Childbirth Problems

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Childbirth Problems

Summary

While childbirth usually goes well, complications can happen. They can cause a risk to the mother, baby, or both. Possible complications include

Preterm (premature) labor, when labor starts before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy
Problems with the umbilical cord
Problems with the position of the baby, such as breech, in which the baby is going to come out feet first
Birth injuries

For some of these problems, the baby may need to be delivered surgically by a Cesarean section.

Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring during Labor (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish

Cervical Cerclage (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Episiotomy: When It's Needed, When It's Not (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Forceps Delivery (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
What Treatments Can Reduce the Chances of Preterm Labor and Birth? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Abnormal Position and Presentation of the Fetus (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
Amniotic Fluid Embolism (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Birth Injury in Newborns (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
Breech Babies: What Can I Do If My Baby Is Breech? (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Meconium Aspiration (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Pregnancy Complications: Shoulder Dystocia (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
Pregnancy Complications: Umbilical Cord Abnormalities (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
Sheehan's Syndrome (Postpartum Hypopituitarism) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
When Pregnancy Goes Past Your Due Date (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Also in Spanish
womenshealth.gov (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish