What is shoulder dystocia, erbs palsy, klumpkes palsy, and brachial plexus palsy?
Shoulder dystocia occurs when the baby gets stuck behind the mom’s pelvic bone while passing through the birth canal. Failure to recognize this can result in significant injury to the baby. Sometimes, an obstetrician will try and pull on the baby’s head to get the baby out quickly. This can have devastating effects on the baby. Applying excessive lateral traction to the baby’s head when the baby’s shoulder is stuck in the birth canal can cause a baby’s nerve to stretch or tear and become severely injured. This injury is called “Erbs palsy,” “Klumpke’s palsy,” or “Brachial Plexus palsy.” This nerve injury causes significant disability to the baby’s arm and has long-term implications. Most children with this injury are unable to use their arm, and hand. Here are some maneuvers doctors use to try and get the stuck shoulder out from behind the mother’s pelvis: 1. A “woods maneuver,” also known as a “corkscrew” maneuver. This rotates the baby to move the stuck shoulder away from the obstruc
