're still in pain months later, but not what it's called, or whether it's normal.
The birth injury map shows where birth injuries happen in the body, for mothers and for babies. Select an area to see the injuries that can happen there, the birth events often behind them, and articles that explain each one in more depth.
Explore the birth injury map
Select a number, or tap an area of the body
Mind and emotions
Injuries in this area- Birth trauma and post-traumatic stress
- Postnatal depression and anxiety
- Psychiatric injury from seeing your baby harmed (partners can be affected too)
- Gaps in memory of the birth
- Grief, shame and feeling "broken" after a severe tear
A traumatic or poorly managed birth, not being listened to, procedures done without proper consent.
Brain and head
Injuries in this area- Seizures (eclampsia) after missed pre-eclampsia
- Stroke from very high blood pressure
- A severe headache after an epidural
Pre-eclampsia that wasn't recognised or treated, blood pressure not controlled, anaesthetic error.
Heart, lungs and blood
Injuries in this area- Amniotic fluid embolism
- Blood clots in the legs or lungs
- Peripartum cardiomyopathy (heart weakness)
- Clotting failure after heavy bleeding
Clot prevention not given, symptoms not recognised or escalated in time.
Spine and back
Injuries in this area- A bleed or abscess after an epidural
- Nerve damage from the epidural needle
The timing of blood thinners, poor monitoring after an epidural.
Uterus and abdomen
Injuries in this area- Postpartum haemorrhage (heavy bleeding after birth)
- A torn uterus (uterine rupture)
- Retained placenta or tissue
- Placenta praevia complications and missed placenta accreta
- Emergency hysterectomy
- Infection and sepsis
- Injury to the bladder, bowel or ureter during a caesarean
- Over-strong contractions from Syntocinon
A VBAC or induction that wasn't managed well, a slow response to bleeding, surgical error.
Pelvic floor and perineum
Injuries in this area- Third and fourth degree tears that could have been prevented
- Tears that were missed, misgraded or never explained
- Stitches that smell, came apart or became infected
- Bowel urgency, leaking or accidents, and not being able to control wind
- Pain sitting, months later
- Painful sex after a tear
- Levator avulsion (the pelvic floor muscle torn from the bone)
- Prolapse
- Fistula
- Bladder leaking and not being able to wee after the birth
- An episiotomy that went wrong, or one you didn't consent to
- Symptoms dismissed as "normal after a baby"
A tear that wasn't examined or graded properly, a rushed repair in the birth room, no antibiotics or follow-up, forceps used without proper consent.
Pelvis and tailbone
Injuries in this area- Separation of the pubic bones (symphysis)
- Tailbone (coccyx) injury, and pain sitting months later
- Ongoing pain "down there"
Positioning during birth, an instrumental or difficult delivery.
Legs and nerves
Injuries in this area- Nerve injury causing weakness or foot drop
- Numbness in the thigh
A long time with legs in stirrups, prolonged pushing in one position.
Your baby may have been injured too.
Select a number, or tap an area of the body
Scalp and skull
Injuries in this area- Caput succedaneum (soft swelling of the scalp)
- Cephalohaematoma (a bleed under the lining of the skull)
- Subgaleal haemorrhage after a vacuum birth, which can be life-threatening
- Skull fractures from forceps or difficult extraction
- Cuts from instruments or scalp electrodes
Vacuum or forceps used incorrectly, too many pulls or "pop-offs", a long second stage of labour.
Brain
Injuries in this area- Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury from lack of oxygen
- Cerebral palsy and other lasting effects of HIE
- Bleeding in or around the brain
- Neonatal stroke
- Brain injury from untreated low blood sugar
- Kernicterus from untreated jaundice
- Meningitis, including Group B Strep
A CTG (heart rate trace) that wasn't acted on, a delayed caesarean, cord prolapse, placental abruption, overuse of Syntocinon, low blood sugar or jaundice missed after birth.
Face and eyes
Injuries in this area- Facial nerve palsy (one side of the face doesn't move)
- Forceps bruising and marks
- Bleeding in the eyes
- Eye injury from instruments
- Cuts to the face during a caesarean
Forceps placed incorrectly, a difficult extraction, scalpel injury at caesarean.
Neck and nerves
Injuries in this area- Brachial plexus injury, including Erb's palsy (an arm that hangs limp or won't lift)
- Klumpke's palsy (a weak hand or clawed fingers)
- Phrenic nerve palsy (a paralysed diaphragm and breathing trouble)
- Horner's syndrome (a drooping eyelid and small pupil on one side)
- Neck muscle injury and torticollis (a head that always turns one way)
Shoulder dystocia handled badly, too much pulling on the head, a large baby that wasn't anticipated.
Spinal cord
Injuries in this area- Spinal cord injury in the neck or upper back (rare, but catastrophic)
Rotational forceps, a difficult breech birth, the head being over-stretched during delivery.
Shoulder and arm
Injuries in this area- Broken collarbone, the most common birth fracture
- Broken upper arm
- Shoulder dislocation
Shoulder dystocia, breech delivery, a rough extraction.
Chest and lungs
Injuries in this area- Meconium aspiration (breathing in the first poo)
- A collapsed lung
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension
- Injury from delayed or poor resuscitation
A baby who is overdue and not monitored closely, delayed resuscitation.
Abdomen
Injuries in this area- Bleeding from or rupture of the liver
- Spleen injury
- Adrenal haemorrhage
Breech delivery, a traumatic extraction, rough resuscitation.
Hips and legs
Injuries in this area- Broken thigh bone
- Hip dislocation
Breech extraction, a difficult caesarean delivery.
Whole body
Injuries in this area- Group B Strep and other infections (sepsis)
- Low blood sugar
- Severe jaundice
- Stillbirth or the death of a newborn
- Cuts, bruising and fat necrosis of the skin
Reduced movements that weren't investigated, antibiotics for Group B Strep not given, warning signs after birth not escalated.
Birth injuries often affect mothers too.
The birth injury map is general information to help you understand what may have happened. It isn't medical advice, and many birth injuries happen even with good care.
Does an injury mean something went wrong?
Not always. Some injuries happen even when everyone does everything right. What matters legally is whether the care you or your baby received fell below what a reasonable midwife, doctor or hospital should have provided, and whether that made a difference to the outcome.
When I look at a birth, the questions are usually simple ones:
Were the warning signs noticed?
Were they acted on in time?
Were you told about the risks, and given a real choice?
Was the injury recognised and treated properly afterwards?
Often it isn't the injury itself, but what happened next, that causes the lasting harm.
Where to start
See all birth trauma and obstetric negligence articles →
Wondering about your own birth?
If something on this map sounds like what happened to you or your baby, you don't have to work it out alone. We'll go through what happened, put together a timeline, and where it helps, speak with medical experts about whether the care fell short.
