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This is the story about our son, Tobias, born on June 13 1996. If anybody he was wanted, all right, and we were both looking forward to be parents. My due date was on June 1 but hitting June 12 I remember clearly telling Tom: " If he doesn't show today he better stay in there till June 14....I'm not gonna give birth on the 13th...!!!" I sensed something bad would happen if he arrived in the 13th...........Unfortunately I was right!
Nothing went as expected. I woke up that morning and sensed a strange feeling in my belly. After about an hour I woke up Tom and he called the hospital in Thisted.They told us to wait and see especially 'cause I was a "first timer" and usually it takes its time to give birth. After another half hour we called again and told them that now it WAS time. We arrived about 5.30 am and I was examined. They saw some green water come out of me and Tom sensed that there was something totally wrong with this picture...!!! The midwife went forth and back a few times to talk to the OB. I was in my own pain world and today I'm happy I didn't know what was going on!The baby's heartbeat dived a couple of times and they put a sensor on his head so they could follow how he was doing. At that time they talked about a C-section, 'cause they felt it was time to get him out. They prepared me for that if it showed it was necessary. Then they tried 7 times with a sucking instrument ... very violent ... and both the OB and the midwife was pulling and pushing my stomach. Finally he came out......but was lifeless! Quickly they brought him to a table next to me and started to work on him. There was a bunch of people in the room who tried to get him back to life. It finally happened but he was in a bad condition so they had to bring him to another hospital where they had experienced pediatrists. There I was... not able to see my son but through an incubator, before they took him away to the other hospital!. Tom was next to me and there was nothing we could do but wait. I had a little trouble getting the placenta out. They gave me two shots in the vagina since I was torn and needed to be sawn together. But after the shots (and that really hurts) the doctor noticed to big of a wound, they desided to give me anesthesia. Meanwhile Tom was alone and devastated and could only wait for me to wake up again. When I woke up Tom and I was transported to the other hospital in Viborg where Tobias was in intensive care and they had put him on a respirator to give him some rest. It was hard to see that little body laying there all bundled up in tubes! After 2 days we where allowed to hold him...that was so wonderful. After 3 days he was out of the respirator and relocated to the children's floor. One of his lungs was collapsed due to lack of oxydient during birth. How long he had been without oxydient they couldn't say neither how much damage his brain had.....but he might have cerebral palsy or epilepsy. They just could not tell yet ... only time would show!. His right shoulder had been stuck and he was very large 4500 gr or approx. 9 pound 10 ounce. His right arm was limp and dangled to his side. The doctor gave him a splint to wear, but took it of after less than a day and told us it was of no use unless he had it put on from the very beginning...!!!! They also told us the arm would be fine with some occupational therapy. 17 days later we went home from the hospital and that was wonderful to be back. But also scary since no one knew how Tobias would develop! Would he be brain damaged?????/
I remember clearly the first time I made him giggle.....the tears sprinkled from my eyes.......because if he could giggle it couldn't be that bad. Every little thing he learned was so big for us...I guess it is like that for every new parents..... but I think we appreciated it a bit more now we knew he might develop like a normal baby.....we didn't take anything for granted!
Tom's grandpa called us up one day and asked if we would be interested in seeing a chiropractor about Tobias' arm. He had told his own about his new great grandchild and the Chiropractor felt he could help.We also talked to the OT and she gave us green light to do that. The doctor at Viborg hospital didn't believe it would help....he even thought it could get worse! But we agreed to give the chiropractor a chance after talking to him. But still we where a bit hesitant since we only would give Tobias the best treatment there was........he was depended on our decision! The chiropractor examined him and told us Tobias' body was pulled uneven during birth but he felt he was able to help. I believe he got 6-7 treatments only a few days after each other and something really happened. The OT was working with him in the same period of time at our house. It's hard to say if it was the chiropractor, the OT or time who made the arm work but it worked! Tobias is still seeing the chiropractor once a year to be sure his joints will stay loose and the OT see him approx. 2 x a year and we are doing some exercises with him. The first year we went regularly to check ups at the hospital so they could follow his progress. Everytime the Doctors were surprised! They never dared to think Tobias would develop as normal as he did. After a year they referred us to the hospital where he was born and they see him twice a year but only to check on his arm!
Today Tobias still has a ball spot on his head from the sucking instrument. There is no hair but a plastic surgery will take care of that. We, his parents, decided it will be his own decision when he grow older.
His arm can not reach as far as the left. He can not suppinate his forearm and do a complete "palm up" as good as the left. But to us it really is nothing compared to what might have happened to him!!!!
Tobias I a bright and active boy, just like every other boys his age. Its only his arm that doesn't work a 100 % (but isn't 95 a good percentage?). He is compensating with the left arm if there is things the right arm can't do and he will use the fingers instead of the hole arm. We found it would be a great exercise to screw a screw, but he uses his fingers instead of his forearm. So much for that exercise!!!!
Even though Tobias' birth was tough and the time after was horrible and filled with a lot of fears, we decided he was NOT gonna be an only child. On February 25th 1999 we had his brother, Mads. We had many concerns about the birth, as you can imagine but a doctor we talked to advised us to have a C-section, since he didn't want us to go though that again. So, Mads was born after a planned C-section and I was under local anesthesia. It was an amazing experience and indescribable to hear my newborn sons scream when he was taken out. He was 4950 grams, aprox. 10 pounds, and we found it was the right decision to have a C-section!
That was the story of our precious son, Tobias, who came into this life with pain, tears and fears. But thank god everything turned out so well. Still he is to little to understand what he has been through and how lucky he was, but when he gets older we will tell him about his first terrible days in this life.
