You remember having a difficult labor and child birth. Now you find out that your baby has a medical condition called Erb’s Palsy. This is due to the fact your that your child has an injury to his or her arm, namely not being able to move or use his or her arm. In addition, you have not been told too much about this condition and what lies ahead for your child.
To understand Erb’s palsy, you need to understand a medical term called shoulder dystocia. Erb’s palsy usually occurs during a shoulder dystocia delivery. This is not always the case, but in many instances it is.
Shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby’s shoulder area is trapped behind the mother’s pelvis. This creates a difficult delivery and creates an emergency condition in the delivery room. If the child is not freed, he or she can die. With this said, doctors have specific maneuvers they can perform to help free the child, namely the McRobert’s Maneuver. Also, none of these maneuvers require the doctor to use force on the baby’s head or shoulder area.
Erb’s Palsy in a shoulder dystocia delivery can be due to the doctor placing too much force on the baby’s head, neck, or shoulder area, thereby injuring the nerves of the brachial plexus.
If you recently had a difficult delivery, and your child has suffered a birth related injury like Erb’s Palsy as a result, and you questions, we invite you to give us a call. We can be reached at 301-850-4832. We answer questions like yours all the time regarding Maryland medical malpractice law and we would be glad to hear your story.
