My son Nikolas was born on April 12th of 2011. When I was 35 weeks pregnant I went for my weekly check up and from their sent to the hospital. They said that Nikolas quit growing. From their I was placed on monitors 2 to 3 times a week and had weekly sonograms done to make sure Nikolas was getting a good supply of blood. They said my placenta looked “aged” and he would need to be delivered at 37 weeks or I would risk the chance of having a still birth. I had a scheduled C- Section due to Nikolas being breech.
Once Nikolas was delivered they took him straight to the baby station to clean him up. My Boyfriend and I waited patiently to see our newly born son. Then before we got to see him; the nurse came over to us, and informed us that Nikolas was missing his right hand. At first I didn’t even believe the news, but my boyfriend immediately started crying and i gripped his hand tight.. They continued to tell us that he was perfect and healthy. Then they brought him to us to see and finally hold. As i was being wheeled into the recovery room it sank in that my baby wasn’t whole. As i got into the room with our family we were both crying and everyone thought something had gone wrong with the delivery. They wouldn’t of been anymore happier about him then as if he didn’t suffer from ABS. Later that day my mother went on the internet and told me about this sight and concluded that she was positive that what happened to Nikolas was from amniotic bands.
We have recently took Nikolas to the plastic surgeon for them to determine that it was ABS. They did X rays that showed his right arm is shorter then the left and he has no palm or finger bones. He goes back in 4 months to check on his progress and talk about the option of prosthesis.
Of course my first trip to a local grocery store with Nikolas everyone was telling me how adorable he was, but as one lady started to say that he was cute she caught glimpse of his hand and started to stutter. I always try to look at the positive in every aspect of life. It doesn’t matter how others view one another. I know my baby is perfect on the inside and outside. This website and its stories have helped me dealt with the shock of Nikolas’s hand.
Nikolas now uses his “little hand” to push his pacifier back in his mouth and help hold up his bottle. I cant wait until hes older to see how else he adapts! Of course he and every baby are PERFECT no matter how anyone else views them.
Contact me at anytime; I’d love to hear your your stories and how you have dealt with ABS.
