Shoulder Dystocia Leads to Long-Term Effects and Complications

Shoulder dystocia can be a terrifying experience. Suddenly, the tone in the birthing room shifts from excitement to worry. The doctors and nurses leap into action.  You don’t know what’s going on, but you pray everything will be okay. Most of the time, it is. Both the baby and the mother make a full recovery.

However, about 10 percent of shoulder dystocia cases result in the baby sustaining long-term side effects like Erb’s palsy, brachial plexus injuries, or cerebral palsy. These permanent injuries require a lifetime of treatment and management. They also change the child’s life forever.

Complications caused by shoulder dystocia are often linked to medical malpractice. If your baby sustained an injury as a result of shoulder dystocia, our compassionate birth injury lawyers at Shannon Law Group, P.C. can help. We’ve helped families get the compensation they deserve after a traumatic birth injury.

We offer free virtual and in-person consultations. Call us today at (312) 578-9501 to get started. You can also fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

Keep reading this article to learn more about the following topics:

• What is shoulder dystocia?
• Common risk factors and complications associated with it
• Shoulder dystocia long-term side effects
• How medical negligence causes shoulder dystocia complications

What is Shoulder Dystocia?

Shoulder dystocia is a birth injury that occurs in about 1 percent of all childbirths. It’s extremely dangerous for both the child and the mother if it’s not resolved quickly.

This medical emergency happens during a vaginal delivery when the baby’s shoulder gets caught above the mother’s pubic bone. In shoulder dystocia cases, the baby’s head will retract into the vagina after pushing (also known as a “turtle sign”).  Doctors and nurses must address this birth injury immediately—otherwise, it could result in long-term side effects for both the baby and the mother.

Are you at risk for shoulder dystocia?

Shoulder dystocia can happen to any pregnant woman. According to the March of Dimes, the following risk factors may increase your chance of experiencing it during labor, including:

• Having preexisting diabetes or gestational diabetes. Diabetes is a risk factor for having a large baby, which can increase the chances of shoulder dystocia.
• This medical condition occurs when your baby weighs more than 8 pounds and 13 ounces. Your OBGYN may recommend a cesarean birth if your baby is too large to be born vaginally.
• Having shoulder dystocia in a previous pregnancy.
• Being overweight or gaining too much weight during pregnancy.
• Inducing labor with a medication called oxytocin.
• Getting an epidural.
• Having a very short or very long second stage of labor (when the mother begins pushing and gives birth)
• Having an assisted vaginal birth. Also called operative vaginal birth, this procedure involves the doctor using tools like forceps or a vacuum to help guide the baby out of the birth canal. These tools are placed on the baby’s head. They can cause several types of birth injuries like shoulder dystocia if used improperly.

What complications are linked to shoulder dystocia?

Medical professionals must act quickly when shoulder dystocia is present. Sometimes, serious complications happen to the mother and child as a result.

Problems for the mother may include:

• Uterine rupture. This is a rare condition where the uterus ruptures. It requires an immediate C-section followed by surgery to repair the uterus.
• Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). This is unusually heavy bleeding after giving birth. In rare cases, a blood transfusion or a hysterectomy may be needed.
• Serious tearing of the perineum (the area between the vagina and the rectum). Surgery may be required to repair this injury.

Injuries to the baby may include:

• Fractures to the collarbone and arm. According to Stanford Children’s Health, the clavicle bone may break when there’s trouble delivering the baby’s shoulder. Healing often occurs quickly, and the child typically makes a full recovery within months.
• Damage to the brachial plexus nerves, which are nerves that start at the neck and travel down the arm. They’re responsible for movement and feeling in your shoulders, arms, and hands. If these nerves are damaged, the baby may experience weakness or paralysis in their shoulder or arm.
• Birth asphyxia. This condition happens when the baby doesn’t get enough oxygen before, during, or after birth. It’s dangerous for babies to go without oxygen—period. In severe cases, it can cause brain injuries or even death.

LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS OF SHOULDER DYSTOCIA

In most cases, shoulder dystocia injuries resolve within months. Your baby makes a full recovery. They regain full use of their injured arm, hand, and fingers. But sometimes, it doesn’t get better. In these situations, the child may suffer from one of the following serious injuries:

BRACHIAL PLEXUS INJURIES

As mentioned, the brachial plexus nerves control the movement and feeling in your shoulders, arms, and hands. Damaged or ruptured brachial plexus nerves may result in weakness or loss of motion in a baby’s arm.  When these nerves are ruptured or torn, your child may experience partial or total paralysis of their arm.

Most children with brachial plexus injuries are prescribed daily physical therapy. If there is no change in the first 3 to 6 months, your doctor may suggest surgery on the nerves. These procedures involve grafting or transferring donor nerves to the damaged ones. Despite treatment, many children with brachial plexus injuries will continue to have some weakness in their shoulder, hand, or arm.

ERB’S PALSY

Erb’s palsy is a type of brachial plexus injury. For every 1,000 live births, about 1 to 3 infants will be born with this condition. Children with Erb’s palsy may show weakness or paralysis in their shoulder, but they can move their fingers. The infant’s affected arm will hang limply from the shoulder. Most children recover from this birth injury within three to six months with daily physical therapy. However, in rare cases, symptoms will not improve. A child may have to undergo brachial plexus surgery to increase the odds of recovery.

BRAIN INJURY (CEREBRAL PALSY)

One complication of shoulder dystocia is birth asphyxia. That’s when the baby doesn’t get enough oxygen during birth. When the brain goes without oxygen for a long period of time, it can sustain permanent damage. This trauma can cause disabilities like cerebral palsy or other cognitive issues.

SHOULDER DYSTOCIA CAN BE CAUSED BY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Sometimes, medical professionals make mistakes that result in your baby sustaining a serious injury from shoulder dystocia. Your child’s injury may have been preventable if a doctor or nurse had made the right call. In these instances, you should consider filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the responsible parties.

For example, your doctor may have failed to recognize complications and to order an emergency cesarean section. They may have also misused forceps or a vacuum during an assisted vaginal birth. Other medical malpractice scenarios include failure to monitor fetal or maternal stress and failure to properly diagnose a condition that contributed to the injury.

Doctors and other medical caretakers purchase insurance to cover these types of cases, so don’t feel bad for considering a birth injury lawsuit. People make mistakes—but when those mistakes impact your child for the rest of their life, your family should be compensated fairly. Any compensation you recover will help pay for treatment and costs associated with taking care of your child, as well as noneconomic damages like pain and suffering.

IF YOUR CHILD EXPERIENCED SHOULDER DYSTOCIA DUE TO MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE, OUR BIRTH INJURY LAWYERS CAN HELP

Our dedicated birth injury attorneys are ready to help you and your family recover financially and emotionally after a shoulder dystocia injury. We do it because we want to make a difference in the lives of people like you. We never settle a case for less than what it’s worth, and we always update our clients as their case moves through the Illinois judicial system.

There’s no risk in scheduling a free consultation with us. We’ll sit down with your family and discuss how we can help. Give us a call at (312) 578-9501 or fill out the form at the bottom of this page to get started. We’re available 24/7/365 to speak with you.