Risks Associated with Shoulder Dystocia-Brachial Plexus Injuries

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Thought I'd post this on this forum too, as some of us are always giving birth.

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This week is Brachial Plexus Awareness Week. Brachial Plexus injuries often happen at birth as a result of a shoulder dystocia. When babies become stuck, they are often pulled on and that can injure a group of nerves (or two groups) called the brachial plexus. Those nerves groups are responsible for movement of both arms (one group moves one arm). When the nerves are damaged, this disability has occured. The injury can lead to lifelong therapies, surgeries, and limited movement of the arm, wrist, and fingers. It is a life-changing injury and one that most have never heard of (as was my case until it happened to my son).

In honor of this week, I am posting a video link to a montage I made for my son on his 2nd birthday. He is now 5 years old and has gone through more years of therapies and hard work, with many ups and downs. ETA: God chose to intervene and save my son's life and we are thankful. He chose not to intervene in his birth injury or issues from lack of oxygen and we trust that good has and will come from that journey. My son is having a difficult and challenging month as he is in a very intense everyday therapy program. He is being stretched physically and emotionally and if you would lift him up in prayer during this week of Brachial Plexus Awareness, I would be honored.

To watch the video and one infants's 2 year journey with this injury: http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site..._id=1901&large

Please be informed about your risks of experiencing shoulder dystocia and do your best to minimize those. Talk with your care provider about their experience with this and how they are trained to deal with the emergency to do their best to prevent this lifelong injury.
To learn more about your risks visit: http://www.ubpn.org/index.php?option...d=66&Itemid=67

For those of you who's infants were recently injured and you are lost and feel alone and unsure of where to go, there are wonderful Brachial Plexus Centers out there. They specialize in ways to give your baby the care they need and the hope of having the most movement they can. Some of those Centers are listed in links below:
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/s...tions/default/
http://www.shrinershospitalsforchild...FQjznAodEXsApw
http://www.childrenshospital.org/cli...geS1165P0.html

Blessings, A Brachial Plexus Mama

[Nanner99]

Good post! Your son will be in my thoughts.
My daughter had SD and was stuck for about 9 minutes, then she came out with Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. She was my 4th baby and I had 3 easy births and a great pregnancy with all my babies. Totally unexpected. We were incredibly lucky that she came out with no lasting effects.

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by Nanner99 Good post! Your son will be in my thoughts. My daughter had SD and was stuck for about 9 minutes, then she came out with Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. She was my 4th baby and I had 3 easy births and a great pregnancy with all my babies. Totally unexpected. We were incredibly lucky that she came out with no lasting effects.

Oh my goodness, I am so thankful that she doesn't have brain damage or other issues from oxygen deprivation! My son was stuck for around 4 minutes and he had to be revived and has sensory issues from that. You and she are incredibly blessed... Someone was watching over you, Mama. I used to just hear of SD with first births, but as I talk with more and more mamas; I'm hearing if it being 2,3,4th and even an Amish mama was telling me of her daughter's SD and injury and she was the 7th birth! Such a nightmare. Are you going to have anymore kiddos?

I don't know why the video link I posted, didn't work a bunch. Here is the right link: http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site..._id=1901&large

[DalesWidda]

My SD baby was my third and my biggest!

[Nanner99]

Originally Posted by raisingcropsandbabies Oh my goodness, I am so thankful that she doesn't have brain damage or other issues from oxygen deprivation! My son was stuck for around 4 minutes and he had to be revived and has sensory issues from that. You and she are incredibly blessed... Someone was watching over you, Mama. I used to just hear of SD with first births, but as I talk with more and more mamas; I'm hearing if it being 2,3,4th and even an Amish mama was telling me of her daughter's SD and injury and she was the 7th birth! Such a nightmare. Are you going to have anymore kiddos? I don't know why the video link I posted, didn't work a bunch. Here is the right link: http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site..._id=1901&large

We are beyond blessed and I know it. I thank my midwife for saving June's life. Though many people were down on me for delivering her at a birthing center. I am glad you fixed the link, I was coming back to lyk the first one didn't work.
You sound like such an upbeat and awesome mama. I've been thinking of you guys.

[CrystalnIzzy]

Gabriel was my 3rd, but 2nd vaginal delivery. He was only stuck for a minute but ended up with a brachial plexus injury and did not breathe right away after delivery. The nurse was calling the resuscitation team when he started breathing on his own. Thankfully he does not have any issues from lack of oxygen. My first vaginal delivery was a slight shoulder dystocia but I was never informed about any of the risks that come along with it.

[dolphingirl]

I watched the video, and wow, it's obvious that you and your little guy have been through a lot since his birth!

I've come across many mamas IRL and online whose little ones have had negative effects from shoulder dystocia. It makes me especially thankful that neither my ds (6th baby) nor I had any sort of negative effects whatsoever despite a scary episode of shoulder dystocia lasting 7 minutes. Crazy, considering that I had 5 uneventful, smooth births before him. I think it was just a strange fluke that he was positioned oddly since everything else was pretty much the same (other than being a couple ounces bigger than my second largest baby).

It seems to be one of those things that most mamas really don't think much about (at least I didn't!) until it happens to them.

Praying for all of you wonderful moms whose little ones are healing from physical challenges. I very easily could have been in your situation. May God grant all of you a rich measure of patience, love, and emotional healing as well, since I know well the emotional struggles that can accompany a difficult, frightening SD delivery.

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by CrystalnIzzy Gabriel was my 3rd, but 2nd vaginal delivery. He was only stuck for a minute but ended up with a brachial plexus injury and did not breathe right away after delivery. The nurse was calling the resuscitation team when he started breathing on his own. Thankfully he does not have any issues from lack of oxygen. My first vaginal delivery was a slight shoulder dystocia but I was never informed about any of the risks that come along with it.

Do you take him to Dr. Kozin at Philly Shriners? Saw you were in PA. We go to Cincy's BP Center in Ohio and both places send people wanting second opinions to each other since they are a tight community. So sorry to hear that the doctors didn't inform you after your first birth! With the likelihood of it happening again 7x greater, I'm upset for you that you didn't get to make an informed choice about whether to try a vag. birth again or choose a c-section!

Dolphingirl-Thanks for the prayers. After this week we will resume our normal schedule of OT, AT, and Gymnastics and that will feel like a vacation! Mr. Man has a great attitude and it will be nice to get that little boy back (he is just exhausted after each day's long therapy session and has pottying accidents... he's 5, and is zoned out and can't focus). It's been good though because we now know what movements just will not be coming back, what his range will stay on other movements, and what he can get stronger on. I'm thankful now I know what to push him on and what I can't (because it won't help). He is so proud of himself for this program and on Friday will be getting a toy he's very much earned for all his hard work!

That must have been a very odd position your infant was in to be stuck for so long! Sometimes it doesn't have to do as much weight as it does with body build. Did he have very broad shoulders? I remember with Bubby, he was only 9.8 and yet his shoulders were massive. He seemed disproportionate at times and build so much like my husband (huge shoulders and torso, but smaller legs). When #2 was born (at 10.3), he looked smaller to me because he was much more proportionate that #1! The last 3 have been c-sections because the risk is too great and my boys kept getting bigger with no GD (9.8, 10.3, 12.2 and then my small baby girl at 8.8).

[CrystalnIzzy]

Yeah, we are an hour outside of Philadelphia, so we go to Shriners. We have had such excellent experiences there.

Allow me to show off my little guy as well, he is always smiling, and is such a ray of sunshine where ever he goes, he doesn't let anything get him down
A few days after birth, he was 9 lbs 10 oz at birth

He started bending his elbow just before 3 months old


at 4 months old his shoulder started clicking during ROM exercises, turns out his shoulder was starting to pull out of socket, he had botox at 5 months old and was in a cast for 3 weeks, hoping that the shoulder muscles would be more balanced and the shoulder would stay in place

within a week of getting that cast off his shoulder started clicking again. So at 6.5 months he had tendon transfer surgery.



He turned 2 a few weeks ago and all his doctors are amazed at his progress. He is such a gift to us.

[raisingcropsandbabies]

CrystalnIzzy- What a cutie pie you have! Our boys are so brave and awesome! I loved the results of the m/t surgery! So nice to see improvement right away like that and to be able to build on it for years to come. We pray every night for my son's BP buddies and your son is now added to our list.