Hi Pipsqueak,

My daughter Hailey was diagnosed with DDH at 8 months also-except both her hips were dislocated. She is now ten months old. She wore a Pavlick harness for two weeks, a Dennis brown bar for three weeks and then 4 week ago she had Surgery. She had an open reduction which included the arthrogram, a z incision in a tendon, cutting two muscles and opening the hip capsule itself. She is now week 4 in a hip spica. For us, now in hindsight, the worst part was the week we had to wait for surgery. The first night was rough. the second night was much better and the third night we spent in a motel on the way home. We are a long way from Melbourne. Hailey has coped with the plaster really really well so far. It has been really hot here so she hasn't worn much in the way of clothes! She now wears size 3 skirts over her plaster and tee's or skivvys over the top of that. Socks and sometimes shoes. At night she sleeps in either nothing!, or a bonds wondersuit in a size 1 or 2. The bonds stretchies are also really good in a size 1 or 2. The hospital fitted her into our safe n sound meridian car seat, and our 3 wheel jogger pram is really good for to sit in during the day. She spends most of her day on her tummy now as she spends all night on her back. She has become SO strong in the upper part of her body, she can actually lift the plaster and move around. She gets around backwards really really well. Keeping the cast dry is a challenge. We were told to use new born nappies and then a junior nappy over the top to hold the newborn in place. The n/b nappies are not nearly good enought to hold the urine output of a 9 month old so we now use the same size nappy she was in prior to plaster and tuck it a long way into the plaster! Nappies have to be changed pretty much every 2 hours or more during the day and once or twice o/n. Hailey was a really great sleeper before plaster, she now wakes a bit at night but she is a completely happy "normal" 10 month old baby-she just weighs alot!!!
Waiting until the 7/4/08 will be really hard for you guys. I really feel for you and send big hugs and good wishes to you. Once you get out of hospital you will be amazed at how quickly you and Lucy adjust to it.
Hailey is in plaster for another 2 weeks then we go back it to come off. She will probably go into a rhino cast after that, if not morer plaster, but I don't know much about this.
I hope this has helped you a bit. Please ask me any questions you like, no matter how silly you think they are- I've probably asked someone the same question!!!

Warm regards,