Conditions
The short answer
Every condition page here follows the same order. What it is in two sentences. How common it is. How it happens. Causes, split into what happens even with perfect care and what is associated with gaps in care. Signs by age. Diagnosis. Treatment. Outlook. Daily life. Cost. What to do this week.
If you know the name of the diagnosis, find it below. If you do not, start with the first 30 days.
The numbers, up front
Brain and nervous system
Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
White matter injury next to the ventricles, most common after preterm birth. The usual route to spastic diplegia.
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), grades I to IV
Bleeding into the brain ventricles in premature babies. A section per grade, I through IV, with what each means.
Newborn low blood sugar and brain injury
Low blood sugar in a newborn. Preventable brain injury with clear screening guidance for at-risk babies.
Hydrocephalus after birth injury
Fluid build-up in the brain, often after IVH. Shunt care and blockage warning signs are the practical core.
Cortical visual impairment (CVI)
Vision loss from the brain rather than the eye. A normal eye exam does not rule it out.
Hearing loss after a birth injury
Hearing loss following birth events. Covers newborn screening, the 1-3-6 timeline and auditory neuropathy.
Microcephaly after birth injury
A head much smaller than expected. The distinction between present at birth and acquired later is the key one.
Epilepsy after a birth injury
Recurring seizures that follow a brain injury. Includes infantile spasms, which are urgent and easy to miss.
Dyskinetic cerebral palsy
Movements the child does not intend. Linked to injury of the basal ganglia and to untreated severe jaundice.
Ataxic cerebral palsy
The least common type. Shaky, unsteady movement from the cerebellum. Genetic causes are common enough that testing is usually indicated.
Mixed cerebral palsy
More than one movement pattern in the same child, most often spastic plus dyskinetic. Treatment involves trade-offs between them.
Cerebral palsy: what it is and what to expect
The hub page. Definition, four types, GMFCS levels, diagnosis timing, evidence-based therapy, outlook and cost.
Spastic cerebral palsy
The most common type of cerebral palsy. Covers diplegia, hemiplegia and quadriplegia, spasticity treatment and hip surveillance.
Developmental delay after a birth injury
Reaching skills later than most children. The referral route and corrected age are the two practical essentials.
Hypotonia, or low muscle tone
Low muscle tone. A finding, not a diagnosis. The central versus peripheral distinction drives the whole workup.
GMFCS levels I to V, explained
The five-level scale that describes how a child with cerebral palsy moves. What each level means and what it predicts.
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborns
Brain injury from low oxygen and low blood flow near birth. Covers Sarnat staging, therapeutic hypothermia, MRI timing and outcomes by stage.
Intracranial hemorrhage in newborns: subdural, subarachnoid, epidural and subgaleal
Four kinds of newborn bleeding compared. Subgaleal is the emergency; the others are usually less serious.
Perinatal stroke
A blocked or bleeding brain vessel around birth. Usually shows as seizures in the first days or as early hand preference months later.
Neonatal seizures
Seizures in the first 28 days. Most are electrical only and invisible, which is why EEG is essential.
Kernicterus and untreated newborn jaundice
Permanent brain injury from very high bilirubin. One of the few outcomes with a clear hour-by-hour prevention standard.
Nerves, bones and soft tissue
Clavicle fracture in newborns
The most common birth-related fracture. Usually heals on its own in weeks. Always check the arm nerves too.
Skull fracture in newborns
Usually a simple crack that heals alone. The concern is what is underneath, not the bone.
Erb's palsy
Upper brachial plexus injury affecting shoulder and elbow. The most common and most recoverable type.
Klumpke's palsy
Lower brachial plexus injury affecting the hand and forearm. Less common and generally more serious than Erb's.
Total brachial plexus palsy
All five nerve roots injured. The whole arm is affected and early specialist referral matters most here.
Brachial plexus birth injury
Injury to the nerves running from neck to arm. The hub page: types, recovery, and the surgical decision window.
Facial nerve palsy in newborns
One side of the face does not move. Most recover fully in weeks. Protecting the eye is the urgent part.
Spinal cord injury at birth
Rare, serious, and often mistaken for other causes of floppiness. MRI is the test, not X-ray.
Torticollis in babies
A tight neck muscle tilting the head. Highly treatable with early stretching. Watch head shape and hips.
Hip problems in babies after birth
A hip that is not properly located or formed. Breech is the biggest risk factor. Early treatment is far easier.
Cephalohematoma in newborns
Blood between skull bone and its covering. Bounded by the sutures, resolves over weeks, watch bilirubin.
Caput succedaneum
Soft scalp swelling from pressure during birth. Present at birth, crosses the sutures, gone in days.
Breathing
Meconium aspiration syndrome
Breathing trouble from inhaled meconium. Stained fluid is common; the syndrome is much less so.
Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)
Lung blood vessels stay tight after birth so blood bypasses the lungs. Oxygen alone does not fix it.
Respiratory distress syndrome in newborns
Breathing trouble from missing surfactant in babies born early. Antenatal steroids are the key prevention.
Infection
Neonatal sepsis and Group B strep
Newborn infection, often from Group B strep. Screening and antibiotics in labor are the prevention standard.
Neonatal meningitis
Infection of the fluid around the brain. A lumbar puncture is essential; blood cultures alone can miss it.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
Serious bowel inflammation, mostly in very premature babies. Breast milk is protective; early signs are subtle.
Instrument and procedure injuries
Vacuum extraction injuries
Injuries after vacuum-assisted birth. Subgaleal bleeding is the time-critical one; the first hours matter.
Forceps delivery injuries
Injuries after forceps birth. Facial marks are common and fade; facial nerve and skull injuries are the concerns.
Cuts to the baby during a C-section
Scalpel cuts to the baby during cesarean birth. Usually minor and superficial; risk rises in emergencies.
Anesthesia complications in childbirth
Epidural, spinal and general anesthesia risks for mother and baby. Most problems are common and self-limiting.
Injuries to the mother
Postpartum hemorrhage
Heavy bleeding after birth. Covers the four causes, the standard response, and recovery.
Preeclampsia and eclampsia
High blood pressure in pregnancy affecting other organs. The postpartum weeks still carry risk.
Uterine rupture
A tear through the uterine wall. Rare, an emergency for both, and it changes future pregnancy planning.
Placental abruption
The placenta pulls away before birth. Bleeding can be concealed, and it is an emergency for both.
Infection in pregnancy and after birth
Infection in pregnancy and after birth. Postpartum sepsis is frequently missed once you are home.
Obstetric tears and pelvic floor injury
Tears during birth by degree, plus pelvic floor injury. Continence problems are common and treatable.
Telling one thing from another
Birth injury vs birth defect: the difference and why it matters
The difference between something that happened to a baby and something in how a baby formed, and why it changes everything.
Where these facts come from
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. 2025. medlineplus.gov/encyclopedia.html. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Academy of Pediatrics. Neonatal Encephalopathy and Neurologic Outcome, Second Edition. 2014. www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/task-force-report/ar. Link checked September 3, 2026.