Shoulder dystocia is a serious obstetrical complication that usually results in lifelong injuries. It occurs during delivery when the baby's shoulders become stuck behind the mother's pubic bone. The baby is unable to move forward without immediate assistance from doctors and nurses. Without help, he baby can suffer brain damage or even death.
Shoulder Dystocia Risk Factors
There are multiple factors that raise the risk for shoulder dystocia, including:
- Diabetes in mother
- Obesity in mother
- Baby is more than 41 weeks old at delivery
- Mother has small pelvis
- Shortness in mother
- Baby has higher than normal birth weight
- Mother has previously delivered large baby or experienced shoulder dystocia during previous deliveries
Not all of these risk factors will result in a situation of shoulder dystocia, and this complication may also occur in deliveries without any of the risk factors. However, obstetricians are specifically trained to look for these potential red flags, so they can anticipate and be prepared when it does occur. When shoulder dystocia happens without any of the warning signs, the doctor must be ready to immediately react to help safely deliver the baby.
Preventing Brachial Plexus and Shoulder Injuries
Experienced obstetricians will call upon other medical staff to assist, including a second obstetrician, additional nurses, a pediatrician, and an anesthesiologist. There are very specific procedures that doctors should follow in these cases, including emergency caesarean sections - and both time and skill are of the essence.
While birth injuries may happen despite the best medical care, many shoulder dystocia can be anticipated and prevented. If the obstetrician does not pay attention to the known risk factors, or fails to take appropriate action once shoulder dystocia has manifested, the doctor may have committed malpractice.
If your baby has a shoulder injury sustained at birth, please contact the Chicago-area attorneys at Baizer Kolar & Lewis P.C. to evaluate your case right away. Baizer Kolar & Lewis P.C.’s experienced attorneys are skilled at evaluating, litigating and winning complex and tragic birth injury cases.
Contact Illinois' Baizer Kolar & Lewis P.C. for free consultation to discuss your case.
