SHOULDER DYSTOCIA

If complications occurred during your labor and delivery and you were told shoulder dystocia was to blame, you need to learn more about this in order to pursue a lawsuit against the responsible parties.

What is Shoulder Dystocia?

Shoulder dystocia is a somewhat common complication that can lead to a birth injury that causes life-long disability to the newborn involved. It happens when the head of the baby and shoulder of the baby get stuck behind the mother's pubic bone. When this happens, the rest of the baby's body cannot follow the head out of the vagina as it would in a complication-free delivery.

Preventing Shoulder Dystocia

Preventing this sort of injury is, in fact, possible. For instance, the mother may have an anatomical cause for shoulder dystocia, or a doctor may suspect her birth canal is too small to deliver an abnormally large baby. The only methods a doctor can use to prevent shoulder dystocia would be elective cesarean, induction of labor, or attempting to control excessive fetal weight gain through maternal diet.

The Nature of Shoulder Dystocia Injuries

When shoulder dystocia occurs, both mother and infant are at risk of injury. Some are temporary and others permanent. For instance, if the baby’s brachial plexus nerves are injured because they are stuck of injured when the doctor attempts to free them they may develop a condition called brachial plexus palsy. This condition causes paralysis in the affected limb and can be either temporary or permanent. The mother may suffer excessive blood loss and lacerations to the vagina among other complications.

Consult a Shoulder Dystocia Attorney

If you suspect that medical negligence contributed to your child's birth injury, we encourage you to take a moment to get in touch with an experienced shoulder dystocia lawyer. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your child's injuries. A shoulder dystocia attorney can review your case to determine its validity.