United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My daughter is 16 months and she ALWAYS cries when she wakes up from her naps and in the morning. It's not just a cute little cry, it's an all out cry. She never wakes up happy and playful like a lot of babies I know. It makes me wonder if she wakes up and is sore or in pain. Anyone out there who has a child that can talk or is an adult who can shed some light on any pain related to BPI?

Lisa

First let me say that some children just wake up unhappy and that is the way it is. They can still turn out to be really nice people... just not happy campers when they wake up....LOL...

However with OBPI child you have to suspect other things. Sometimes we sleep or hold are arm in uncomfortable position and our hands and arms are numb and asleep when we wake (pins and needles)
obpi children do not realize that our arms are REALLY very cold We don't know how to tell our parents ... our skin often does not feel as cold to the touch as it feels to us... I can not stand my arm to be cold and for years I did not realize why... one arm was so cold and the other not.... I just accepted it as the way I was...never connected it to obpi and never told anyone.

The weather is changing this will cause aches. I have to sleep with a warm long sleeve on the right obpi arm. If I don't I will wake up several times at night my hand and arm feel cold .... but my skin does not feel as if it is freezing yet that is the way it feels to me.
Think warm sleepers - blanket type.... our veins in the obpi arm are very small and the circulation is poor this could be the reason for it...
Happy blanket sleepers... wish I had a pair...LOL....
Kath

I provide daycare to 5 children(including my own 2) and crying when waking up isn't just related to the bpi. Lets sum this up:Blake age 4 wakes up crabby and sleepy still even after HOURSs(BPI)
Molly age 3 1/2 takes forever to get her to budge out of bed. FOREVER!!!
Alex, if he takes a nap is generally o.k.(age 2/2)
Kyle, 16 months, is an absolute bear when he wakes up...screams uncontrollably!
Bailey, 14months(mine) is just a little ray of sunshine when she gets up, sings to herself and just waits for me to go get her.

Really, maybe it is just the child's disposition, don't worry, relax and enjoy your little one!:)

Hi Lisa,

I am TBPI so I don't really know what you are going through with your daughter. BUT, there are times I wake up sore in the morning. It depends on how I slept the night before. If my husband rolls over on my arm, or if I lay on it wrong it will ache in the morning. If I don't have it covered up and it gets cold at night can also cause me problems in the morning.

I can relate to your daughter waking up crying.... I react the same way most mornings! LOL I hate mornings!

Good Luck!
Joy

Hi, Lisa. I think you've already gotten some good comments here. I put a large child-sized sock on Nicole's left arm at night. I know that she likes me doing that b/c she's asked me for it at times before I put it on (plus, she keeps it on all night and it'd be easy to remove). I initially did this b/c she wore a splint with velcro and I worried about any exposed velcro sticking to blankets or anything. She doesn't wear splints anymore, but we still put on the sock.

I have another thought though as to her crying. Has she always done that? When did you notice? Is she starting to show an interest in potty training at all yet? It could be that she wakes up with a wet or soiled diaper and is uncomfortable. If she's still in diapers, which I would guess, does she seem bothered by wet diapers during the day? Maybe she's ready to start training. This is just a thought that came to my mind. I have no idea how far off I might be. I hope this helps. Take care. -Tina

Thanks for all your suggestions, I'll certainly try them out. She has always been a "cry-er". I used to say it was because she was in the NICU and in pain (she was on morphine for 5 days) when she first started to cry, and never really learned to cry softly. She used to drive the nurses crazy because she was the loudest baby in the NICU. So it very well could just be her disposition. However, the idea that she may be cold in that arm is quite intriguing. We've taken to turning up the heat in her room around five am, noticing that she sleeps a little bit longer if we do that. I'll keep an eye out for potty training cues, at times I think she has a few...but then again...Thanks All!

oh man-my sweet angel used to make gurgly(sp?) harmonious sounding harplike noises upon rising in the morning(or whenever he arose) and then...somewhere arouund 12 months give or take a few months- he turned into one of those gosh awful argh grueling cryful slobbery- I dont wanna get up but Im awake so hold me and nurse me for an hour or two- toddlers-
as I dont have the time to do that in the morning or whenever it is that he happens to wake up...he cries- and I just make it a point not to let it get to me- I ofcourse check out for pain but,...as I have seen all my other kids making the same noises and doing the same thing it has never worried me(hmmmm) maybe Ill take some special observations re; his arm after this input but I think Im on the right track that...some -MANY- babies...just cry when they wake up ahhhh, oh well

I am a grump when I wake up and it has nothing to do with my obpi, I just do not wake up easily.

But I'm remembering what it was like for those first few months post MQ surgery. It was a time of change, there were jolts of what felt like electricity down my arm which I know was the nerve firing. Those have slacked off completely. Parts of my arm were also extremely sensitive -- that has also disappeared. It was never a constant pain, but when it happened when I was sleeping, it would wake me up. Perhaps this is what your child is feeling. Our bodies use the sleep time to heal. Those jolts are enough to wake one up and a baby can only respond by crying.

Just a guess.

Nancy

Your not a happy camper in the morning....LOL....
I thought you were such a cheerful person...

Did you have problems with cold before surgery? And now that you have had surgery is your arm warmer?

I am a morning person even without sleep I can go on as little as 4 hours sleep and still be cheerful when I wake up.... my family hate me for that one!!!
I have trouble sleeping and one of the things I discovered was the fact that I was cold on the right side only and also that my face on the right side is just as cold...I often put the blanket on the right side of my face and ear... wonder if this is also connected to the bpi...???? I think it is because of the Horner's.....
just a little added thought...please don't read this in the morning....LOL....
Kath

Kath,
I am not a happy camper in the morning. My husband can testify to that ...

Yes I have indeed noticed that the arm is warmer since the surgery and I don't think I realized how cold it was till I started experiencing the warmth that added circulation is bringing to the arm and hand. As I type this I have my e-stim running and that sure helps with the circulation and warmth too.

Actually for me, with the Horner's I have the opposite problem with my face and have noticed that the left side gets too warm most of the time. Sometimes that ear will be red and the other not and it looks really strange, or I'll look flushed on half my face. This is because with the Horner's sometimes the sweat glands don't develop. I get overheated easily.

Actually my morning improves after I've had coffee but I wouldn't recommend that for the children of course!

Nancy