So I went to see a physio therapist today and he gave me the name of a site that has the result of actual studies into thousands of medical problems etc.

Here's what I've found,

Gurewitsch ED, Johnson TL, Allen RH.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. dgurewi@jhmi.edu

Among risk factors for shoulder dystocia, a prior history of delivery complicated by shoulder dystocia is the single greatest risk factor for shoulder dystocia occurrence, with odds ratios 7 to 10 times that of the general population. Recurrence rates have been reported to be as high as 16%. Whereas prevention of shoulder dystocia in the general population is neither feasible nor cost-effective, intervention efforts directed at the particular subgroup of women with a prior history of shoulder dystocia can concentrate on potentially modifiable risk factors and individualized management strategies that can minimize recurrence and the associated significant morbidities and mortality.

PMID: 17531900 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Ginsberg NA, Moisidis C.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA
...The mean fetal weights were 3885 g in the recurrent dystocia group and 3702 g in the group without recurrence (P <.03). Gestational age, operative delivery, and gestational diabetes were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Factors that appear to increase the recurrence risk of shoulder dystocia include fetal weight and maternal parity. Prior shoulder dystocia is the single greatest predictive factor.
PMID: 11408863 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Lewis DF, Raymond RC, Perkins MB, Brooks GG, Heymann AR.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport 71130-3932, USA.

OBJECTIVE: Shoulder dystocia continues to be a major complication of obstetrics, and several factors have been identified to help predict its occurrence. A previous shoulder dystocia is one of the risk factors. However, the recurrence rate is unknown. The purpose of this study is to report the recurrence rate of shoulder dystocia. STUDY DESIGN: Our obstetric database was used to identify all vaginal deliveries between January 1983 through December 1992. A subset of vaginal deliveries complicated by shoulder dystocia was selected from this database. These records were reviewed to identify subsequent pregnancies, outcomes, risk factors, and demographic data. RESULTS: During the study period there were 37,465 total vaginal deliveries, with shoulder dystocia complicating 747 (overall rate 2%). Of these 747 cases, 101 patients had 123 subsequent vaginal deliveries, with shoulder dystocia complicating 17 of these pregnancies (13.8% recurrence rate, p < 0.0001). Comparisons were made between those patients with recurrent shoulder dystocia. CONCLUSION: Shoulder dystocia recurred at a rate approximately seven times higher than our primary rate. Whether patients with a history of shoulder dystocia should be offered an elective abdominal delivery requires further investigation.

PMID: 7755040 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Awwww, not good!