Zavanelli Maneuver - baby pushed back inside after delivering head.

[ChimChims]

Hi! I am looking around to see if there is anyone else who has been through this.

Basically my daughter had shoulder dystocia (she was over 12lb at birth and we had been told we should be given an ult that morning, but were not) after her head was delivered. I'd had two failed epidurals, so was able to feel all of this.

Anyway, one minute I am pushing to the chants of a room full of nurses (that should've tipped me off to emergency), and the next second I am thinking "Who just stuffed me with a cabbage?!?!"

Turns out the doctor had shoved her back inside of me. At that point (from what he told hubs) she was sunny-side up and he wanted her to face down. When he had me push her head back out the second time, his turning her body had wrapped her cord around her neck and she was turning blue. Much to my shock, he shoved her back inside me a second time. I had the exact same thought "Who just stuffed me with a cabbage?!?!"


I pushed her head out the third time - meaning her head had passed my pubic bone five times now - and he began to call for an OR. She had flat-lined, and was dead/dying. The next thing I know the room is completely full (standing room only) and everyone is screaming to PUSH, so I did. The swarm of scrubs made a ring around where I knew but could not see my dd was lying. I kept hearing "I need a bigger respirator." Not long after she was whisked out of the room to their nursery where they bagged air into her lungs manually for five hours until the ambulance arrived to take her to a NICU hours away from us.

The result was that she'd had shoulder dystocia and he intentionally broke her clavical. She did come off the ventilator, but had suffered Erb's Palsy (the tearing of nerves in her neck, causing paralysis down her arm), her heart was pumping her blood backwards through itself in panic, and her liver/kidneys were spitting poison amongst other things. She also had the largest hemotoma they had ever seen, covering the majority of her head (which lay like mush), and was bruised head to foot. For days we just sat there and watched her b/c to hold her would bring her pain. There is more to the story, but it is emotional and exhausting to tell.


She did get out of the NICU and thank God, also came out of therapy with no further damage. By the grace of God her injuries healed and by the time we realized that the doctor had killed her rather than just saving her (like we originally thought) it was too late to do anything about it. I wish to God this was on his record b/c I was told about 3 years later that the Zavanelli Maneuver is his go-to thing for big or stuck babies. So I know I am not the only one out there to have been through this... but is there anyone else out there on BnB who has had a similar experience?


This pregnancy is a shock and a blessing, but I have a different OB and this time around I am getting high quality care and will be given a csection. (My vagina was blown out in that delivery - I tore all the way up to my cervix/uterus and he had to cut it back open and then burn up the new cut six weeks later. He also stuck both arms inside me up to the elbow after the delivery when we were alone in the room and tore out my placenta manually. I will never give birth 'naturally' again, and I am thankful.

So please tell me... anyone else have any horrer stories they feel they can't share with other new moms b/c they don't want to scare them? I wish I had known more and demanded an ultrasound that day. I was told at 30 weeks that she was big and I'd need careful monitoring from then out, but never had another ultrasound again. This time I have them about every 3 weeks.

 

[tamanna]

OMG!!!!!!!! I'm so sorry to hear that your first birth experience was horrifying!

I'm 41 weeks pregnant with my first baby, so I don't have any experiences or suggestions to share with you.

I hope your second delivery will be smooth. Good luck to you.

 

[aliss]

Hi ChimChims,

My son had severe shoulder dystocia as well and I was prepped for a Zavanelli but they decided to break his collarbone instead, thankfully, no Erb's or worse. I too had the "hands up there" in order to pull mine out, although at the time, I think I had lost most feeling and was spaced out in a zone.

I am SO sorry you went through that. I can relate although I can say that my son's case was not as severe. The Zavanelli, as you probably now know, has a fairly high fatality rate (I think 8%?), an extremely dangerous move.

Good luck for your elective cesearean - I cannot blame you one bit for that choice. Was it ever determined why your baby was so big at birth?? Undiagnosed GD? I am doing a home birth for my next, but my son was only 9lb at birth and the induction/epidural were major factors.

 

[ChimChims]

Hi ChimChims,

My son had severe shoulder dystocia as well and I was prepped for a Zavanelli but they decided to break his collarbone instead, thankfully, no Erb's or worse. I too had the "hands up there" in order to pull mine out, although at the time, I think I had lost most feeling and was spaced out in a zone.

I am SO sorry you went through that. I can relate although I can say that my son's case was not as severe. The Zavanelli, as you probably now know, has a fairly high fatality rate (I think 8%?), an extremely dangerous move.

Good luck for your elective cesearean - I cannot blame you one bit for that choice. Was it ever determined why your baby was so big at birth?? Undiagnosed GD? I am doing a home birth for my next, but my son was only 9lb at birth and the induction/epidural were major factors.

I think the doctors almost wanted and hoped I had GD, b/c they tested me for it religiously and I always passed cleanly. My family has a high birth weight ratio though, to begin with, so I think that plays a bigger role. Three out of four of us (sisters) have had babies over 10 pounds. A 'premie' in my family is still around the more average 6lb size. Even my husband was over 10 pounds. On some level I think we maybe just grow 'em large. (Maybe? lol)

I so wanted a home birth/water birth but I see now that it probably was a good thing I wasn't able to. I do still wonder if they had allowed me to get on my hands and knees for delivery, would it have helped? hard to say, but I know that birthing a baby against gravity is (from what I read anyway) not a great idea, even though it seems to be the standard.

 

[goddess25]

OMG your first experience sounds horrific.

My son had shoulder dystocia and I was given a spinal and taken to the OR.. they manually pulled him out with forceps and with their hands up there. He was fine a bit of a hematoma sure but I had very bad tearing but you can put up with anything as long as your baby is fine!

 

[ChimChims]

I had very bad tearing but you can put up with anything as long as your baby is fine!

Now that, is very true. Even though Booh-bear wasn't fine, I didn't get any help after her birth. I was discharged 15 hours after delivering (8 of those I was still on pitocin - they wanted the continued contractions to help my uterus shrink, and quit bleeding), and I never took a single pain pill after b/c I wanted to breast feed and he wrote me a script for Tylenol with codine - which every female in my family is allergic to.

Instead of having any day or days of hospital care, I sat on my ground-meat-looking bottom in a wheelchair in her NICU. For the hours I was with her (7a-12p every day), I felt no pain but the heartache (in spite of throwing clots the size of jelly jars). It wasn't until we were back at the Ronald McDonald House away from her that I wanted to just scream and cry and shriek from the pain. I didn't of course, but something about being near my daughter made all of that so unimportant, where being away from her seemed to magnify it.

Funny, I remember y ankles swelled so big they dripped over my previously loose shoes... it was all so horrific. Hubs wasn't going to let me out of bed unless they came down so I'd prop up like six pillows and sleep w/my feet in the air so I could go back out again in the morning. I never did actually sleep those times, but he did and that is good b/c he was pushing my wheelchair all over the place and would get worn out. I know it was a long trip to always double-run between the parking garage and hospital after he'd dropped me at the door. I hope to God we never go through that again.

 

[ChimChims]

Sorry about all of the long descriptions lately, by the way. I find myself completely reliving those moments, and absolutely shaken up. *tears* This one HAS to go better.

 

[hellohefalump]

oh Goodness, I thought I'd had a bad birth!! I'm so sorry you went through all that!

my baby's heartbeat was not monitored at all during my labour. he was back to back and must have been in difficulties because he was born unconscious and not breathing... once his head was out they knew something was wrong probably by his colour (he was grey/blue) and I remember my midwife telling me too 'push this baby has to be born NOW'... It took only five minutes to rescucitate him though and he didn't need to go to special care. I then started bleeding very heavily so even more doctors full the room...

I'm still a bit traumatised now, so I can't imagine what you must be feeling like, I'm so glad you've been offered a c section this time, I really hope it's uncomplicated and a good experience this time xxxx

 

[ChimChims]

I oticed that I never updated. Last year I had a beautiful, perfect cesarean. I had a spinal, since epidurals don't work on me, so I didn't feel any pressure or anything. Recovery was SO fast, I felt perfectly normal in about a week. It couldn't have hone any better.

Also, I have since seen my paperwork from my first delivery. My numbers were clearly diabetic. I don't know why they lied to me about GD. It is unforgivable negligence. Pity the time limit to get it on his record has run out.

 

[lozzy21]

Did he try anything else? That manoeuvre is the last resort for shoulder dystocia and is supposed to only be performed to give a section.

My daughter had shoulder dystocia and I was put into the mcroberts, they tried supapubic pressure, then they tried to dislodge her shoulder with their fingers and she was eventually freed by them reaching in and delivering her posteria arm. If that fails then mother should be turned onto all 4's and the procedures repeated. If they then fail only then should a clavicle break or zavanelli for the purpose of a section be preformed. From what you have said I would be looking at taking some sort of action against that doctor.

 

[ChimChims]

The time limit on a mother taking action is only a year, even though I've had lasting damage.

 

[lozzy21]

It doesn't have to be legal action, a complaint should be taken seriously even if it was 10 years down the line. If you explain that you only feel emotionally ready now because of everything it's left you with. Even if nothing comes of it for you it could stop it happening to some one else.?

 

[ChimChims]

I just would like to have it put on his record, but my understanding is that I am not allowed to do that now, and anything with his name on it would be liable. (Did I spell that right?) I have put it out there into the Google-verse a time or two with my FB information in case any other woman sees it and feels alone.

That did work, at least once so far. I was contacted by a woman who'd gone through some of the experience I did, and was so emotionally traumatized. We've been friends on FB now for a while, and even better, had our second babies (the redeeming experience) in the same year a few months apart. She is now due with her third, and will be having another cesarean. If the only thing I can do is be there for women who find themselves on the other side of having had it already done, it is a start.

 

[J.D.]

Libel is only libel if it's untrue. If you have the records to prove what you're saying, you can shout it from the rooftops, and should, even if an arbitrary deadline for action has passed (although I'd consult a lawyer on this -- if the evidence only came into your hands recently, that may change things for you.)

 

[smileyfaces]

Horrendous. Im so sorry you went through that. I ope bubba is doing good now? Glad your section went well xx

 

[tristansmum]

Omg how awful! I had mild shoulder dystocia with my second. The mc Roberts manover popped him out and I had a second degreetear but nnothing that hasn't healed. Surely you can still take some action! Get legal advise. A year time seems crazy!!!!!!!

 

[madetomother]

Reason 2,784 I will not be letting a blood thirsty depraved surgeon of horrors near me or my baby....these stories make me question our progress as a species in all seriousness.

 

[spacegirl]

So sorry you went through this. The surgeon sounds like a misogynistic sadist. How dare he treat you and your baby in this way. I hope you can put it behind you and move on and I hope he gets what is coming to him. The arrogance of these people astounds me!

xxxx

 

[Torsornin]

I thought the statue of limitations was 3 years here in the US - at least that is what I was told a year or two back when I was looking into wrongful death of my parents
Glad your second go around was much better

 

[ChimChims]

The lawyer I talked to on behalf of my daughter said in Ohio it is a one year Window for women who have "birth complications". Even if it were three, we're nearing nine years past now. I'm just grateful my dd is okay... now.