Michigan Shoulder Dystocia Injury Lawyers

Shoulder dystocia is an obstetric emergency. It is uncommon but well-documented, and every labor and delivery team is trained to recognize and manage it.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, it occurs in roughly 0.6% to 1.4% of births involving average-weight babies, and the risk climbs to between 5% and 9% for larger babies who weigh more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

Once a baby’s shoulder is stuck, the delivery stops. The umbilical cord can compress and cut off oxygen, and the longer the obstruction lasts, the greater the danger. Trained providers have only minutes to act.

When they follow the accepted steps, most babies are delivered safely. When they freeze, delay, or pull too hard, the results can be devastating and permanent. Contact Fieger Law to learn whether your child’s injury could have been prevented.

Risk Factors That Increase Likelihood

One of the most important jobs in prenatal care is spotting risk before delivery day. Several factors make shoulder dystocia more likely, and when they are present, providers should plan and be ready to act or to recommend a cesarean section.

Common risk factors include:

• Gestational or Pre-Existing Diabetes: Higher maternal blood sugar tends to produce larger babies, which raises the risk of a stuck shoulder.
• Larger-Than-Average Baby: Macrosomia, generally a baby estimated to weigh more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces, is one of the strongest warning signs.
• Prior Shoulder Dystocia Delivery: A history of shoulder dystocia in an earlier birth significantly increases the odds of it happening again.
• Prolonged or Stalled Labor: Labor that slows or stops during the second stage can signal a baby who is not fitting through the birth canal.
• Post-Term Pregnancy: Babies keep growing past the due date, which can push birth weight into the danger zone.
• Maternal Obesity: Higher maternal weight is associated with larger birth weight and more difficult positioning.
• Short Stature or a Small Pelvis: The physical dimensions of the birth canal directly affect whether the shoulders clear.

These factors do not make an injury inevitable. They do mean that a careful provider should have a plan. Failing to account for known risks can fall below the standard of care.

Why a Fast, Correct Response Matters

When shoulder dystocia occurs, the outcome depends almost entirely on how the delivery team responds. Providers are trained in a series of maneuvers meant to free the shoulder quickly and safely.

Recognized and effective techniques include:

• The McRoberts Maneuver: Repositioning the mother’s legs to open the pelvis and create room
• Suprapubic Pressure: Applying pressure just above the pubic bone to help dislodge the shoulder
• Rotational Maneuvers: Turning the baby’s shoulders using the Woods corkscrew or Rubin technique
• Delivery of the Posterior Arm: Easing out the trailing arm to reduce the width that must pass

Skilled teams move through these steps calmly and in order.

Problems arise when providers panic, skip steps, or reach for excessive force. Some pull too hard on the baby’s head or neck. Some misuse forceps or a vacuum. Others wait too long to begin or fail to call for the surgical support that a true emergency demands. Those failures, not the shoulder dystocia itself, are what cause many of the most serious birth injuries.

The injuries linked to mismanaged shoulder dystocia range from temporary to lifelong. Some children recover fully. Others live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

The most serious injuries include:

• Brachial Plexus Injuries and Erb’s Palsy: The brachial plexus is the network of nerves that controls the shoulder, arm, and hand. Excessive pulling during a stuck delivery can stretch or tear these nerves, causing weakness, loss of function, or partial paralysis of the arm. The most common form is Erb’s palsy.
• Oxygen Deprivation and HIE: When the cord is compressed and delivery is delayed, the baby’s brain can be starved of oxygen. This can cause hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a serious brain injury known as HIE.
• Cerebral Palsy: A lack of oxygen during a prolonged delivery can lead to cerebral palsy, a permanent condition that affects movement, muscle control, and coordination.

Depending on how the delivery is handled, a child may also suffer additional nerve and mechanical injuries. If your baby was diagnosed with any of these conditions after a difficult delivery, contact Fieger Law to find out whether negligence played a role.

Not every case of shoulder dystocia is preventable, and not every difficult delivery is malpractice. Childbirth carries risk even when everyone does their job. The law asks a narrower question: did the provider meet the accepted standard of care?

Negligence may be present when:

• Risk factors were ignored. The warning signs were in the chart, but no one planned for them.
• A C-section should have been offered. Clear evidence pointed to a C-section, and the provider proceeded with a vaginal delivery anyway.
• The team delayed. Precious minutes were lost before anyone began the emergency maneuvers.
• Excessive force was used. A provider pulled too hard on the baby’s head or neck instead of using proper technique.
• The wrong tools or techniques were used. Forceps or a vacuum were applied when they should not have been.

Proving these failures takes more than a bad outcome. At Fieger Law, we obtain the complete prenatal and delivery records, reconstruct what happened minute by minute, and work with experienced obstetric and neonatology medical experts who can explain where the care fell short.

That is how a difficult delivery becomes a provable medical malpractice case. Contact Fieger Law to have your child’s records reviewed.

A birth injury does not stay in the delivery room. It reshapes a family’s daily life for years. A child with a serious brachial plexus injury may need years of physical and occupational therapy, and some require surgery to restore function to the arm.

A child with HIE or cerebral palsy may need braces, orthotics, a wheelchair, assistive devices, and ongoing medical care into adulthood, and parents often reorganize their homes and careers to provide it.

The costs add up quickly. The long-term price of treating a condition like Erb’s palsy can include repeated visits to medical specialists, weekly therapy, adaptive equipment that must be replaced as a child grows, and lost income when a parent becomes a full-time caregiver.

A claim that only covers today’s bills leaves a family exposed tomorrow, so a serious case has to be built around a lifetime of need. Contact Fieger Law to help make sure your child’s future care is part of the conversation.

Families harmed by a preventable birth injury may be entitled to compensation for the full cost of what happened, both immediate and lifelong.

Depending on the facts of your case, that may include:

• Medical Care: Emergency treatment, hospitalization, and ongoing medical needs
• Therapy and Rehabilitation: Physical, occupational, and speech therapy over the long term
• Surgery and Specialized Care: Procedures and specialized treatment tied to the injury
• Medical Devices and Home Equipment: Braces, orthotics, wheelchairs, and assistive technology
• Educational Support: Special education services and classroom accommodations
• Home and Vehicle Modifications: Changes that make daily life accessible and safe
• Lost Income: Wages a parent gives up to care for an injured child
• Pain and Suffering: The physical and emotional toll the injury has taken on your child
• Future Care Planning: Trusts and guardianship arrangements that protect your child for life

Putting a fair value on a lifetime of care is difficult, and insurers rarely offer it willingly. A Michigan birth injury attorney can help you pursue the full amount your family needs. Contact Fieger Law for a free review of your options.

Babies are delivered every day across Metro Detroit at hospitals. Most deliveries go smoothly. When a delivery emergency is mishandled, the consequences fall on the family, not the hospital.

Fieger Law is based in Southfield, minutes from the courts and hospitals at the center of Michigan’s largest medical community. We handle birth injury claims for families across Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties, and for families throughout the state, from Flint and Lansing to Grand Rapids. Major birth trauma cases in this region are often litigated in Wayne County Circuit Court, a venue our attorneys know well.

Local roots matter in cases like these. We know the hospital systems, the medical community, and the courts where these claims are decided. That familiarity helps us move quickly, line up the right medical experts, and build a case that stands up to the well-funded defense teams that large hospitals bring. Contact Fieger Law to talk with a birth injury attorney who knows Metro Detroit.

For decades, Fieger Law has taken on the hospitals, insurers, and defense firms behind serious birth injury cases. Birth injury cases are among the most complex in personal injury law and demand resources, medical expertise, and a willingness to go to trial. We bring all three.

We do not rush families into quick, lowball settlements. We build each case carefully, backed by medical records and by respected medical experts in obstetrics, neonatology, and pediatric rehabilitation.

Our firm has earned some of the largest birth trauma verdicts and settlements in the country. When your child’s future is on the line, experience and preparation matter.

If your child was injured during a difficult delivery and you believe it could have been prevented, our team is ready to help. Contact Fieger Law to put an experienced birth injury firm in your corner.

Can I Sue for a Shoulder Dystocia Injury in Michigan?

Yes. If a provider’s failure to properly manage your baby’s shoulder dystocia caused a preventable injury, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim. The key question is whether the delivery team met the accepted standard of care. A birth injury attorney can review your records and tell you whether you have a case.

Is Shoulder Dystocia Always the Result of Medical Negligence?

No. Shoulder dystocia is a recognized delivery complication that can occur even with excellent care. It becomes a negligence issue only when a provider ignores clear risk factors, delays the emergency response, or uses improper force or technique. The question is what a careful, well-trained provider would have done in the same situation.

What Injuries Can Shoulder Dystocia Cause?

Mismanaged shoulder dystocia most often causes brachial plexus injuries such as Erb’s palsy, which affect the nerves controlling the arm. In more severe cases, oxygen deprivation during a delayed delivery can cause hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) or cerebral palsy. Some children recover, while others face lifelong impairment.

How Do You Prove a Doctor Mismanaged My Baby’s Delivery?

Proving negligence starts with obtaining complete prenatal and delivery records. Our attorneys reconstruct the delivery timeline and work with medical experts to identify where the care fell below accepted standards. That evidence is what separates a bad outcome from a provable malpractice case.

What Are the Long-Term Costs of Caring for a Child With Erb’s Palsy?

The costs can be substantial and continue for years. Depending on severity, a child with Erb’s palsy may need ongoing physical and occupational therapy, surgery, and adaptive equipment that changes as they grow. A well-built claim accounts for these future costs, not just the bills a family has already received.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Shoulder Dystocia Injury Lawyer?

Nothing upfront. Fieger Law handles birth injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us anything unless we recover money for you. A free consultation lets you understand your options at no cost and no risk.

What Compensation May Be Available to My Family?

Compensation may cover medical care, therapy, surgery, adaptive equipment, educational support, home modifications, lost income, pain and suffering, and future care planning. The value of any claim depends on the injury’s severity and your child’s long-term needs. An attorney can help you understand what a full recovery should include.

What Should I Do if I Think My Child’s Birth Injury Could Have Been Prevented?

Start by requesting your complete medical records and speaking with a birth injury attorney as soon as possible. Birth injuries are not always obvious at delivery, and some become clear only as a child misses developmental milestones. The sooner your case is reviewed, the sooner your attorney can preserve evidence and protect your family’s options.

Your child deserves every advantage, and your family deserves a firm ready to fight for it. If a preventable delivery mistake caused your baby’s shoulder dystocia injury, the team at Fieger Law is ready to listen, review your records, and pursue the accountability your family deserves. All we do is win.

There is no cost to find out where you stand, and you don’t pay us anything unless we recover money for you. Contact Fieger Law today to schedule your free consultation and take the first step toward securing your child’s future.