RE: Re: A Bomb was Dropped on me Yesterday ()

[Guest guest]

Hi Dawn,

I'm very sorry to hear what you're going through. Your son is very

fortunate to have you as his mother and being such a strong advocate for

him.

I've just caught the tail end of this thread, but wanted to comment on

something you mentioned below.

I was an OB nurse for almost 10 years and spent a lot of time formally

assessing newborns. One test that is pretty standard is the

Dubowitz/Ballard exam. It's based on various developmental signs that all

newborns possess. Rating them according to the Dubowitz/Ballard rubrics,

you can pretty accurately assess the gestational age of a newborn.

You mention your son's hands being open. That is very common in preterm

babies. This is part of the reflex rubric that's assessed, arms, legs,

hips, and hands are more hypertonic in the first 48 hours of a full-term

newborn's life (drawn up and flexed).

A preterm baby has more relaxed muscle tone. Their arms and legs are,

depending on how early they are, more relaxed and straight, this would

include the muscles of the fingers. As you already know, the fact that you

received mag sulfate during your pregnancy can also affect the neuromuscular

signs your baby displayed at birth.

You could probably get access to your son's medical records from when he was

born and see what his Ballard/Dubowitz score was and see the outcome of his

assessments by the nursing and medical staff.

All the best to you.

Kay

-----Original Message-----

On Behalf Of Dawn

My son was born 6 weeks early due to my suffering from severe

preeclampsia. He was born healthy despite all of it and did not need

oxygen at birth. Great Apgar Score too.

Because he was premature it is standard now for Easter Seals to come

out and assess for any delays. They came out just before his 2 mo.

vaccines (did not receive Hep B at birth) and did not even believe

that he was early. He was born with open fists (which is not common,

but means he was very secure), he was holding his bottle often and he

was even smiling when his corrected age was only 2 weeks old! They

happily told me that he was very advanced for his age and he didn't

qualify for services. One of the evaluators casually mentioned he

was slightly low-tone in his legs which I now attribute to the

magnesium sulfate that I was given prior to his delivery. Not a big

deal.