Cuts to the baby during a C-section
The short answer
During a cesarean birth, the surgeon cuts through the wall of the uterus to reach the baby. Sometimes the scalpel also cuts the baby. 1
Most of these cuts are small, superficial and heal well, often with nothing more than skin glue or a stitch. They are most common on the head, face, ear, buttock or leg, depending on how the baby is lying, and they are more likely in an emergency, when the membranes have already ruptured, and where the baby is very close to the uterine wall. 1
The numbers, up front
- Where they usually are
- On whichever part of the baby is closest to the uterine incision, which is most often the head or face in a head-down baby and the buttock or leg in a breech baby 2
- When risk is higher
- Emergency cesarean, ruptured membranes with little fluid remaining, and a thin lower uterine segment after a long labor 1
- How serious
- The great majority are superficial cuts of the skin that heal with simple closure 3
- What matters afterward
- Proper closure to limit scarring, and watching for infection 3
- Cesarean rate in the United States
- About 32 percent of births in the United States are by cesarean, according to national vital statistics 4
- Why cesareans happen quickly
- In an emergency, many hospitals work to a decision-to-incision target of 30 minutes for the most urgent cases, and speed increases the chance of an incidental cut 1
How does this happen?
To reach the baby, the surgeon cuts through the skin, the tissue beneath, and then the wall of the uterus. The last of those cuts is the one where the baby can be reached.
Several things narrow the margin.
Fluid. Amniotic fluid cushions the baby away from the uterine wall. Once the membranes have ruptured, and especially after a long period with little fluid, the baby lies directly against it. 1
A thin uterine segment. After a long labor, the lower part of the uterus stretches and thins. A thin wall gives less warning that the scalpel has gone through.
Speed. In an emergency cesarean the priority is getting the baby out fast, because the reason for the emergency is usually that the baby needs to be born. 1
Position. Whichever part of the baby is against the incision is what gets cut, which is why head and face cuts are common in head-down babies and buttock or leg cuts in breech babies. 2
Surgeons use techniques to reduce the risk, including cutting the last layer bluntly or with fingers rather than the blade. These reduce the risk; they do not eliminate it.
What causes it?
Two different questions get mixed together here. The first is what leads to this injury in the body. The second is whether anyone could have prevented it. They are not the same question, and the answer to the first does not settle the second.
Happens even with perfect care
- An emergency cesarean where speed was necessary for the baby. 1
- Ruptured membranes with little remaining fluid, so the baby lay against the uterine wall.
- A thin lower uterine segment after a long labor.
- An unusual fetal position. 2
- Previous surgery and scarring making the tissue planes harder to identify.
- A cut that occurred despite good technique, which is the usual situation.
Associated with gaps in care
These are situations where published standards say what the care team should watch for and do. A gap here does not prove anyone caused your child's injury. It points to where the medical records will have an answer.
- The cut not identified before the baby left the operating room, so it was not properly cleaned and closed.
- Not repaired appropriately, where a deeper or longer cut needed proper closure rather than a dressing.
- Not documented, so the family had no explanation and no record.
- Not assessed for depth, particularly on the face where a deeper cut can involve structures beneath the skin.
- Infection not recognized in the days afterward.
- Where the cut involved the eye, the ear or a nerve, specialist review not obtained.
Whether any of this amounts to a departure from the standard of care takes a physician expert reading the whole record. A laceration at cesarean is a recognized occurrence that happens in careful hands.
What are the signs, by age?
Signs change as a child grows. A newborn cannot show you a walking problem. Some children look fine at first and show differences months later.
At birth and the first hours
- A cut, usually on the head, face, ear, buttock or leg.
- Bleeding from the cut.
- The cut may be very fine and easily missed at first.
The first week
- Healing, usually well.
- Redness, swelling, warmth or discharge, which suggest infection and need review.
- Any cut near the eye or ear should be checked by a specialist.
Around 3 months
- A healing scar that is initially red or pink.
- Most scars soften and fade over months.
Around 6 months
- A fading scar.
- Where the cut was on the scalp, hair may not grow in the scar line.
Around 12 months
- A mature scar, usually pale and flat.
Toddler years
- A visible scar in some children, particularly on the face.
- Scar revision is occasionally considered later.
School age
- Where a facial scar is visible, the social side matters and is worth taking seriously rather than minimizing.
None of this is a diagnosis. Children develop at different speeds and one late skill on its own usually means nothing. Bring what you see to your pediatrician, and ask for a referral to early intervention if you are worried. You do not need a diagnosis to be referred.
How is it diagnosed?
The cut is identified by examining the baby after birth, and it should be documented in the operative note and the newborn record. 5
Assessment of depth, which determines whether closure is needed and whether anything beneath the skin is involved.
Specialist review where the cut is near the eye, the ear, or the path of the facial nerve. 6
Watching for infection over the following days.
Ask for the operative note. It should record the type of cesarean, whether it was an emergency, the state of the membranes, and any laceration and its repair. 1
What is the treatment?
Cleaning and closure. Small superficial cuts may need only skin adhesive or thin adhesive strips. Deeper or longer cuts are closed with fine sutures. 3
Wound care and watching for infection.
Specialist repair for cuts involving the eyelid, the ear, or deeper structures.
Scar care later, which may include massage and sun protection.
Scar revision is occasionally considered in later childhood for a visible facial scar. That is a discussion for a plastic surgeon and not an early decision.
What is the long-term outlook?
Very good. Most cesarean lacerations heal completely and leave a fine scar that fades over months. 3
Facial scars are more visible and can matter to a child later, which is worth acknowledging rather than dismissing.
Deeper injuries involving structures beneath the skin are uncommon and are managed on their own terms.
What does daily life look like?
Wound care for a week or two, then nothing.
For families, the experience of being told their newborn was cut during surgery is often upsetting out of proportion to the injury. Both the fact that it is a recognized occurrence and the fact that it upset you can be true at the same time.
Take a photo of the wound as it heals, dated. It is useful for follow-up and for your own records.
What does care cost over a lifetime?
Minimal for the great majority: wound closure and follow-up.
No agency publishes a cost estimate for this and this site does not invent one.
Scar revision in later childhood, where undertaken, has a cost that varies by procedure and coverage.
What can you do this week?
- Ask for the cut to be documented, including its location, length and how it was repaired.
- Ask whether it needed closure and what kind.
- Ask what infection looks like and when to call.
- If the cut is near the eye or ear, ask for specialist review.
- Photograph the wound, dated, and again as it heals.
- Ask for the operative note, including whether the cesarean was an emergency and the state of the membranes.
- Ask about scar care and when it should start.
What should you ask each specialist?
Take these with you. Write the answers down in the moment, because you will not remember them later.
For the pediatrician or surgeon
- How deep is the cut, and is anything beneath the skin involved?
- How was it closed, and does it need review?
- What are the signs of infection?
- Will there be a lasting scar, and what can we do about it?
For the obstetric team
- Was this an emergency cesarean, and what was the indication?
- Had my membranes ruptured, and how much fluid was there?
- Is the laceration recorded in the operative note?
- What was the decision-to-incision time?
You can also build a printable list with the question generator.
Codes you may see on paperwork
These are ICD-10-CM codes. They are how hospitals and insurers label a diagnosis. Seeing one on a bill or a chart tells you what was recorded, not how severe it is. 7
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| P15.8 | Other specified birth injuries |
| P15.9 | Birth injury, unspecified |
| S01.81XA | Laceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter |
Questions parents ask
How does a baby get cut during a C-section?
The surgeon has to cut through the wall of the uterus to reach the baby. If the baby is lying directly against that wall, which is more likely once the membranes have ruptured and the fluid has drained, the blade can reach the baby as it goes through. 1
Does this mean the surgeon was careless?
Not on its own. Laceration is a recognized occurrence at cesarean, and it is more likely in an emergency, with ruptured membranes and with a thin uterine wall after a long labor. 1 What the record should show is that it was identified, properly repaired and documented.
Will it leave a scar?
Usually a fine one that fades over months. Scalp cuts may leave a line where hair does not grow. Facial scars are more visible, and scar revision is sometimes considered in later childhood. 3
Nobody mentioned it and I found it myself. Is that normal?
It should have been identified, treated and documented. If it was not mentioned to you, ask now for it to be examined, recorded in the notes, and treated if needed. You are also entitled to the operative note. See how to get your medical records. 8
Words on this page, in plain English
- breech
- The baby is positioned bottom or feet first instead of head first.
- standard of care
- What a reasonably careful provider would have done in the same situation. It is proven with expert testimony, not with a guideline alone.
- facial nerve palsy
- Weakness on one side of the face from pressure on or injury to the facial nerve.
Where these facts come from
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Obstetric Care Consensus 1, Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery. 2014. www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/obstetric-care-conse. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Committee Opinion 745, Mode of Term Singleton Breech Delivery. 2018. www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. 2025. medlineplus.gov/encyclopedia.html. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. Births: Final Data for 2023, National Vital Statistics Reports. 2025. www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics. Hospital Discharge of the High-Risk Neonate. 2008. publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/122/5/1119. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- Elsevier. Volpe's Neurology of the Newborn, Sixth Edition. 2018. www.elsevier.com/books/volpes-neurology-of-the-newborn/volpe. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ICD-10-CM Files. 2025. www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/icd-10-codes. Link checked September 3, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Individuals Right under HIPAA to Access their Health Information, 45 CFR 164.524. 2024. www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/access/. Link checked September 3, 2026.