Many Arizona medical malpractice attorneys have long known that the risk of birth injuries increases with nighttime deliveries. A new survey by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology confirms that the risk of brain injuries, including cerebral palsy increases when babies are delivered at night.

Earlier studies have confirmed that nighttime deliveries have a greater association with poor health outcomes for the baby and the mother, including infant mortality and birth injuries. There is no solid base of research that confirms the reasons for the increased rate of injuries that occur during nighttime deliveries. However, it is possible that at least some of these birth injuries occur because of staff shortages at night. Understaffed labor rooms and hospitals are much more likely to contribute to medical errors that end with a birth injury. Besides, doctors and nurses on night shifts may be fatigued.

Researchers studied nearly 2,000,000 babies born in California over a 14-year period. All of these were full term babies. The researchers were specifically looking for whether the day, hour and month of delivery impact the risk of medical complications. Out of the children in the study, the researchers found that more than 2,000 babies had brain injuries. That works out to approximately 1.1 brain injuries for every 1,000 babies. Further, babies born between 10 PM and 4 PM had a 22% higher risk of suffering a brain injury, than babies were born during the daytime.

According to the researchers, the risk is mitigated somewhat if the baby's body temperature is cooled. There is evidence to indicate that such cooling can help protect the brain. However, the researchers are cautioning against the assumption that nighttime delivery causes neonatal encephalopathy.