Anyone had previous shoulder dystocia & large baby- did you doctor suggest c-section?

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by steph410 what do you mean by red flags? Do you mind if I ask if your son who was injured, was it your first child? Only asking because I wonder if having had multiple babies vaginally makes a difference to how a doctor would treat me. I certainly need to discuss with my doctor. I know that BP injuries are quite serious and SD is very dangerous. I want to do the right thing, but if I can avoid SD through labor position or other means I would prefer that.

From the United Brachial Plexus Network (I bolded the ones I had):

Risk Factors for Shoulder Dystocia:

Suspected large baby - over 8 lbs. 14 oz.
Maternal diabetes / gestational diabetes (fetal assymetry)
Maternal obesity
An overdue baby - over 40 weeks
Short maternal stature
Contracted or flat (platypelloid) pelvis
Maternal weight gain -more than 35 lbs.
Protracted first stage of labor 30 hours total
Prolonged second stage of labor 4 hours pushing
-My first son also "turtled" a lot (doctors say another sign of a shoulder dystocia). Meaning he went up and down, up and down, etc in station. Not being able to engage well

Risk Factors for Shoulder Dystocia That May Be Associated with Prior Pregnancies:

A history of shoulder dystocia during a previous delivery
A history of giving birth to large babies
Eight years or more since your last birth

Other Factors That May Be Associated with an Increased Risk for Shoulder Dystocia:

Epidural: Because of loss of sensation from an epidural, the mother may not be able to feel the 'pushing' sensation and the baby might descend in a slightly awkward position.

Tools: The use of tools (for example, forceps or vacuum) to help the baby descend may possibly increase the risk of shoulder dystocia as well.

Labor Induction: There appears to be a possible association between an increased risk for shoulder dystocia and the use of labor-inducing drugs.

-----Yes, my son was my first child. There is a woman who has a blog called "Raising Olives" who had like 7 out of 9 kids be a shoulder dystocia, 6 with broken clavicles and the last s/d one with a brachial plexus injury. She decided to have c-sections after that one (... I must admit, it surprised me she waited to have c/s till then, but I don't know her, wasn't there, etc). Anyway, I thought that was interesting. I talk with a lot of BP mamas and they all range from their s/d baby being their 1 to their 7th. arg.