What is Fetal Brain Palsy?

The baby rarely cries or fusses. Feeding is uneventful. There’s constant vomiting. The eyes are dull. They don’t follow objects. They mostly lie still without moving around. There’s a sense something’s not right. A hospital check-up revealed the baby has brain palsy and requires treatment. Fetal brain palsy refers to brain tissue damage in newborns caused by various reasons (such as infection, hemorrhage, trauma, etc.). It is a disease characterized by non-progressive, central motor dysfunction that progresses to paralysis. Severe cases may be accompanied by intellectual disability, epilepsy, limb spasms, and impairments in visual, auditory, and language functions. The most common cause at birth is preterm labor. If the baby weighs less than 2268g at birth, the chance of developing brain palsy is higher. Others are usually due to improper use of forceps, difficult labor, or prolonged labor, leading to delivery trauma or hypoxia. For example, if the baby’s neck is pulled during delivery, it may result in hemiplegia or quadriplegia. Regional trauma can also cause spasmodic hemiplegia, such as when the baby’s head hits the sacral promontory during difficult labor, or when the baby experiences hemiplegia during maternal eclampsia.
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