We got our 2nd child (we have Andreas, 2) on April 18th. 2000.....this time a beautiful
baby girl, Amalie.
My pregnancy progressed as planned and a week post due date Amalie was ready for her
arrival. 3 1/2 hour after the water broke (first sign of labor at all....) she was pulled
in to this world. As it turned out she was a little more than 2 pound heavier than her
brother was when he was born, and nobody ever saw that coming. She was about 9 lb. 10
ounce (4400 grams) and 23 inches (55 cm.) long. When her head was born her shoulder was
stuck. I sensed the midwife pushing the alarm button and my husband, Claus, noticed her
facial impression chanced drastically. I was told to raise my legs to a vertical position
(I didn't think much about it at that point) and before the help came in the midwife had
pulled Amalie out by her right arm. I noticed she was a little bluish but she was alert and
was brought to my breast right after birth. after a couple of hours we dressed her and the
midwife came up to me and said:" Her right arm is a little limp but it will pass after
a few days....!" She also told me that she had to pull her out since she would have
been unable to handle more than a few more contractions with only her head out. We were
ready to go home but all of a sudden she was about to be seen by a pediatrician and a
physiotherapist. This seemed strange to us since the weakness would depart after "a
few days". But not in this case.......!
At this writing moment Amalie is 6 mo. old and see a physiotherapist every 3. week and
a pediatrician every 2. month. Quite a lot has happened to her arm. If you don't know it you
will not notice anything. She moves it around as much as the left....up and
down......forward and back, but she tend to rotate the hand towards herself and her arm is
held out from her body. These are the things we work on now.
I haven't seen your website before now and I'm sure it would have comfort me the first
couple of month where everything was so devastating. Anyway, I was worried and had many
thoughts if her arm would ever be normal. But today looking, at Amalie, I see a lovely and
cheerful girl....the arm is just a matter of secondary importance. Of cause we have to do
exercise with her but compared to the beginning where we were very focused on what to do
to stimulate her arm and make sure she had stimulation to her right side, we now find its
one of the things we include in our everyday routine without even thinking about it.
05.09.01 Amalie is fine! A month ago we
were released from Skejby Hospital. The Pediatricians found that she had developed
extremely well. Wonderful. People can't see she ever had a paralyzed arm! As
being her parents, we can see it but we also know what to look for! Though, we
have to continue daily therapy so her elbow will not get stiff. But she also
does her own therapy. We are convinced that she will end up right handed. If she
has problems getting her food in her mouth with her right hand, she will help
push with her left. It's very impressive to watch how she compensate and use
what ever tools she's born with.
Andres has started preschool and he is doing extremely well. moreover he has
gone diaper-free this summer so now he is our big boy! Amalie always wants to
tease him....with her 13.1 kg she easily turns him over....he is not even 14 kg.
him self...!She is a real bully towards him and know exactly how to make him
cry. As parents it's hard. On one side we want to help him but on the other hand
it will be best if he could learn how to cope.
Henriette
& Claus Lindgaard Jensen
