Newborn with Broken/Fractured arm.

[linzi36]

Does any body know of cases of a child being born with a broken arm ?? I would really like to talk to any parents who have either encountered this or who are in the medical profession that have come across this. Any help greatly appreciated.

Babies arms don't break in the same way as adults' - it takes more than 15 times the force to break them because they're soft. In fact they're not referred to as breaks, they're called 'greenstick' fractures. Why are you asking?

I suppose it is possible that a really traumatic birth might result in a broken arm and there are rare conditions where bones break more easily - but the immediate assumption will be that a broken bone in a new born was deliberately inflicted by an adult, using quite considerable force.

If there was a shoulder dystocia at delivery it's entirely possible they'd have a fractured clavicle or possible arm. Better that than a dead baby.

my a friends dc had a broken collar bone when born.
it was a case of shoulder dystokia and the midwife braking it to get baby out.

ZuleikaD just to say a greenstick fracture is where the bone bends and fractures, its common in children and babies.
The medical term for a broken bone is a fracture, thats whether its slightly 'cracked' or completely snapped, they are all just different types of fractures. A lot of people seem to think a break is a broken bone and a fracture is just cracked.
Regarding a newborn with a broken bone, it would be very unusual under normal circumstances. Other than birth trauma and abuse the one thing that would spring to my mind is Osteogenesis imperfecta ie 'brittle bone disease'.

If it was a traumatic birth that caused the break, there should be clear evidence of that in hospital notes. I would be surprised if they missed the broken arm however.

I've known for it not to be picked up until a few days later.

I've seen a baby in SCUBU who was born with a broken arm caused by birth trauma. Forceps delivery as the baby wouldn't come out - turns out the arm was in a difficult position. Poor mite but he seemed happy enough at one day old (with a cast).

why are you asking?

I googled "newborn with broken arm" because I found my deceased dad's baby book that said he had "broken arm at birth" in 1925. I was curious if this could be due to difficult delivery or abuse. Base on previous posts sounds like it could be either. For my dad, I like to believe difficult delivery but knowing my grandmother it could be abuse. I pray he was spared that time.

There was an episode of One Born Every Minute where the baby got stuck in the birth canal and there was a huge struggle to get the baby out and eventually, after it was clear the baby was about to die, the doctor had to break the arm to get the baby delivered. Is that shoulder dystocia? It mentioned that it was rare but it would heal and a short stay in the SCBU was all that was needed. I can't remember what else was mentioned but the episode should be on 4OD, it might help?

My DS1 was born with a fractured clavicle (collar bone) which was not picked up until a few hours later by the paediatrician doing routine checks (this was in the US) - not a traumatic birth per se, but a fast and furious active labour.

It really depends on the circumstances you're talking about, but broken bones in newborns are certainly not unheard of - when you think about the journey they have to take it's rather astounding they come out as unscathed as they typically do!

Can you give more details and then people might be able to help more?

There's a genetic condition called osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones disease) which would result in this even in a very gentle non-traumatic birth.