Hi Nicole

Thanks very much, it really helps to talk to people who are going through the same thing because up until now we felt as if it was only us! Everyone seems to know someone who has been through this yet we couldn't manage to speak to anyone as it's always a friend of a friend! We can take Harrisons brace off to change his nappy and to bath him but we almost feel as if this is cruel as he is reminded of what its like without it on but I'm sure wearing it full time is much worse.

I hope everything goes well for Scarlett on the 8th Jan, we are waiting for our first ultrasound scan appointment to come through and hopefully should know more then (I don't know about your health service but things have moved very quickly for us which is great and very rare for the British National Health Service!).

The hospital told us not to put any clothes under his brace but we might ask the question at our next appointment as his little legs are getting really red and I wonder if this is making him upset sometimes. At the moment we are just covering his legs with vasaline before putting his brace on and then trying to fit him into dungarees as thats the only thing we can fit over his brace (Winter here is so cold otherwise we would leave his legs exposed!).

I've read the thread back to 2005 and it's really encouraging to see the mums progress from where we are now to eventually getting the babys brace off - although to us this seems a million miles away it helps to read other peoples stories and to talk to people who are going through similar things at the same time.

Thanks again Nicole, best of luck to everyone, keep us posted.

Laura xx