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Every year thousands of babies are injured or killed from a specific birth complication called shoulder dystocia. A NYC Birth Injury Lawyer wants to know why more doctors and midwives aren’t informing their patients about who is at risk. The Director of Medical Education and Perinatal Outreach at Allegheny General Hospital said a shoulder dystocia birth is when the baby’s shoulders get stuck in the mother’s pelvic opening.
A prominent gynecologist from Allentown in Lehigh County has studied shoulder dystocia and believes these upsetting and avoidable complications are becoming more common. He attributes this phenomenon partly to women who are delivering larger babies, and partly to insurance companies who are trying to reduce the rate of more expensive Caesarean births.
This particular complication cannot be diagnosed until just prior to a baby’s birth. In most cases, even, a labor has progressed normally up until the baby’s head appears. When the head then retracts between contractions and maternal pushes, the birth becomes an emergency. The newborn’s life is in danger, and there are only five to six minutes to get the baby out. Nassau and New York City Hospitals are forced to deal with these problems on many situations.
The obvious first rule in any emergency is to not panic. Work must be done quickly and efficiently in the throes of emergencies such as this. Help needs to be called and you will want to secure a pediatrician or neonatologist to have on hand.
Two percent of babies experience shoulder dystocia, and up to 90% of those babies are born healthy.
Most injuries suffered heal within a few days to a few months, but 10 percent are permanent. Sadly, one baby in 400 shoulder dystocia births die, because of the inability to get the child out in time, a New York Birth Injury Attorney reports.
Women at risk include diabetics, obese or short women, those with babies determined to be at least 8 pounds, 14 ounces, and those with overdue babies beyond 40 weeks. More children could be saved from the torture of dealing with shoulder dystocia or death if they were aware of their risk and were advised on the helpfulness of a Cesarean possibility before labor.
When physicians know risk factors and do not share them with their patients, they are failing to properly gain their patient’s knowledgeable consent and are possibly further compounding risk factors. If you feel you were misled or left in the dark, converse with a New York City Birth Injury Attorney today.