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can the shoulders present a problem before the head is even all the way out?

post #1 of 3
1/3/12 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 

it seems as though most often the cases of shoulder dystocia occur once the head is all the way out of the vagina. does it ever happen where the head is only partway out but the shoulders suddenly get snagged or something and they can no longer go forward with a vaginal birth?

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post #2 of 3
1/3/12 at 2:08pm

maybe if you post this question in the home birth section or the pregnancy section maybe you might find some answers more than you would get in the birth stories section. I don't know the answer to your question though, only that I imagine the shoulder only gets stuck when it is behind the pelvic bone, and I don't know what else it could actually get stuck behind or snagged on, unless there was some problem with the cord, but I don't know on that one either :/ sorry!

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post #3 of 3
1/3/12 at 4:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Claire98909 View Post

it seems as though most often the cases of shoulder dystocia occur once the head is all the way out of the vagina. does it ever happen where the head is only partway out but the shoulders suddenly get snagged or something and they can no longer go forward with a vaginal birth?



Sometimes in a case of shoulder dystocia one of the early signs is the chin not clearing the perineum. After the baby's head is born the midwife will usually check to make sure the chin is out and the cord is wrapped very tightly, or multiple times around the neck. Other than that, no, I have never heard of a situation (or know of a theoretical instance) in which the head is partially born then stopped by a shoulder obstruction. As Mamablitz said, in shoulder dystocia the shoulder is caught on the pubic bone but there really isn't anything else to obstruct them that far down.

 

Why do you ask?

 

ETA - I have read stories about obstetricians telling mothers that they have a shoulder dystocia and need a c/s before the head is born but, by definition, shoulder dystocia cannot be diagnosed until the head is out. It is the failure of the shoulders to be born in a timely manner *after* the head is out.


Edited by katelove - 1/3/12 at 4:37pm
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