Shoulder dystocia occurs in thousands of deliveries each year and can cause serious birth injuries if not properly addressed. Shoulder dystocia occurs when an infant's shoulder becomes caught on its mother's pubic bone during a vaginal delivery. To dislodge the baby's shoulder, medical staff must be prepared to perform certain maneuvers or interventions to free the newborn in a safe and timely manner.

Shoulder dystocia can be anticipated, and in many cases is preventable, if a mother's risk factors are addressed early. Some risk factors for shoulder dystocia include gestational diabetes, excessive weight gain or obesity during pregnancy, a large (macrosomic) baby, or a mother with a history of having large babies.

If undetected, shoulder dystocias can result in a number of different injuries in newborns including:

• Birth Hypoxia
• Brachial Plexus Injuries
• Fractures to the baby's clavicle bone (collar bone) or humerus (the long bone in the upper arm)
• Fetal Death

The Chicago birth injury attorneys at Levin & Perconti have successfully handled a number of cases involving shoulder dystocia. Through this experience, we understand the risk factors associated with shoulder dystocia, along with the standard of care that physicians should employ when a dystocia occurs. Our attorneys achieved a $2.9 million birth injury settlement for a child who suffered a brachial plexus injury when a physician failed to perform the proper disimpaction techniques and placed excessive force on the infant's head and shoulder.

If your child suffered a shoulder dystocia that resulted in a serious birth injury or death, we may be able to help you seek justice and compensation. Please contact the Illinois personal injury lawyers of Levin & Perconti at 312-332-2872 or 877-374-1417 for a free consultation, or fill out our Contact Us form and an attorney will call you back shortly.