Hugs PZ - my DSs Hip Dyslasia was picked up at 5 months and he was in a brace from 7 months to 13 months of age
Its very very tough and emotional at first, but it was harder on us emotionally than it was for DS to adjust, fortunately our little people are much better at it than us. I used to get very annoyed when people would stare and wonder what was wrong with him, but it will get easier every day I promise.
I was very angry that my perfect little baby was in a brace, he wore a dennis brown abduction brace which is what it sounds like you have described for Isla - I have some pictures of DS in it, I can send them to you if you want to have a look so you know what to expect
Some practical advice - Put cut up socks around the brace cuffs (WYSIWYG gave me this tip), cut up some long tube socks and you can wrap the tube bit around the cuffs and this will help with avoiding the cuffs from rubbing on the skin, socks are good as they are stretchy and soft.
Depending on how big your DD is and how quick she grows and is in the brace, some things become difficult to use, prams, highchairs etc. A beanbag is great for propping a braced baby up. We also had to buy pants a few sizes up to accommodate the brace, might be easier with a girl as she can wear skirts which wont be so difficult to dress. Things like nappy changes were challenging, and we were luckily allowed 30 mins brace free time each day which we used for bathing or swimming in summer.
Have a good cry babe, it does suck, and its not how you imagine your babies first year to be. Definitely head over to the Hip Dysplasia support group, I found it invaluable and got lots of good ideas. We had to hack up our car seat a bit to widen it where DSs legs were spread out.
DS is now 2.5, he walked at 18 months, and learned to crawl in the brace about 9-10 months, milestones were a bit slower, but not too bad. He is a speedy little runner now!!
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask
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