Ina May Gaskin (american midwife) has invented a manouvre which releases the vast majority of stuck shoulders. If the shoulders are jammed, turn onto your hands and knees - this widens your pelvis by up to 30% and makes a massive difference to the room bubs has to slide past the bones. With some babies the collar bones may still have to be broken but this is VERY rare. Ina May once delivered a 12lb baby from a first time mum with this manouvre and she didn;t even TEAR. It is not easy to flip onto your knees when the baby's head is out so you need assistance, but it is easier than having the head pushed back/having the collar ones broken. A pelvic press can also be used (this is where two assistants lean on the upper bones of the pelvis to widen the lower bones - think of the pelvic joint like a pair of scissors, narrowing the top widens the bottom) but this is not usually as effective as the Gaskin manouvre.

Talk to your ob about alternatives - a c/s is pretty major compared to flipping onto your knees....

Hana