Good luck tomorrow Madcat, hope all goes well. Kira will be running around again in no time and the cast will be a distant memory :)
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Good luck tomorrow Madcat, hope all goes well. Kira will be running around again in no time and the cast will be a distant memory :)
Hi Girls,
I'm just after a bit of advice. My bub is 6 wks old and was born breech. Because of being born breech the Paed told me it is compulsory for her to have a scan on her hips at 6 wks to see if she has hip dysplasia. I am wondering how many of your bubs were breech and if there were any signs of them having hip dysplasia before you actually found out they did? She has her scan tomorrow.
Furgurnie - whoo hoo to one week down already! Won't be long before Emma will be off again!
Madcat - how exciting! Fantastic that your cast days are just about over!
Leigh26 - Good luck for your scan. My daughter wasn't breech and didn't have any of the risk factors and had hip dysplasia. So although your baby was breech, you could quite easily get the all clear, so try not to worry hon. And if it is worse case scenario, it will be caught early. Fingers crossed for you, let us know how you go!
DD is almost there, almost walking. I think it will break my heart the day she does, to see that she has finally gotten there.
Hi girls,
Hope you n the kiddies are all doing well? We have had a crap 2 weeks, my bub had a nasty reaction to her MMR immunisation, coupled with an ear infection and teething. We finally turned the corner yesterday (again) after nearly two weeks.
Furgurnie - into the second week already!!! Wooohoooo. Cannot believe how quick it has gone. Have you felt it has gone quickly?? Yep, I hear you about the weight of the cast. If you can, I highly recommend treating yourself to a couple of massages.
Liddy105 - Great to hear that everything is now going well. It must be a weight off and peace of mind.
Madcat - Fantastic to hear that Kira will be out of the cast.... How did it all go?? What happens with Kira from here?? Is there anymore treatment??
Leigh26 - My very good girlfriend had 2 kids who were both breech and both bubs were and are totally fine... It is good they are doing a precautionary as it's better to pick it up sooner than later. My DD also wasn't breech or have any of the indicators, we have been put down to hereditary, yet can't find anything concrete in our family histories... Fingers crossed all is alright for your bub.
Corelly - What a wonderful milestone to see your daughter walk. I cannot imagine that bittersweet moment and cannot wait until we are where you're at.
We too did the changing of the butt on the tummy, it was sooooo much easier. My little miss is pulling herself up and standing in the brace, which I truly did not see how it could be possible. I am nervous about weight bearing, but her paed ortho assured me it was ok. Can't wait until her appointment, just over a week to go. I am just getting more and more nervous. I am hoping we go to night time only. Fingers crossed!!
Hi to all the other mummies and have a great weekend everyone.
Jackie
xx
Hi Corelly and jacksnjeff, thank you both for your replies. My bub had her scan today and sonographer couldn't see any problems with her hips, I was very relieved. We still have an appointment with the paed on Wednesday to discuss the results.
Leigh26- my daughter wasn’t breech but she did have a few risk factors – family history (I was born without any hip sockets), being a first child and also being a girl. I noticed her skin folds on her legs weren’t even before her 6 week scan, this can also indicate hip problems. Keep positive, they are just being thorough and like Corelly said if it is worst case scenario it’ll be picked up early and it can be fixed. I will be thinking of you and your little girl tomorrow, let us know how she goes.
Corelly- I can’t wait to see Emma walking, it will be such a relief to know what she went through was worth it. You must be holding your breath each time your daughter looks like she is taking her first steps!
Yesterday I bought some Poise pads to put inside Emma’s newborn nappy at night to see if they’d absorb more, I was so pleased this morning to find they worked really well. Looks like Emma will get to have her uninterrupted sleep overnight again :) This might help you PinkFairy!
Hi Leigh26, I just noticed your ticker and you DD name. We are looking at TTC number 3 and if we have a girl our names are either Lexie, Charlotte or Abbey!!! May I asl what your other 2 daughters name are?? Mine are Caitlin and Isabelle.:
Leigh26- My message was sent a few minutes after yours, so didn't see your update! That is great news about your scan, I can imagine how wonderful that felt to hear all looked good.
Jackie - yeah time is flying by, the cast will be off before we know it. I like the idea of getting a back massage, that would be a lovely treat for me!
By the way, how does everyone get their birthday countdown ticker thing on here, I have tried so many times, there must be a trick to it??
Hi Everyone,
Kira had her cast off on Friday! YEAH WOOHOO (much silly dancing!)
All went really well, the bones are knitting back together, she still has three large pins holding everything together, they will be taken out in the coming months when the bone is more solid. It was so beautiful to she her turn up in our bedroom the next morning, after having very slowly walked from her own room (it took ages), holding on to the wall the whole way!!!! (a tear of very proud mum)
So still not out of the woods yet, Surgeon said may need to do further surgery to top of leg bone to get a better position, but that wont be for a few years yet! Phew!!
I am so happy!!!!!
Leigh26 - Glad everything went well for the scan results.
As to your question (a really good one, by the way!) about warning signs...
Kira slipped under the radar and wasn't diagonsed till nearly 10mths old, but i did notice some things, she had more creases under one side of her bum than the other, one leg slightly longer, she wouldn't put weight on one leg when being held up right, she would really scream when the tried to do the leg rotation test at the CMHN. Looking back it was so obvious, but as a first time mum with none of the typical risk factors, and not even knowing what Hip Dysplasia was, it went unnoticed.
Furgurnie- Glad things are going so well for you. Grandpa should go into business, the table on facebook was awesome!!!
Corelly - Walking is such a great milestone with our babes, whenever and however they are able to. :)
Jackie - Glad to hear things are getting back on track for you now.
When Kira was in full spica when she was just over 1yr, she worked out how to pull her self into a standing position! Much to my horror! She also worked out how to walk (holding on to furniture) around in her brace. Kids are such gutsy little unstoppable creatures. hehe
:)
Madcat- that is great news, Kira must be thrilled… and you of course! Good to hear she is walking, even if a bit wobbly to begin with. Does she have to have physio to rebuild strength and muscle? How often do you have follow up appointments now? Did you keep her cast?
Emma is loving her special table and chair that her grandpa made for her, it allows her to sit upright and play whilst in her cast. You are right Madcat, my dad should go into business making them, there isn’t much out there in Australia for spica chairs etc. :)
How good has the weather been lately, bring on Spring I say!
Hope everyone is well.
Furgurnie - for your birthday ticker (sorry don't know how to do a link) - go to the forum tab, into forum help abbreviations faqs and then right down the bottom of the list of threads there is one called "how do I add a ticker to my signature" . You might need to ask a moderator. I've forgotten how I did mine, because I had some trouble too and had to ask for help. I also read somewhere that you need to have a few posts up your sleeve to be able to get one. Your dad should market these chairs for spica kids, clever idea!
Madcat - :leap: :leap: fantastic that Kira is out of her cast! Must have been so wonderful to hear her coming down to your room, special determined girl!!!!
Hi girls,
Hope you have all been going well? We are back to normal with miss I. Yay!! We had a good weekend and now busy with lots of birthday parties until mid September. My girls birthday party is on 22 Aug, so trying to do all the last minute things for that.
Madcat - How goddamn exciting that your little girl is Spica free! That would've been a total melting heart moment hearing her come into your room. What a courageous little girl. Wow wee also standing in the Spica. I was amazed my one is standing in the brace.... How have you all been going since the spica came off?
Furgurnie - What a very clever grandpa Emma has... Not sure whether I read you can't post pictures, but can you?? Would love to see. I agree, there isn't really much out there that you can purchase to help our Spica kids. The weather has been totally gorgeous, we even enjoyed our home day today after swimming. It was nice to just chill and look out at the miserable weather.
We have our appointment in a week and am so bloody nervous. I have a bad feeling, but not sure if I am looking too hard at Isabelle and mentally preparing for bad news. Hope that makes sense. Just wish it was here already.
Anyhoo, hello to all the other mummies and hope everyone is travelling well.
Jackie
xx
Corelly, thanks for explaining how to get that ticker thing as a signature, I have tried a few times now, not working for me! I think you may be right, I need more posts up my sleeve to be able to do it. Has your daughter taken her first steps yet?!
Jackie- I think the table and chair is fantastic, it gets Emma up off the floor and sitting upright, she loves it. Dad may make more if people want one, so let me know. Don’t think you can post photos on this site so you can see it on my facebook page, just search Rebecca Van Geyzel. I have all Emma’s pic’s of her in her cast of there, it’s a great way to keep family and friends updated on her progress.
I have been out with Emma quite a bit now, I was expecting people to give us strange looks when they saw her cast but people are curious and ask why she has it. It is amazing just how many people know of someone that was in a cast or has been in a brace.
Hope all is well with everyone :p
Jackie - I've got my fingers crossed that your appointment goes well. It's a horrible feeling, that waiting and hoping. Hope it's great news for you.
Furgurnie - DD took her first solo steps on Sunday. She took two early in the afternoon and then another couple later, but she's been too chicken to try again and gripping onto my hand with everything she's got *sigh* . She's getting really frustrated now, even my mum commented on it yesterday. Crawling just isn't quick enough for her, but she has to convince herself to do the next bit. You're braver than me with the cast. I pretty much went to the doctor's appointments and that was about it while DD was in it. I was nervous about the car seat, she was propped up so much that she had very little padding around her, so we kept ourselves busy with lots and lots of walks.
Hi All,
Corelly - Wow great news on the walking front, its the first steps that lead to the rest! Wont be long now...
Jackie - Fingers crossed for your appointment. hope all goes well.
Furgurnie - Glad all is easier than you expected. I love it when that happens!
Miss K is doing really well, she is walking around now (with wobbly limp and tiptoe), She says it doesn't hurt but feels like she is wearing high heals on one side and is a bit uncomfortable. Apart from that, she is able to sit in any position and seems to have full flexibility back. In six weeks we will have another appt to see if bone is solid enough to have pins removed.
:)
Hi all,
Does anyone have any good ideas on how to keep spica casts from smelling?? I have noticed a slight odour that isn’t gross or anything, but don’t want it getting too bad. I have dabbed a eucalyptus soaked cotton wool ball on the cast but wondering if there is something better out there? We have 3 ½ weeks left, woohoo!!
Jackie– good luck this week at the appointment, I hope you get only good news. I will be thinking of you.
Corelly- yay, I have my signature ticker thing up and running! It appears that you must have to posted a certain number of times before your allowed one. That is fantastic your daughter has taken some steps, what a heart melting moment. Has she taken any more unassisted?
Madcat- so awsome Kira is walking so soon after the cast removal, I have heard that kids walk on their tip toes afterwards sometimes, do you know why that is? Does she need physio? Hope all continues to go well for you.
If anyone is interested in spica chair hire for a great price let me know, my dad made Emma a chair that she can use whilst in the cast and has now made a few more as he’d love to help others out there in the same situation.
Take care.
Hi girls,
Hope you all had a lovely weekend?? Ours was very busy, but great!! We had both girls in bed by 6.30 tonight and now rest time for hubby and me.
Corelly - what wonderful news about your DD having the courage to take steps. I so get that about the poor little munchkin getting frustrated. I am starting to see little bits of that in Izy with wanting to move faster and not.
Madcat - sounds like miss K is moving forward in leaps and bounds. It's amazing with how quick everything comes together for them. With the pins, is that through the bone??
Furgurnie - Cannot believe you are just about half way through?!?!? Your time seems to be flying by. Good on you for getting out and about. I was a bit of a homebody too with my bub. I did get a few stares which I found a little uncomfortable, but mainly due to the weather, she had hers on in January and was really concious about not getting her overheated and sweating which then turns to itching. As far as a bit smelly on the nose, I also heard about eucalyptus and also baby powder, this can also soak up any extra moisture. What a lovely gesture from you and your dad with hiring them out.
Thank you all so much for your wishes on Tuesday. Am very, very nervous as I know you can relate too. We are having our x-rays tomorrow and then see the paed orth on Tuesday morning. Will make sure I pop on to let you know how we go.
Hi to everyone else and hope you all have a great week!!!
Jackie
xx
Hi All
Furgurnie - Casts do get smelly, i suppose the only things you can do are avoid leakages, and a little drop of eucalyptus oil as above or Nilodour. Dont worry too much about a little smellyness, the guy who removed the K's first cast said they have seen some really bad ones and ours was absolutely nothing to worry about.
Not sure about tip toe thing, perhaps it balances out any slight difference in leg length. This seems to be K's motivation. Now that her legs are closer to being the same she says it feels like she is walking with one high heal on, and after one being shorter for so long, it may take a little getting used to. I will ask surgeon next time.
Jackie - Hope your appts went really well :)
Oh and yes K has three pins running through the hip bone to hold it together till the bone knits back together, but to remove them they just need to make small incision and pull them out like slinters (just really big ones). Should be in the next couple of months.
Test drive ticker below, fingers crossed.
http://lbyf.lilypie.com/3NHop10.png
Hi girls,
Hope you are all having a great day?!
Just a quickie from me today, but appointment went better than last time. He is happy with how it is coming along. He wants us to be in the brace full time (23 hours/day) for another 6 weeks and then go to night time only. Yippeeeeeeeee We go back and have x-rays and see him on the 1 Feb 2011. Looking at the x-ray, I cannot believe how much it has grown in the last 3 months. So the start of October, my baby girl will be free of a day time.... I sooo cannot wait, so their party this weekend will also be a little celebration of the home stretch for our treatment.
Madcat - That sounds so much better than what I was imagining how they would take the pins out. Will this be painful for her??
Chat soon
Jackie
xx
Hi all,
I only just found this thread, but want to offer a :hug: as we are hopefully nearing the end of our journey.
at 2 weeks mchn found a click in the left hip of dd, and asked me to mention it to the doc at the 6 week check up. (If we have another bub I will be getting any clicks checked earlier) waited until 6 weeks and by 7 weeks had a DB brace on.
Like so many others I too cried, I felt like I was going to miss out on something, that I had failed my little girl. And yes she smiled at me the whole time. I only had about 24hours to get used to the idea, because we were lucky enough to get an appointment right away at the rch. The night before we had a nice warm shower together and some non brace skin to contact, and a big cuddle. On the day i dressed her as cute as I could in the 000 jeans I had recently purchased so that she got at least one wear out of them!
After the brace she was in a little disscomfort, but more because she couldn't move her legs the way she was used to, and became accustomed to the brace very quickly. After 1 week we went back to have the size of the brace checked, and she was upgraded to a bigger size (wish i had kept the tiny brace).
She continued to sleep well (not anymore but that's a different story not related to the brace) and thrive, no problems feeding, took a few days to re-learn how to poo in that position though.
Our first appointment back was after only 3 weeks, and shows just how clever little bodies are as her right hip was very boarderline and the left had improved to 60% ?? coverage with just a little rounding in the corners to be ironed out, and we could remove the brace for baths, so no more sponge baths.
6 weeks later for another check and progressing very well still, rights pretty good, and just the tiniest bit left on the left side, and yay we are down to nights and naps only. (which I have to say I found much more logistically difficult)
we are due to go back in under 3 weeks and i am crossing my fingers that this little girl can bid farewell to the brace and start a moving and a shakin, because she soooo wants to.
All in all, I was sad at first, but new it had to be done. In retrospect I am extreemly glad it was done at such a young age, with very little intrusion on her life, and body.
so to anyone at the start of this journey you will survive, it will be ok and it is all for the best
Kungfubecca - Sounds as though your little girl will be right as rain in no time! I wish my DD's story was as good as yours!
Madcat - Nice ticker!
Jacksnjeff - Sounds like you are on the downward now! Fantastic! Bring on October :)
Hi all, 2 weeks to go til Emma’s cast comes off, yay! :D
Kungfubecca- It is amazing how quickly babies adjust to things, I think the journey is a whole lot harder for the parents!
It must have been frustrating knowing the mchn found a click at 2 weeks and you then had to wait until 6 weeks for anything to be done about it. My DD didn’t have a click, but had an ultrasound at 6 weeks (as I had both hips dislocated at birth) and that was abnormal so another ultrasound was booked for 6 weeks later. This next ultrasound was ok so they said in ANOTHER 6 weeks have an ultrasound just to check all was ok. It was this 3rd one that showed that an x-ray was needed to see if right hip was dislocated. It was. I was so upset to think that she could have been in a brace straight away and this may have prevented her having surgery.
Best of luck for your appt in 3 weeks time, I hope the brace has worked it’s magic.
Corelly- how is your DD going with her walking, must have really improved from your previous post?!
Jacksnjeff – that is great news about your appt. You and your little girl must be counting down the days til October, how fantastic. :clap:
Madcat- we had our checkup the other day and they said the cast was in great condition and they couldn’t smell anything… must be just me being paranoid!! Fingers crossed Kira’s bones are nice and strong in a few weeks time so she can have them removed and get on with being a busy little girl.
2 weeks to go Furgurnie? That's fantastic! DD is still very hesitant to walk. Up until yesterday, she hadn't given it a go again, but then she tried it out twice yesterday! But today, nothing. Chucks a wobbly if we encourage her. Grrrr. I'm so impatient!!!!!!! I think I sent you a friend request on FB. You probably looked and though "Uh, some random!!!" :ROFL:
Corelly- I have accepted you on FB now, sorry aout that!! Yeah, 2 weeks to go, going really fast. I can't wait to see her little legs again :)
I am sure your DD is just trying to keep you in suspence, ha ha!
Corelly & Furgurine I feel so much for the the little ones I've seen in plaster (and for their families) and I thank my lucky stars we have a great health nurse and GP. (only just found him 12 months ago, will be devestated if he ever leaves)
In retrospect I should have taken Ruby back to the GP at 3 weeks, and might have caught it even sooner, but I didn't think it was going to be what it was.
Furgurine that must have been frustrating waiting so long, and with family history too. I may have been put in a similar position as a public patient the hospital here doesn't consider possible hip dysplasya as urgent and you have to wait 5 weeks, and then possibly having to wait for a referal at the RCH. Instead my GP gave me a referal to another private radiography place and the RCH must have been having a slow week 'Cause they took as right away, (don't think that would have happened if my GP hadn't phoned) it was a whirlwind week, everything went so fast. It seems strange that so little importance is placed on treating this early when it is better for everyone involved, including the halth care system - surely it's cheaper
I wish everyne the best Corelly you will have to run after your little girl in no time! Once she does get going you won't be able to stop her.
Hi lovely mummies,
I haven't posted for a little while but I just wanted to share a little update. Olivia had her scan and review today at the Royal Childrens and the Dr was really happy with her progress so she now only has to wear her DB bar during sleep times. I'm mentioned to the orthotist that I was a bit worried how I was going to manage putting the brace back on for day naps as I still don't know when she's only going to have a catnap or a good long nap and she suggested that I just keep it on an extra few hrs in the morning or evening to make it a bit easier.
She's been in her pavlik & DB bar fulltime since 6wks (she's now 12wks).Today has been a very good day :)
YAY Liddy105!!!!!!! Fantastic news!!!! :clap:
Furgurnie - These weeks must be tough! The countdown is the worst when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!! And yes, those little bubba legs are just so so cute. Have the moistioriser handy - DD's skin was dry and a bit flaky but a few days of rubbing the cream in and they'd come back to normal.
DD stood up tonight for the first time without pulling herself up and she's starting to toddle between people a little more. Slowly gaining that confidence :)
Hi ladies,
Sorry it's been so long!
Zara was fitted with the pavlik harness about 5 weeks ago. All is really well. In 2 weeks of having the brace her hip went from 36% to 55% so fingers crossed she will be out of it in 3 weeks at her next appointment. I was so upset about it to begin with but it's really not that bad. I thought it'd be difficult to cuddle her but it's quite easy.
Feeding was a little difficultbut we are managing. I had to put it in perspective as it's a good problem to have. She doesn't have an illness, this is a fixable problem and there are many childrenout there much worse off. Just going to the childrens hospital made me realize just how lucky we really are. I know not all experiences may be like mine though but if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. All the best to everyone!
Karma1410 - Wondering if you're still reading and how you are going x
KirstenZ - Glad to hear all is going well x
I am still reading Corelly and thanks for thinking of me. My little girl and I have been sick ever since her birthday on 8th August so other than a little bit of Facebook, there hasn't been a great deal of computer time for me. I have been following everyone's stories here when I get a chance though and I am so pleased to see so much great progress being made.
We have had an up and down few weeks. My little girl was due for surgery on 11th August but came down with a cold on the day of her birthday. Her surgery was rescheduled to 25th August but because her cold hadn't completely gone, we have been rescheduled again to the 8th September. The hardest part has been the build up each time to just a few days before the surgery date, and then having to go through that whole emotional process again.
We had a follow up appointment with our surgeon not long after my last post to get some questions answered. I'm so glad we did as we learned that the surgery may be more invasive than we first understood it to be. The worst case scenario for us is a pelvic osteotomy, although the surgeon indicated that is not highly likely at this stage. A femoral osteotomy is a real possibility though so we're not feeling great about that.
We also learned that our bub will not be allowed to spend any time on her tummy for the whole 12 weeks in the cast. That is going to be so hard as it limits her even more than we expected. She is pulling up on the furniture and cruising everywhere so it will be a real shock for her to not even be able to play on her tummy or learn to commando crawl in the cast.
The one little piece of good news though was that the surgeon indicated that he didn't anticipate the need for a brace after the cast if all goes well. I hadn't heard of that before (but then I hadn't heard of no tummy time either) but we have our fingers crossed that perhaps she may escape the brace. One step at a time though and we will just wait and see.
Right now our focus is just on trying to be as healthy as possible for the 8th September. I still have my cold and bub still has a bit of a sniffle which is a worry. We have put ourselves into voluntary house arrest in an effort to avoid picking up any other bugs, so fingers crossed that we can finally get things underway. As much as I am dreading the day of surgery, at least there will be a sense of moving forward rather than being stuck in limbo as we have been for the last few weeks now.
I hope that everyone is traveling well and I so enjoy stopping by to read the latest news when I get a chance.:D
:hug: Karma, hope you both get well soon. DD hated being on her tummy while in the cast, so it may be a blessing in disguise for you. We ended up only putting her on her belly for nappy changes - it's far easier to do it on their belly to get the nappy in the correct position. Fingers crossed that no brace is needed. It'd be fantastic if you can get through the 12 weeks and then no further treatment is required.
Corelly, that's great news about DD's toddling!! :)
Kirsten, Olivia's hip results were similar. Hers were 38% at 6wks and 2wks after being in the pavlik they were 55% (that's when they decided to move her into the DB bar). Best of luck for her next apt!
Karma, I hope you and your little girl are feeling better. It must be so hard waiting for the surgery :( I hope she gets to avoid the brace afterwards
Hi all, just a quick update. Emma is now out of her cast and in a Rhino Cruiser brace. Her skin in places were red raw and she had flakey skin all over, but they are healing up very quickly. She has very little strength in her legs and when she has brace free time her legs remain in the outward frog position. Did anyone else's baby have to do any excercises to increase strength, we haven't been told anything.
Hope everyone is doing ok :)
Hi Furgurnie,
Awesome that Emma is out of her cast! DD was exactly the same when she came out of her cast. Her legs remained in the frog position for quite some time. We didn't have any exercises for them to straighten them out and they only really started to straighten when we got rid of the brace altogether. When she started to crawl, she could only commando and she pushed with her toes until she got strong enough with her legs and then crawled properly. Hope that helps :hug:
Thanks Corelly, that is reassuring to hear that your DD was the same once out of her cast. It's a little heart breaking to see her legs all floppy!
I bet your DD is walking all over the place by now and keeping you very busy! Enjoy :)
Hi Furgurnie & Corelly,
Hooray for LEGS!!! I am with Corelly, our DD was the same, rest assured her legs will once again return to normal after brace. We were told that no exercises were needed and that our munchkin will do her own rehab to regain strength again, and she has. They do end up with great flexability and really strong toes and arms! Great stuff!
Every step forward is sooo exciting, for our little ones, even more so with what they have to go through to get there. A big "Yeah" to all of them!
:)
Hi everyone,
I just returned from the doctor and learned that my 2 month old daughter has Hip Dysplaysia. I see the orthopedic doc next friday. I am concerned as I am sure you all were about the basics: breastfeeding, bathing, sleeping, will she fit in her swing, carseat etc. I'm upset but at the same time grateful that it's not worse.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Mary
Cailinhsmom - Welcome :-) It's all a bit overwhelming at first, isn't it? I would love to help you out with some hints and tips but my little girl was 11 months old when she was diagnosed, so I'm probably not the best person to help out with how to cope with such a little bub. What I can say though is that the mums on this forum are such amazing women with so much knowledge and support to share, and there is sure to be someone who can help you out with some specific hints and tips. Stay strong for your little bub and visit here whenever you need to vent or just need some support or encouragement.
Well, we are now 10 days post surgery (who's counting though?!?!) and I wish I could say that managing the cast was easier than I thought it would be. The surgery went as well as we could have hoped for with an open reduction to relocate the dislocated right hip. It had started to form a small socket about 6-7cm above the correct position, so we consider ourselves lucky that we didn't need a femoral osteotomy.
Our little girl has been truly amazing and has adapted better than we dared to hope for. The first few days post surgery were really tough for her and she developed a real fear of strangers as everyone that came near her was poking and prodding her. She would burst into tears the moment she heard the door open. It was quite heartbreaking. She seems a little better with that now though so fingers crossed we might be getting through that problem.
Managing the nappy changes in the cast is proving difficult as the surgeon left only a very small gap for the nappy. The nurses kept commenting how small the gap was, which didn't bode well for me managing nappies at home...lol... The surgeon was adamant that she could not be put on her tummy even just for nappy changes, which the nurses actually questioned him on as it is so unusual. He stuck to his guns though and I figure if it means a higher chance of success, I will follow every single challenge he throws at me. Because there is so little room for the nappy though, we have had a few small nappy accidents which I have been really upset about, but I am trying everything I can think of to minimise the chances of that happening.
I have ordered a "Cast Cooler" from the US which gets great reviews for keeping the inside of the cast dry and helping with itching and smell. I will let everyone know whether it makes any difference. The inside back of our cast stayed quite damp because of the no tummy time rule as air wasn't able to circulate. I'm willing to try anything to keep my little girl comfortable and her skin as good as possible for the 12 weeks she is in the cast.
We have our first X-Ray on 4th October so I am desperately hoping that everything has stayed in place and has started to develop as it should by then.
Must run as fish and chips have just arrived. Yum!!
Hi everyone!
I've had a name change, but I'm still here, same old, same old :)
Karma - Yay for DD! They just seem to adapt some how, don't they? And we battle along. The Cast Cooler sounds like a great idea. For the smell, we tried to rub baby powder into the plaster (avoiding the openings) and when that didn't work anymore (or we became accustomed to that smell too), a squirt of perfume on my hand and then rubbed onto the cast would help. Very weird that you can't put DD on her tummy for nappy changes, but your doctor obviously has his reasons. :hug:
Cailinhsmom - My daughter was the same age as yours when she was officially diagnosed - they noticed that she had a clicky hip at birth, but it wasn't until she was 7 weeks old that the diagnosis was made. Bathing will depend on the severity of her hips - for the first four weeks of our brace, and then into our plaster cast, we were only allowed sponge baths. The brace wasn't to come off at all. Breastfeeding I found to be easy. Still in the same position, but with her legs splayed apart. I would put one leg between hers so that she could rest the leg on top and the leg below I would let dangle - sounds terrible, but after a few days of it and me being stressed and anxious, I realised it wasn't bothering her at all. Sleeping - we put a flat cot pillow under her legs so that they weren't stuck mid air and if you're still swaddling her, we had to transfer into a sleeping bag. After a few nights DD was totally fine with it. In her first brace, she was still little enough to fit into her basinette, but once the plaster went on, she was in her portacot as she was still in our room. As far as the swing and carseat goes, and your pram too will depend on the brace and the size of these things. DD still fit into her carseat in the brace, no problems, not so well in plaster. The pram, we had to convert ours from the pram with the basinette bit on top, straight into the stroller style instead, if that makes sense, as her legs were too wide for the basinette. On our pram we had to remove the handle that goes over their legs (you see toys and things hanging across it), and without that, she fit no problems. Get yourself some socks - children's sizes, not baby sizes and cut the toes off - these will wrap around the bits of the brace that touch her legs and will provide a thicker buffer between the brace and her skin than the gauze strips the orthotic people will give you. Where abouts are you hon? I'm in Melbourne. Big :hug: to you. Keep coming in here with your questions, to vent, to cheer, whatever you need.
Calinhsmom - The logistics of it all will depend on the type of brace your daughter is in. My DD1 was diagnosed at 6wks and went into a Pavlik Harness. DD2 went into a DB bar at 12weeks. It depends on their size what they go into. BAthing generally they will not be allowed a bath for at least the 1st 6wks (sponge bath only) then depending on how the progress is may be able to come out for a bath but just depends on the progress and the Dr's preference. Carseat I found Pavlik harness was a little more flexible so DD1 was still able to fit into capsule but DD2 couldn't but did fit into a different rear facing car seat. Breastfeeding I now issues with it just finding a comfortable position - but it does look odd when feeding with a leg sticking up in the air. You will work it all out just takes time.