Which symptom is a common indicator of shoulder dystocia during delivery?

Shoulder dystocia is a complication that occurs during labor when the baby’s shoulders become stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone after the head has been delivered. A common indicator of this condition is the failure to progress, which can manifest as the inability to deliver the shoulders despite the head having already been born. This situation often arises because once the head is delivered during labor, more substantial force is required for the delivery of the shoulders, and if the shoulders are wedged, further descent fails.

In cases of shoulder dystocia, the healthcare provider may notice that there is a significant difference between the delivery of the head and the subsequent delivery of the shoulders. This failure to progress can lead to additional time spent in delivery and can increase the risk of complications, both for the baby and the mother.

Other symptoms such as excessive tearing, prolonged labor, and heavy bleeding may occur in various circumstances during delivery but are not specific indicators associated directly with shoulder dystocia. Excessive tearing can be a result of aggressive maneuvers to free the shoulder, prolonged labor could be due to a variety of factors including maternal or fetal positioning, and heavy bleeding can indicate other complications or uterine atony, but they are not indicative of shoulder dystocia specifically. Therefore,