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Baby Stuck in Birth Canal
The birth process, shoulder dystocia, and fetal distress
The maternal pelvis has a series of bones forming a circle protecting the pelvic organs. The front-most bone is the symphysis pubis. It is there that a baby's anterior shoulder can get stuck in the birth canal during a delivery which is complicated by shoulder dystocia. The bone at the back of the maternal pelvis is the sacrum. Because of its peninsula-like shape, it generally serves as a slide over which a baby's posterior shoulder can descend freely during labor and delivery. The side walls of the maternal pelvis usually do not contribute to shoulder distocia.
In normal vaginal deliveries the head of the baby emerges first. During labor, the soft, mobile bones of the fetal head can alter their shape and somewhat overlap. This facilitates the fetal head fitting into and through the maternal pelvis. The baby's shoulders, likewise being flexible, usually follow the delivery of the baby's head quickly and easily.
How can you tell if there is baby stuck in birth canal?
Fetal distress, or a baby stuck in the birth canal, is the presence of signs in a pregnant woman, before or during childbirth, the signs revealing that the fetus is not well or is becoming excessively fatigued. Fetal distress results in a flurry of remedial activity.The mother and her husband or partner can only watch and passively consent to whatever the health professionals are recommending. Attempts to reassure the parents that everything will be fine are difficult to accept in the presence of the sudden sense of urgency and medical personally who suddenly appear in the delivery room. Fortunately for parents in this situation, the anxiety is very short-lived, as a healthy baby is generally delivered and united with its parents.
What can parents do if medical malpractice results in their their baby being stuck in the birth canal?
If a doctor's negligence results in your baby being stuck in the birth canal, and an injury is a result, you may want to consult with the a qualified Erb's palsy attorney from J. F. Humphreys. In many cases an attorney can get compensation to help parent recoup compensation for medical and other costs. One such case was that of where an Ohio jury awarded more than $20 million to a woman whose baby was stuck in her birth canal for 13 hours.
A jury in 2008 found doctors negligent for trying to push Heather Grow's 9-pound baby through in 1997. The process squeezed her head. The baby was eventually delivered by Caesarean section. Grow's attorneys argued during a medical malpractice trial that the baby suffered brain injuries.
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