Nick Can Clap

You may well ask, "What's the big deal, most 10 month olds can clap?" Well, Nicholas was injured when he was born. His upper right arm was broken, but more significantly his left arm sustained a brachial plexus injury or Erb's Palsy, it was paralyzed. He had some movement in his wrist and hand, but none in his shoulder or elbow.

Brachial plexus injuries are complex. When this injury occurs at birth it is complicated by the fact that the newborn's muscles grow and strengthen drastically in the first few months. So even if a baby regains all nerve function, they could still deal with muscle imbalances and bone problems.

That's your science lesson for the day. Now on to the amazing and wonderful blessing that God has given to us. NICHOLAS CAN CLAP! This is a huge deal for BPI kids. I won't bore you with more science, but this is a big step.

Yeah Nicholas! He also no longer needs therapy. So hopefully we can wave bye-bye to thinking about BPI for the time being. Wave bye-bye Nick, good job.

Just for the record, I believe that if my husband and I had had more information before Nicholas was born, his injury could have been avoided. If you have ever experienced a shoulder dystocia during delivery, please do some research on BPI before you have another baby and check with your OB or midwife about their experience with this complication.