And so we wait...

When something traumatic happens to us or our loved ones, we don't usually just want to sit around and wait for the horror of it all to pass us by. We want to DO something. While I waited on appointments to come through, and therapist evaluations, and red tape to be managed, I began to research.

The research can be scary. It can be confusing, it can be disheartening. It can be misleading. There is so much information out there, but still so little is known. Most of the things I came across all said the same things. No real insight. No real peek into the life of an adult with this disability. There was a lot of vague, superficial mention of medical procedures and appropriate time frames to wait, but nothing ever really provided much information on the long-term prognosis of Erb's Palsy. Basically, it all said this: most kids turn out okay, but some don't. I wanted to know everything; I needed to see into my child's future.

We came across Dr. Nath's website, and though I didn't know he would eventually be my hero, it looked to me like he knew what he was doing, so we began our own version of physical therapy while we waited for an evaluation and approval from our early intervention program. We didn't know what to do exactly, but we had read that it was important to keep the muscles of the affected limb loose and limber. If one does not do so, the muscles in the arm can contract, become tight, or atrophy; this means more work for you and your little one in the long run. We used the exercises I found here: http://www.drnathbrachialplexus.com/babyrom/babyrom.php. We did them several times a day and found that the baby did not complain. It made us feel so much better to finally be taking an active role in her recovery.

Our doctor took forever filing the paperwork for First Steps, Indiana's Early Intervention. So, we called the office ourselves and found that you could refer your child for an evaluation yourself. Soon after that, a coordinator is sent to your home, and then you have an evaluation. You can ask lots of questions, and they will spend time with your child. My baby did a great job, and the people that came were so professional. Most of these people are parents themselves, and lots of them begin working there after positive experiences in their own families. They were helpful in helping to choose the right therapists for us, and it was all a quick process.

By two months old, my daughter was having once weekly visits for therapy. They would show me what to do, teach me techniques and distraction methods, and give me a weekly report on how my child was progressing. Since then, my daughter and her therapist have become friends, and she looks forward to her visits.

Then, just when it seemed that my once-normal life would forever be invaded by doctor's appointments and therapy, things began to settle down. We had time to watch our beautiful daughter learn to laugh, learn to love, discover the dog. Everyone tells you they grow so fast, but you don't really understand until it happens.