Some of you may have heard about the tragic incident in Atlanta involving a case of shoulder dystocia during childbirth. In light of this case, I thought I’d take the opportunity to explain exactly what shoulder dystocia is, how likely it is to occur, and what makes it so dangerous.

I delve into this topic in more detail in the episode, but essentially shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the pelvic bone during delivery. Nine times out of ten the situation will resolve with no harm to the birthing person or baby. However, there’s no way to predict when it might happen so maternity care providers like myself need to stay prepared to handle it during childbirth.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What shoulder dystocia is
• How likely is it to occur
• What some of the common risk factors are
• Why addressing dystocia needs to happen as quickly as possible
• What hospitals and medical providers do to stay prepared to handle it
• What maneuvers are used to deal with shoulder dystocia
• Which injuries are most common
• How to reduce complications
• How care decisions should be made
• What to do after baby comes out

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode223

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