dystocia

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A slow or difficult labour or delivery.

   “In macaques, baboons and chimpanzees, dystocia because of breech birth is the commonest category of fetal death.[…]Breech dystocia is rarely a problem for mother or neonates in small, multitocus species like marmosets and tamarins.”

   “Dystocia is defined as difficult delivery. Pelvic dystocia is due to aberrations of the pelvic architecture and its relationship to the presenting fetal part.[…]Fetal dystocia may be due to excessive fetal size from gestational diabetes or congenital anomalies.”

   “Although fetal dystocias are sometimes relieved by manipulation and instrumentation, cesarean sections are often the only practical methods of treatment.”

   “It is an appropriate way to allow resolution of the dystocia, after clearing the airway and checking for a nuchal cord. The prevailing thinking is that the time window in which to resolve a shoulder dystocia before asphyxial insult (not injury) is about 4 minutes.”