Shoulder Dystocia & Brachial Plexus Prevention
In New York and New Jersey
There are accepted medical protocols for dealing with a shoulder dystocia birthing emergency. An experienced practitioner should know these protocols and should be able to prevent brachial plexus injuries.
Options include:
- Repositioning the mother, one of the most common methods, is called the McRobert's Maneuver, which involves removing the mother's legs from the stirrups and flexing her knees back against her abdomen.
- Specific pressure over the mother's pubic area (suprapubic pressure, not fundal pressure).
- Reaching in and repositioning the baby.
- Rotating the fetus's upper shoulder downward and the lower shoulder upward, called a Wood's or "Corkscrew" maneuver.
- In extreme cases, the protocol may include breaking the baby's clavicle bone or the mother's pelvic bone.
- Caesarian section (C-section).
An experienced and conscientious practitioner, who is familiar with Shoulder Dystocia and how to work with it, should be able to prevent brachial plexus injuries to your baby.
If your baby was injured during the birthing process, you may want to explore our Do I Have A Claim? page for more information.
At Trief & Olk, we have extensive experience in litigating a variety of birth injury cases. You are in safe and caring hands with our birth injury attorneys and we invite you to contact our office today for a free case evaluation. Trief & Olk proudly serves clients throughout New York and New Jersey.
