Story submitted by Alicia on November 22, 1999 at 10:33:55:
Alicia is 19, from Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
Family:Alicia, Russell, and Kaitlyn
During my pregnancy, I only gained 18 pounds. When my daughter Kaitlyn was born, she weighed 7lb. 2 1/2 oz. The delivery seemed easy enough. She had a lot of complications at birth, such as respritory, acid reflux, and low blood sugar. So they didn't notice that there was no movement in her left arm until a few days later. There was also a lack of movement in her right arm. She has difficuly moving her right elbow and wrist. On her left side, she has dificulty moving her shoulder, elbow, and wrist. We started her on therapy as soon as we could. We took her to an orthopedic doctor, who diagnosed her with Erb's Palsy. That gave us some answers, but not nearly enough. I am really scared about my daughter's development. I don't want this to effect her sitting up and crawling, and other important developmental skills. I am especially concerned because it is effecting both her arms. I wish that I knew more about how this will effect her life. I wish that I had more answers. My daughter is only 5 1/2 weeks old, and I know that it is too early to be able to know anything yet. I just am so scared that she will have a difficult life. It has already been hard enough with all the medical problems she has had. If anyone has had the same concerns as I have, please e-mail me. I would also like to know if anyones Erb's Palsy required surgery. If so, please e-mail me and let me know about everything. It is so reassuring to know that so many poeople know what I am going through.I thought that I was alone.
©Copyright 1997 Erbs Palsy Information & Resource Group.