What can be most surprising when you get pregnant is how many things can go wrong.
Women have been giving birth for thousands of years, but rarely do we talk about the complications that childbearing has. One such complication is shoulder dystocia. This is when the baby’s head has passed through the vagina, but the shoulders have become stuck inside of the women, usually against the pelvic bones and cannot continue through the birth canal. This can become a severe problem for the mother and the baby. For the child, it could lead to some nerve damage in the arm, shoulder or hand that would show itself with shakiness in the arm or even paralysis. But this usually goes away in the first 6 to 12 months. There could also be a lack of oxygen getting to the baby that could lead to more severe brain damage. For the mother, there could be some severe bleeding that takes place after the birth and injury to the cervix, uterus, vagina or rectum.
There are a few cases in which medical professionals can predict that shoulder dystocia may be an issue with your pregnancy. These factors are:
The Mother has diabetes
Has had previous pregnancies with shoulder dystocia
Has a very small pelvis
The baby is over term or is very large
Has had previous pregnancies with a large baby
The mother is obese
The labor was induced
The mother receives an epidural at the beginning stages of the labor
The Doctor uses medical tools like forceps to help deliver the baby.
If your child or a child you care for has experienced shoulder dystocia during their birth and suffered from any additional complications, there may be ways that we can help. Traumatic births are not a good experience for anyone, especially when they could be avoided. Please contact us today to see if we can help you today.