Birth Injuries: Understanding Bone Fractures During Delivery

Question
Can a baby sustain broken bones during delivery?  I'm looking at broken legs, knees and skull fractures.

Thanks

Answer
Broken legs and knees (or other broken limbs) during birth only happen in cases of osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone syndrome.  In this rare genetic condition, the bones do not form with enough rigidity, and breaks during delivery are often the first symptom seen.  Sometimes breaks occur even before birth in these children.

Skull fractures are virtually unheard of.  The skull of the newborn is actually made of several pieces, with joints.  This allows the skull to mold and flex during delivery to accommodate its passage through the mother's pelvis (which also has joints that flex and spread during delivery).  Skull fractures during birth are usually the result of mechanical assistance during the delivery.

The most common bone fracture during childbirth is actually the clavicle, or collarbone, particularly with large babies and in cases of shoulder dystocia (where the head is born but the shoulders get stuck).  Nerve damage sometimes results.