Philadelphia Shoulder Dystocia Lawyer

Shoulder dystocia is a serious delivery complication requiring prompt medical intervention to prevent devastating injuries to a baby. The most serious of these injuries resulting from the use of excessive force on your baby’s fragile limbs are permanent brain damage; permanent nerve damage; paralysis; Erb’s palsy; Klumpke’s palsy; a brachial plexus injury — and death.

Shoulder dystocia can manifest in a difficult delivery. It occurs when one or both of the baby’s shoulders become stuck in the birth canal or on the mother’s pelvic bones, preventing the baby from being delivered normally.  It demands immediate medical intervention to prevent severe injuries to the baby.

When the doctor and the attending team realize a baby has a shoulder dystocia, they normally act quickly to make sure the baby isn’t harmed by this serious complication. But carelessness on the part of these healthcare providers has occurred, and has been known to cause shoulder dystocia and its devastating consequences for the child.

Medical Negligence and its Role in Shoulder Dystocia

Distracted or inattentive doctors can miss the warning signs or risk factors that might lead to a baby’s shoulders becoming jammed inside the birth canal.

Obstetricians, pediatric surgeons and other doctors are taught to be aware of these risk factors in pregnancy so they’re not caught by surprise when a shoulder dystocia manifests itself. These risk factors include a large infant; an overdue baby; an obese mother; a small pelvis; a small mother; a breech position; large pregnancy weight gain; a previous pregnancy with shoulder dystocia; a previous pregnancy with large baby and gestational diabetes.

Without or with little knowledge of these risk factors, a doctor might use excessive force on the baby’s weak limbs during the delivery. This extreme stretching and pulling of the baby’s nerves can result in damage to the baby’s brachial plexus nerves, which send signals from the spine to the shoulders, arms and hands.

A brachial plexus injury occurs when these nerves are stretched, compressed or ripped apart or torn away from the spinal cord. Permanent damage to the brachial plexus nerves can result in numbness of the arm or total paralysis. Excessive force can also lead to a fractured clavicle, internal lacerations and fetal asphyxia.

Contact The Brod Law Firm

Should your baby have been injured as a result of medical carelessness or mistakes, the services of an experienced legal team such as that from The Brod Law Firm is absolutely essential for you to receive just compensation for the suffering inflicted upon your child and your family.

You need to receive damages for the hardship and huge financial expenses — perhaps lasting a lifetime — your family stands to incur as it cares for your distressed child. Add to this the pain of witnessing on a daily basis the outcomes such as paralysis that is your child’s lot because of inadequate medical attention at birth. Shoulder dystocia has compromised your child’s future. It is only fair that you hold accountable the responsible party, or parties, that caused your child’s shoulder dystocia.

Call us for a free consultation today at 1-888-HELPWIN (888-435-7946) if you suspect medical negligence played a part in your child’s shoulder dystocia.