One-Quarter of Vaginal Births Cause Tiny Brain Hemorrhages

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The infants' brains were imaged using the latest MRI technology, which provides very high resolution scans, according to another study author, Dr. Keith Smith, a professor of neuroradiology.

"We need to recognize that this happens commonly after birth and isn't indicating any abnormalities. It's not a cause for alarm. The fact that we're seeing so much higher an incidence is a reflection of the fact that this was done with very high resolution imaging," Smith said.

Still, the researchers were surprised to find that so many babies had evidence of minor bleeding in the brain.

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"This finding was pretty unexpected," said Dr. John Gilmore, a study co-author, and a professor of psychiatry.

Gilmore said the researchers went back to see if the type of delivery -- whether forceps or vacuum extraction were used -- or the length of labor increased the risk of hemorrhage.

"There was no association with any of these we thought might be risk factors," said Gilmore. "It seems like it's just the process of being born."

He added that a newborn's skull isn't yet fully formed, so it can compress during delivery. That compression may cause small tears in the baby's blood vessels.

But, Gilmore said there was no evidence that the small bleeds cause any problems. To be sure, he said, they'll follow the babies' progress over the next few years.

Dr. William Blessed is director of maternal-fetal medicine at Providence Hospital and Medical Center, in Southfield, Mich. He called the new research "a very good study, but with small numbers."

"I think this has probably been going on all along. I don't think the prevalence is increasing," Blessed said, adding that the information from this study may help doctors with liability issues. "In the past, people always thought if there was a hemorrhage, the doctor must have done something wrong. Now, you see you can have intracranial hemorrhage without [cause]; it can occur in a normal birth."

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