Birth injuries.

1. Big picture

Birth injuries are structural or functional injuries occurring during labor, delivery, or immediate neonatal resuscitation. Most are minor and resolve spontaneously, but some are life-threatening or cause long-term disability.

The examiner wants you to recognize:

After a difficult delivery, always examine the newborn from head to toe: scalp swelling, skull injury, fractures, nerve palsy, respiratory distress, abdominal distension, pallor, shock, and neurological signs.

The most important exam distinction is:

Caput succedaneum vs cephalohematoma vs subgaleal hemorrhage

because subgaleal hemorrhage can cause massive blood loss and shock.