I am the mother of a beautiful baby boy named Patrick who was born May 7, 2008. Patrick was born without his right hand. It appears that he has his wrist and is bending it and using it more and more each day. It also appears that he has a faint little nub of what would have been fingers. We were told those are called residual fingers. We were not aware that Patrick had ABS until he was born. It was quite a shock to my husband and myself. I had a repeat c-section with Patrick, who is my second son,and I remember after the doctor delivered him, he said, “there is a slight problem with the baby’s hand.” I cried and cried on that operating table. I tried to get it all out then and I have tried to stay strong ever since. I did go through a difficult time asking myself, how did I do this to my baby? And what could I have done differently? But I know now that it was not my fault and there was nothing that could have been done. He’s not even 3 months old yet, so there is a lot of learning ahead of us. Not just for Patrick, but for myself and my husband. I hope we can be strong parents for him and help him understand that he is a strong, healthy, happy boy that can accomplish almost anything he sets his mind to.
I had never heard of ABS until the birth of my son, and I thank you here at the website for joining me with other parents to educate myself on this condition. I know that Patrick will be just fine with a lot of hard work and a positive attitude from himself and his family. He has our love and support. It’s nice to know we are not alone in our challenges. I would love to chat with anyone else that has ABS or that has children with ABS. Thank You!
Karen Martine
Alabama
