What happens when a baby gets stuck during delivery?
Mia Lopez
Updated on February 16, 2026
While the baby is stuck, they cannot breathe and the umbilical cord may be squeezed. They will need help to be born quickly so they can get enough oxygen. It can also cause a fracture of the baby's collarbone or upper arm, nerve damage affecting the shoulders, arms, hands or fingers, brain damage or speech disability.
Why do babies get stuck during labor?
The most common reasons babies become stuck in the birth canal during delivery include fetal macrosomia (the baby is too big for vaginal delivery); shoulder dystocia (the baby's shoulder gets stuck behind the mother's pelvic bone); and breech presentation (the baby does not move into the correct head down position ...How often do babies get stuck during birth?
While true shoulder dystocia is an emergency, it's a rare event, occurring between 0.5 % and 1.5% of births. The exact incidence of shoulder dystocia is very dependent upon how it's defined and reported, which varies depending on care providers. Size and weight of babies can't be accurately diagnosed before the birth.When the baby gets stuck during birth this is called?
Shoulder dystocia occurs when one or both of your baby's shoulders get stuck inside your pelvis during childbirth. The word dystocia comes from the Greek words “dys,” meaning difficult, and “tokos,” meaning birth. Shoulder dystocia is a medical emergency. Babies with this condition are usually born safely.What is performed when a baby can't be born through the birth canal?
A C-section is the surgical delivery of a baby that involves making incisions in the mother's abdominal wall and uterus. Generally considered safe, C-sections do have more risks than vaginal births.Baby Getting Stuck During Delivery And Possible Risk Factors
What happens if you don't push the baby out?
In addition to pain, women made to resist the urge to push may experience other complications. Delayed pushing sometimes causes labor to last longer, puts women at higher risk of postpartum bleeding and infection, and puts babies at a higher risk of developing sepsis, according to a study released in 2018.Is your vagina exposed during C-section?
You may have even heard that your organs could be removed during a c-section. But that's almost never the case. It's true that during a c-section, your ob-gyn will adjust the position of your organs, including your uterus, bladder, and sometimes small bowel, to see your uterus more clearly.Can a baby be pushed back in?
If the head hangs up, you have a child half in and half out of the birth canal. Sometimes you can push the baby back in and perform a C-section. If not, you have to cut down through the uterus and the cervix--the passageway between the uterus and the birth canal. This procedure is far more complicated than a C-section.What are the complications of dystocia?
What problems can shoulder dystocia cause?
- Fractures to the collarbone and arm.
- Damage to the brachial plexus nerves. These nerves go from the spinal cord in the neck down the arm. ...
- Lack of oxygen to the body (also called asphyxia). In the most severe cases, this can cause brain injury or even death.