When I delivered my last child in Memphis a few days ago, a vacuum extractor was used. Suddenly, the medical team went into emergency mode and I heard the words, shoulder dystocia. Now I am worried about my baby. Should I be?

While we do not have all the details of your delivery, it certainly sounds like you may have cause for concern. The use of a vacuum extractor at delivery usually means that your baby is not moving through the birth canal as quickly as it should. You do not say if your baby was in any kind of distress during the birth, but this is another reason why this equipment is used.

For the most part, vacuum extraction is used today in place of the forceps and to avoid an emergency cesarean section. We wonder if a vacuum was used unnecessarily when simply changing your position may have solved the problem. Did your labor team try helping you to do this first?

One risk of vacuum extraction delivery is the possibility of shoulder dystocia when it is used. Apparently this happened in your case. While dystocia, properly handled, can have no lasting results, it can also harm your baby. And, unfortunately, sometimes parents are not given enough information about what happened.

You should definitely be sure your pediatrician, not the hospital’s pediatrician, sees the baby very soon for a check-up. While the vast majority of shoulder dystocia deliveries do not result in injury, occasionally they do.

The Memphis birth injury team at Greer Injury Lawyers can answer your questions about this issue. We have a great deal of experience in this issue and a full-time nurse on staff. Call us today toll-free at 888-470-9143 for a free consultation.