Hi Everyone,
My name is Monica and about 3 weeks ago our 4 month old baby daughter was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia in her right hip. She was placed in a hip spica on Tuesday and we were told she would be in that for a min of 3 months, then a brace full time (except for baths) for 4 weeks and then the brace only at night for another 4 weeks.
I have been reading some of the previous posts and it seems that in most cases the spicas and braces are on for a lot longer then that.
My husband is handling it quite well but I am having a really hard time dealing with it. Please tell me it gets easier! It came as such a shock because when it was first detected by our clinic nurse she said it might just need a bit of physio, then after the initial x-ray our GP said she will probably have to wear a brace for a few months, and then when we saw the surgeon it went froma brace to a cast so it just seemed to get worse and worse. Thankfully she didn't need surgery as he was able to place it back manually. She lost a bit of her spark for the first few days but thankfully is starting to become her old self, however she has gone from being an excellent sleeper to becoming very distressed when we put her down at night and waking up almost every hour throughout the night. Did anyone else experience this during the night and any tips on what to do. Strangely enough her day sleeps have not been affected.
Also I am really worried about her getting sores from not moving around. Prior to having the spica put on she was rolling onto her tummy and lifting her head really well but since seems to have digressed. When I put her on her tummy she cries and hardly even attempts to lift her head. Any suggestions?
We were told by the cast technician to use a sanitary pad as well as the nappy to soak up as much urine as possible but twice now it has gone down the back of the spica. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to prevent this from happening?
We have our follow up appointment on 9th of Dec to make sure everything is going ok and I can't wait until the six week change because at least we are half way there. 3 months feels like an eternity at the moment.
I hope this makes sense as my head has been swimmimg for the last few weeks and I'm hoping for some sense of normality to return soon.
Thanks for any help and/or advice it will all be appreciated!
Monica