I found this article on Google news... it's a little disturbing in my opinion, even though they say the bleeding is limited and apparently has no effect.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 30 -- Intracranial bleeding in newborns has been found common after a vaginal birth, although the bleeding is limited and apparently has no effect, according to researchers here.

In a study using magnetic resonance imaging, about one infant in four delivered vaginally had at least one form of intracranial hemorrhage, found John Gilmore, M.D., of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and colleagues.....

Click Here To Read Entire Article (http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/tb/4961)

It's something that has always occured, they're just now figuring it out and releasing the information. They've said it's not harmful, so you probably shouldn't worry too much about it.

I agree; this is something that has always happened to a certain degree. However, there is some cause for concern.

Babies today are being born larger than they were fifty years ago. Larger than even 30 years ago when I was born! My daughter was a pound heavier than my sister, and 8oz heavier than me. 1lb heavier is the average I read, but with the blossoming obesity epidemic in this country, even more is common.

As babies get bigger at birth they experience more trauma during a normal delivery. It is here that the cause for concern lies.

I would not worry about that .Like the other poster said it has always been that way. This evidently is a normal thing.Giving birth vaginally is a normal occurance.There are enough things to worry about the news is always coming up with more to make people worry. :eek:

I agree its not cause for widespread panic, but it is something to keep in mind. Birth weights do indeed seem to keep going up. When I was born 5-7lbs was average these days it seems to be 9-11lbs. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but if the baby has intercranial bleeding what your vagina look like after that?

Can you say ouch PurpleFDU? The averages now are not actually that high yet-7lb 8oz is currently considered 50th percentile at birth, where as fifty years ago it was a pound less. The problem is only in part a problem; some of the increase is because of better prenatal care and nutrition.

Unfortunately maternal obesity is also to blame for this and that is where we need to be careful. Whilst some bleeding for an 8lber isn't too much of a concern, an 11lber would be different.

It does happen. Actually, a friend of mine had a similar experience after child birth some years ago. But this rarely happen. I'd say 1 in every 50 woman.

Doesn't that simply mean that a blood vessel broke. Like when you bruise your skin and it turns a cute shade of yellow? It has nothing to do with the brain, just the blood vessels. I think that could be expected, given the pressure and compression to the skull during birth.
My concern about this article is that mothers to be will start choosing c-sections over vaginal births. C-sections pose a far greater risk to the mother than vaginal births to baby but if she reads that her baby may have intercranial bleeding, it sounds far worse than it is, she may choose a section without researching the pros and cons with that too.

Yes, that's all it means. It means that we are finally learning thanks to science, that a particular process has been happening to humans for as long as there have been humans. But it is nothing big and scary, just something that we all go through and survive. I am sure though that it will have influenced at least a few women to elect to have a c-section.