I had shared my birth story last week, about how my little guy's birth was a bit more dramatic than planned, and at the hospital after all.
We knew that he had a brachial plexus injury, and Ikept going back and forth between just feeling grateful that they got him out ASAP and frustrated that maybe it could have still been prevented. But mostly, I was grateful that since we were at the hospital, we wouldn't wonder if we had caused it.
BUT I cannot stand how dismissive the pediatricians were. The midwives were great, though y husband now really questions the lead midwife's decision to let the student step in for the birth ( and not to take over when the compound presentation was obvious).
We kept saying that it seemed like the arm was hurting him, and they kept telling us that no, a nerve injury couldn't be hurting.
Well, they finally consented to x-ray him, and surprise, a break just above the elbow. Apparently, this is very common in children extremely rare in newborns. Rare enough that they were trying to make sure it wasn't the result of a genetic defect of some sort that would have caused his bones to be broken too easily. It is nearly healed already. and my Mister had the good sense for us to stop doing the pt exercises with it and start swaddling it to him. exactly what they would have had us do all along. The only concern is that it could affect his growth plate.
The good news though is that while we won't be apprised of anything that happens, it sounds like the pediatric orthopedic surgeon will be having a chat with the whole birth team. That's all I am asking for- to know that they have had to sit back, look at everything that happened, and wonder if there was something they should have done differently ( and if so...do it)....the way I have been having to do.
The funny/cute part, is my 9 year old son is now quite the home birth advocate. He was fine with it last time, but now he is down right insistent that if we have any more babies ( mostly likely we won't), they be born at home, where " someone loves them and is gentle with them."
Update:
IN the last several days, it has been like I have a totally different baby. I can't understand or explain how handling him with his little arm totally limp felt so different than handling my other babies, and how amazingy it feels tobe watching his little arm "wake up." The movement in his arm is so drastically improved over the last several days that even my 3 year old keeps saying " Mama, look he is moving his arm !"
We had a follow up with orthopedics yesterday as well as our first physical therapy appointment. He is doing so well !!!
Babies are such amazing healers.
The doctor showed me the new x-ray yesterday and you can see new bone over the entire end section of his humerus now. The frist x-ray I sw, you could only see it on the inside part of the bone, so I thought that the break was vertical, up the bone, when i asked about the new bone over the whole thing, the doctor explained that they think his humerus was actually broken "clean through." No wonder they werre trying to figure out if he might have a genetic problem.....how in the world do you break a newborn's arm like that ? It's making me think that it did happen during the birth afterall ( as opposed to with the pediatricians during resuscitation) but we will never know I guess.
The physical therapist is amazing. I just can't say enough about her. I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to be in the hospital after the ortho appointment...and she actually called me and walked me through how to get to her office. She is very, very pleased with how he is doing ( and just as suprised as we are to see a baby that was such a perfectly average birthweight with such an injury...).
She said we don't have to swaddle anymore, but that we still can if he needs it at night to fall asleep ( we have to be careful not to limit his range of motion for the most part.) She told me to mostly let him move it for himself, as he is starting to do, but to do little things, like help him to put his hand in his mouth, encourage him to gras our fingers with that hand, etc. She said it is like it is "waking up" and it shouldn't be so much painful as annoying at this point- like pins and needles, explaining why he gets agitated when we touch it. I'm very grateful that he is doing so well and that we finally found some providers ( in the same military hospital as the pediatricians who ignored us....) that are not only thorough but compassionate.
Thanks for the positive thoughts.
Edited by lovingthis - 5/23/12 at 7:50am
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