United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi Everyone,

I hope this finds you all well. I haven't been on for a while...The reason I'm writing is to get some feedback from any mom's who have gone on to have other children after their child was injured. I am newly pregnant and I'm already worrying about the delivery. I think I will most likely opt for a planned c section but I was wondering if anyone has had a natural birth with out complications after a BPI and what you did differently?

thanks so much for any feedback you can offer me

Dawn, mom to Cassidy 2.5 years ROBPI

I have given birth three times. The first weighed 8.10, had a slight bpi going away after just 12 hours, that being said I knew nothing about bpi except that it made my daughter not move her arm for the 12 hours and then she was fine so no other investigating done. Two years later I had Maggie nothing was told to me about a csection and knowing she was at least 9lbs I delivered her naturally weighing 10.6, with a severe bpi, intabated and in NICU for a week. I did however want a boy so we tried again 3 yrs later, the dr told me I was def going to have a planned csection and we did three weeks early, he ended up weighing 8.13, he came out of me with blisters from the meds they gave me, but after having a bag of iv meds he was perfectly fine.

I dont want to scare you but I had to tell you my story, If I would have known about bpis I would have oppted for a csection with Maggie and she would not be injured right now.

We so need to figure something out so people will know what bpi and the signs to look for are so all these little babies that would have been perfect wont have to go through all the heart ache of surgeries and therepy they have to go through.

I dont think everyone should have automatic csections but if the signs are there then a csection should be given right away with no questions asked. These drs just need to be trained and trained some more about bpis and shoulder dystosia.

Congratulations on your recent news of pregnancy!

This is a very tough question, and a very personal one. This question has been asked multiple times on this board, so feel free to search the boards (there's a key word search capability) for those previous threads.

There was a wonderful article written in the latest Outreach magazine broaching this topic. There was the perspective written from two moms; one who chose to do a planned cesarean with her next delivery and one who chose to do a vaginal delivery for the next delivery with some modifications in her pregnancy/delivery.

That being said...if you chose to deliver vaginally, you need to make sure your doctor/midwife is well skilled in maneuvers dealing with shoulder dystocia. Quiz them on this! It's a must! Does the staff at the hospital where you deliver hold shoulder dystocia drills? They should at least twice per year. Another must. And you should make sure that you labor, push, and deliver off of your back (you should be squatting, side-lying, on your hands & knees) instead of lying on your back with your legs up or in stirrups. Another must!

Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery, whichever method you choose.

Tanya in NY
Amber's Mom, ROBPI, 6 years old tomorrow!

hi Guys,

I know this is a personal subject and I thank you both for sharing what you did. I am about 95 percent sure that I will have an early C section, I haven't even been to the doctor yet, but I know I have gotten more useful info from other parents who have gone through this than most doctors (besides her specialist)so I thought in the meantime I would ask any of you mom's what your experiences were...thanks again for sharing...


Dawn, Mom to Cassidy 2.5 years ROPBI

Congratulations on your pregnancy! My daughter was born with a robpi June of 2006 she only weighed 6lb 9oz and I was scared to death of having the same thing happen to another baby. I had a planned c-section with my second pregnancy for my peace of mind and was very glad I did. My little boy is 2 months old now and perfectly healthy, but his birth weight was 10lb 2oz. The surgery is awful to recover from, but it goes fast and was so easy for the baby. I was very happy with my decision, good luck with yours.

Thanks for sharing your story

Dawn,
I wish I could tell you that I went on to delivery vaginally but my following two babies were both c/s. I had planned to do have an induction with the first one but an on call doc just didn't agree with that option and chose to use bad manners and scare tatics to get me to change my mind. And it worked.

If you are intrested in a vag delivery here is what I had done:
Found a doctor I felt comfortable with and trusted could handle a shoulder dystocia. He was also confident that I could have a vag delivery.
We watched baby's growth to make sure that he wasn't gonna be huge. We did this with both of my last babies and they were on the money BTW. I have been told that this appears to be more accurate when done around the 31st week.
We planned an induction. I didn't want to go late and have the baby get too big.

Of course all of these things do not promise a good outcome and I think the first thing I mentioned is the most important. Finding a doctor that you can trust and that you both have confidence that this delivery can be different than your last one!

With that said my first c/s experience was grand! I loved it and when another child was on the way that was how I wanted to deliver! Too bad that time around wasn't a grand but the baby is!

Either way you are going to have a blessings added to your home and that should be your focus! Congratulations!
Blessings,
Kristie

After my first daughter was born with a severe lobp injury, I was very nervous about getting pregnant again. However, I did end up having two more babies and I chose a different doctor who was aware of the situation and felt that a c-section would be the least possible risk for me. I was very grateful to find a doctor who was not going to push me into trying another vaginal birth. There was no way I was going to risk an injury to my second child. My next child was 8lbs 12oz.(bigger than my first) and was wonderfully healthy born via c-section. The same can be said for my third child as well. For me, the c-sections were way easier than the vaginal birth. I know that everyone has different experiences, but the recovery time from my sections was much shorter than from my vaginal birth. The pain was less as well. I was up and walking around on day 2. Even better for me was the knowledge that my child was uninjured! That would have made everything worthwhile even if the c-section had been difficult. I am sure that there are some people who feel that a natural birth can be accomplished after a bpi, however I would have been way too nervous to try for that.

I can remember feeling like I would never be able to think about having another baby. After four years and all the medical treatment possible for our son, we were blessed with a baby. I interviewed my new obstetrician and he was able to answer my questions and talk to me about my concerns. He agreed to my decision to opt for planned c-sections. I went through my second pregnancy with some minor thoughts of fear. My c-section went very well and I healed with no problems. I am now currently pregnant with our third baby due March 25. We have two sons and this time we are going to have a baby girl. I am sure that if you are able to find a obstetrician that will understand your concerns and reassure you, you will feel much better. If you ever need to talk please email me. Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Mommy to Nicholas 6 LOBPI and Dawson 2


Message was edited by: nkjacoby