United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

karleen I always said that Maia had pain for 7 months... after she had primary surgery she became a different child - we were amazed and saddened by that.... Maia would not nurse on the affected side.

Karleen
our son Gavin (robpi) was in ahuge amount of distress following his delivery. He was taken into the night nursery after his delivery because I was under the effects of the GA following emergency surgery and at about 4 am the senior Midwife came and told me that he was so distressed they were taking him to the Neo-Natal High dependency unit.
He was x-rayed to ensure he didn't have a fractured clavicle (which he didn't) and then he was placed on morphine and sedated to allow him time to recover from the birth.
He was in the unit for 2 weeks and after he came home he cried an enormous amount.
I will never be 100% certain whether it was his bpi which caused him so much pain or all the other associated problems - but I know he needed the pain relief.
Karen

My baby was in a semi shock. His clavical fracture was very painful for weeks. His torticollis bothered him. People say he did not know any difference. Well, for 9 months he was moving inside me safe and healthy.

I argued about the pain issue with the doctors also. For the first couple of weeks Kyle cried, especially when we would do his ROM. I had requested an x-ray at the hospital when he was born only to be told it was not neccessary because he had erb's palsy and once the swelling went down he would be fine. Finally when we started him in private therapy his PT said he needed to be x-rayed. And what do you think they found.....his clavicle had been broken at birth and went undetected by all the doctors who examined him...Talk about a mother who was hot!!! My poor son suffered for two weeks because the docs thought they knew it all. Please if your child seems to be in pain and has not been x-rayed.....INSIST that they do it. We were very fortunate that we did not cause further damage to his arm by ROMing him. His clivicsl healed fine. Sorry to rant about this...it is just a very sore subject with me.
Karrie

My mom said that I was in extreme pain. I cried all the time. She said no matter what she did I cried. My shoulder blade was broken & I was splinted for it. Doctors told her that I wasn't crying because I was in pain. No, I just was crying because I felt like it..whatever!

My child was in excruciating pain. Piercing screams and not colic. It lasted for the first few weeks and was unbearable. I thought I was going to have a break down. He would be fine and than shriek and jolt his body. I think many doctors today, even some of the specialists don't really recognize or appreciate the pain aspect that occurrs early on with this injury.

I really don't think that Sophie had any pain in her arm once the damage was done, but then again she didn't have a broken clavicle either.

Our experience was that we didn't believe Mariella was in pain after birth. She was actually a quiet baby and didn't fuss much at all even during the first few days. Maybe it depends on the child? Maybe she was in pain, but didn't show it? I still always wonder about this!
~Krista~

When Jessica was born, I asked if there was pain, and they said "no, babies with this injury don't feel pain", but every time we did the ROMS she screamed. It was obvious there was a great deal of pain. I think it's ridiculous that they try to say babies dont' feel pain, just because they can't vocalize it!

doctors told my parent I had no pain...
My siblings still talk about the fact that no one slept in our family for the first year after I was born...

My bother told me I would cry all the time - I wore a brace for the first 11 months and I would scream until someone took it off...

If and adult feels pain when their nerve's are injured why would anyone think that a baby does not feel pain...
Read the studies on pain in newborns we know they can feel.
http://www.cps.ca/english/media/NewsReleases/Pain.htm
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/ ... 511.x/abs/

This one I found very interesting as the grandmother of a 26 week baby -- and it is the premature babies that most study for pain management.
http://record.wustl.edu/archive/1999/07 ... wborn.html

I have always had pain but I just stopped telling anyone because they made me feel like I was crazy...
My mother believed I had pain.

Kath