Hi Emma. Great that you posted on here. It's been awhile since I've been here.

Sophie is doing wonderful. She's been out of the brace 9 months now and within 4 months of being out of the brace she had totally caught up to her peers. Walking, running, jumping etc. Within 11 weeks she started walking. You look back now and you wouldn't have even known that she had any problems with her hip. She came out of the brace when she was 15mths old and we went back to the O/S when she was 2 years old and he gave her the perfect result we wanted to hear. I burst out into tears and cried all the way home! He said the only problem she will face later in life is with her children and that they are to be x-rayed no matter what at 2 months of age (boy & girl). He also said too, that h/d is more prevalent in first cousins.

Sleep was a problem at the start. I remember bringing her into bed with me too and laying her on my tummy which seemed the only way to help her sleep (not me though!!!). It only took 1 week - 10 days for her to adjust in her cot - in the end I had to get tough (as I was so sleep deprived!) and let her cry it out. She was sleeping thru before the brace went on - so I knew she could do it. Also, I placed a rolled up towel under her feet (under the sheet) as I found her feet dangled in the air without it. This just helped her feet rest flat. Also I introduced a pillow to make life a little more comfortable for her.

Sophie learnt to bum shuffle in her brace. It was so funny, but they do learn to adjust so quickly (more than the mum and dad) and get around in their own little way. Towards the end too she was pulling herself up to stand in the brace. She was in the brace 7 months total (8mths - 15mths). We did see a change in her personality once she came out of the brace (maybe that was just Sophie - not sure if the others had the same). But she just seemed to come out of her shell, be more happy, mischievious, smile etc. She was quite a serious little girl in her brace, with not too many smiles. I thought that was just her personality - but it obviously was having some effect on her.

The only thing development wise she struggled with was rolling. They can learn to roll in the brace (the o/s said they can do anything in the brace that other kids do) - Sophie just couldn't do it. When the brace came off (which too was hard - was just as traumatic as when the brace went on!) she struggled sleeping as she would move around in the cot so much (where as before she was just stuck in the 1 position) and get stuck in various positions and then was unable to get herself out as she couldn't roll. It only took a week or so for her to learn to roll - but like at the start (when the brace went on) it was very tough to get any sleep.

Now it's all a thing of the past. I'm so grateful now that they found the hip dysplacia when she was a baby and everything is fixed!

Hope I've helped. Feel free to ask more questions, cry with us, share, celebrate etc. I found this forum invaluable and the ladies on here are just wonderful.
love and huge humungous hugs
Susan
xxxx