You were told very little as you left the hospital after the delivery of your child about his or her nerve injury to their arm. But now you are beginning to wonder if the injury could have been prevented altogether.
To get a better understanding of how these types of injuries can happen you need to be familiar with a birth complication called shoulder dystocia. This happens when the child’s head is delivered but the shoulder is not, due to it being stuck behind the pelvis. Mothers especially those who have a history of diabetes, should be screened for gestational diabetes. This is because having diabetes can increase the chance of a shoulder dystocia delivery.
Since shoulder dystocia is an emergency situation, because the child can die if the shoulder is not freed quickly, it is important that the doctor does not panic and rely of the maneuvers he or she has been taught. These maneuvers can free the child without placing stress on the child’s head.
When stress is placed on the child’s head, injuries to the brachial nerve can happen. It is here that nerve injury to your child arm can occur.
If you would like to speak with someone regarding whether your child’s birth related injury could have been prevented, give us a call. We can be reached at 301-850-4832. Or you can send an email to medicalinjury “at” bostonlawllc.com (Remember to replace the “at” with @).
