What Is Shoulder Dystocia?
Shoulder dystocia is when one of the baby’s shoulders gets stuck behind mom’s pubic bone. When that happens, the baby can’t progress through the birth canal. Shoulder dystocia is a true emergency and must be dealt with quickly.
Risk Factors
If the mother had gestational diabetes, she is at an increased risk of delivering a large baby. Large babies, whether due to gestational diabetes or other causes, are more likely to encounter shoulder dystocia.
Proper Technique Is Critical
Cerebral Palsy is caused by the lack of oxygen to the brain. This occurs when nurses fail to recognize on the fetal monitoring strip that the baby was not responding well to the mother’s contractions.
What Not to Do
What a doctor is NOT supposed to do is pull down on the baby’s head to try and get the shoulder to come free. If a doctor does this, it can severely and permanently damage the nerves in the baby’s neck. This is known as Erb’s palsy or Brachial plexus palsy. These types of nerve injuries can essentially render your child’s limb useless for the rest of their life.
What to Do If You Suspect an Injury
If your child suffers from an injury to the nerves in their neck from delivery, please give us a call and we can help figure out if it was caused by the doctor using improper technique.
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