It was good to hear from you and hear about your little boy Hudson. I agree with you kids adapt so quickly and find ways to do things easier. Jordyn has surprised us over the years with things she has said and done. It hasnt stopped her, she has done horse riding, skating and the Doctors have all said go for it.
Bertie when Jordyn was in the hip spica I used to change her on the floor with a towel under her and in the cot. I used to buy nappies from the factory outlet and used a large size and then put a sanitary pad in as well. This seemed to work well. At night when she went to bed in her cot we used to support her legs with pillows and then turn her over during the night so she wasnt lying in the one position all night. Our doctor suggested this. Another thing we found really useful was a beanbag to sit her on and also to feed her, I found this the easiest way.
Sharon
Thanks for your replies Sharon and Lizy. I have been looking at loads of pictures on the internet - that's what upset me most in the beginning, as they were a shock thinking of my poor little girl like that, but I have been telling myself that it could be something so much worse, and at the end of the day she will be fixed (hopefully!) and won't remember this time at all. So hopefully it won't be too much of a shock when we actually see her after she has the cast put on...
Both of you mentioned that you supported your childrens legs with pillows when they were sleeping - so I assume that their legs are slightly raised (or if they were upright they would be in a reclining position?) - Sharon - you said you turned Jordyn over to change her position - could she lie on her tummy? Olivia likes to sleep on her tummy best...
Also - I think I'm ok with what Olivia will be wearing during the day (have been buying her loads of tops and body suits that are 1 size too big - at least she will be able to wear them later on too!!), but what do they sleep in - do they fit in a sleeping bag, or would that be too hot with the cast on?
Hi Bertie,
It was good to hear from you. Jordyn was in a sitting postion but her legs were further apart than they normally would have been if you were sitting. We used to dress her in dresses or big tops, never pants, but her op was in february and it was stinking hot. At night we used to just cover her with a light blanket to keep her warm. Ask the hospital would Olivia get too hot in a sleeping bag, the nursing staff are used to helping parents, and know a lot tips to help you. We have had the best help at the kids hospital with car seats and other questions.
Jordyn didnt mind sleeping on her stomach, we used to prop a thin pillow under her stomach for support, she barely used to wake when we turned her. I found she slept a lot more once we got her home, quite often found her asleepon the floor for a good couple of hours. We would put pillows under her head and tummy and she would sleep for a couple of hours.
As hard as this is you both will get through this, she wont remember anything, you will but I look it as another one of lifes challenges and kept strong for Jordyn's sake.
If i can help you with anything else just let me know.
Take care Sharon
Wow what a great site, I wish I had found this site when my son was younger.
Zac was diagnosed at 5 months and underwent surgery at 6mths. he was in a hip spica for 6 weeks followed by 6mths in a brace. He is now 2y4m and we are back to the surgeon in September. We have been told he may need further surgery (60% chance) so fingers crossed.
Bertie - In response to car seats/prams, we were able to hire a seat (Safe and Sound Maxi Rider) from the hospital, we then decided to purchase one and were able to by an extension for the buckle that comes up between the legs (also from the hospital). Zac was able to use this seat (with a small pillow for extra back support) while in the spica and brace. We found the 3 wheel pram we had was fine we just need to removed the front bar and use a small pillow. As for clothes he didn't fit into any bottoms as the cast was bulky so he just wore large tops and socks. Hope this helps, Good luck.
Well, we have 4 days to go before Olivia gets put into the cast - ugh! The poor little thing has been miserable the last couple of weeks too - she has about 3 teeth coming through, and now has a stinking cold as well. I'm just hoping she gets a bit better before Monday, as at the moment I'm not sure whether the hospital would let her in - green snot galore!
Just wondered if there was anything we should be preparing / buying to get ready for Olivia? Should we buy some smaller nappies for in the cast / bigger nappies for outside the cast? Or should we wait until we see her? I'm not sure what sizes to buy? I know the hospital will help us with the car seat etc, but it's the little things I'm worrying about now... I'm still not sure what she's going to sleep in too - I don't think she will fit in her sleeping bag anyway, but it does get pretty cold overnight...
Also - did you go with your children into where they get put to sleep? I have a friend who told me it's really upsetting and better to get daddy to do it, but I want to be there for her...
Oh well, at least from Monday we can start counting down to when the cast comes off - at the moment, the anticipation is the worst thing!!
in regards to going to theatre - kids are like adults in that every child goes "under" differently. So sometimes it can be distressing - in that they cry/scream, thrash about etc - or else they can just calmly go... it's really up to your family - some dads don't cope well either!
In regards to what you'll need - it's probably best to wait and see - the staff at the hospital will be able to help you out with any specific questions/equipment etc.
Kids usually adapt really well to changes - it's us that don't cope as well!! As hard as it is, try and keep a positive attitude which will help your DD as well.
I know exactly how you are feeling, the days before Jordyns first operation I was a mess, probably partly hormonal as well,
I was pregnant and had bad morning sickness.
I hope Olivia is getting better. I did go in with Jordyn for the anaesthetic, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I held it together until she was under and the doctor sent me out and then I cried. You will be amazed how strong you can be, I couldnt have sent anyone else in with Jordyn I had to doit and the older shes gotten we have given her the choice who she wants to go in with her and its me. I have to be strong, Losing it in front of her isnt going to help her.
I had bought nappies before hand but not many until I knew what size I needed. For her sleeping get a big blanket and use that in the cot and put a warm top on her. If you are staying in hospital with her make sure you go outside and get some fresh air and take breaks. I will be thinking of you and I wish you both the best of luck and take care.
Please let us know how it all goes
Sharon
All the best to you and DD on Monday. It's such a roller coaster of emotions seeing your baby in the cast, I remember having some very dark days, especially the first time his nappy leaked into the cast (I was devestated). But DS was amazing, it didn't seem to bother him at all, in fact he managed to pull that cast around the floor as he played with his toys, and always with a smile.
As for things to take to hospital I found the 2 hospitals Zac went to (1 to put cast on and 1 to take it off) were a bit short on nappy sizes. They had enough to cover us for the first day, however then I got my mum to pick up the sizes we needed on her way to visit. As long as you have someone to do some running around for you it should be fine. Chances are you won't want to leave.
For Zacs 1st opp he was only 6mths so they didn't get us to come in as he was happy to go with the nurses, for the 2nd however my DH went in, he said it was hard as Zac put up a bit of a fight. When he came out he was very upset.
Also not sure if you are breast feeding, but if you are you will need to bring a bottle to express. When Zac came out of surgery and wanted a drink I couldn't pick him up as the cast needed to set so I ended up having to lean over him in the middle of the recovery room trying to get him to have a drink, not to mention I was exploding form not being able to feed him before the opp.
I hope this helps, I am more than happy to give you as much info/support as possible, so any other question please ask. I didn't have any info and it was all such a shock and happened to fast. We only went to see the specialist the day before and were booked in the next day for surgery as they had a cancellation. So no time to prepare anything.
Good luck for Monday, will be thinking of you.
Last edited by Jaffaz; June 18th, 2009 at 12:06 PM.
: breast feeding
Going under - Hudson has been under 4 times now (one for an unrelated problem) each time he goes under differently. One time he fought it and it was horrible, the last time he just layed on the bed with the mask on and went straight to sleep... I go everytime as hubby doesn't want to. Just be prepared, typically they will usually squirm as they start to go under apparently but as everyone else has said all babies are different - just be strong and comforting, if they see you stressing that will only make things worse. When Hudson has gone completely under he makes a rasping sound as he breathes - this has only been the last 2 times but freaked me out a bit, the nurses reassured me that this was normal though.
Nappies - Hudson always comes out after having a cast put on with a large nappy on the outside and padding on the inside. The first time we took a small pack of nappies a size bigger than he would normally wear and a small pack of newborn nappies. This works well, although he just about always leaks during the night but this is because we don't wake to change him, it hasn't been really bad though and he doesn't smell as bad with this second cast as it is colder now - the first one was put on in March so the summer didn't do us anyfavours in the smell department.
Good luck on Monday Bertie - we will be thinking of you.
We go to PMH on Wednesday so Hudson can be fitted for his brace - he will go into another cast for a few weeks while it is being made then go into his brace. Not sure how long or if he's aloud to take it off or even if he can wear clothes under it... anyone had a brace fitted to a 2yr old or similar??
Last night of freedom tonight - I am going to give her a really good bath.
I am dreading tomorrow, but to be honest Olivia is in an awful mood at the moment, with or without cast - I think it's teeth (she has at least 2 coming through), and all she does is cry unless one of us is holding her. I keep thinking, if she thinks life is bad now...! I'm a bit worried about how we are going to comfort her after tomorrow if we can't give her proper cuddles, esp as she'll be so much heavier we just won't be able to walk around holding her all the time, which is pretty much what she is demanding right now!! I hope the teeth get sorted out soon, as otherwise the next 12 weeks are going to be a total nightmare. We have tried everything - panadol, bonjela etc etc, but she's basically completely miserable unless she's asleep. She's even off her food - won't be much of a problem fasting her tonight and tomorrow morning!!
Anyway, I will let you know how everything goes tomorrow. Thanks for your thoughts.
Well, we are 3 days in and slowly adjusting... Olivia had been really grumpy with a cold and teeth over the weekend, so I asked for her to be assessed before being admitted - they listened to her chest and checked her temp, and pronounced her fit for surgery. I was very relieved, as I really wanted to get the whole thing done with... So, the procedure went well - her hip is now sitting nicely where it's meant to be and we just have to wait for nature to take it's course.
She was very grumpy for the rest of the day - whinge crying rather than full on crying, but really I thought it was because she was over tired and hungry than anything else - she had been awake since 5.50am, fasted from the night before, and didn't sleep before surgery at 10am (she normally has a long morning sleep still). She did actually fall asleep briefly on the bed in the 'holding area' before anasthetic. I did go in with her for the anasthetic - it was awful as she was jerked awake from her little sleep and then proceeded to thrash around and I had to hold her arms down.
Anyway, she didn't really sleep afterwards for the rest of the day - she didn't seem that bothered by the cast itself, just couldn't sleep and everytime she closed her eyes she'd jerk awake because we moved (we had to hold her all day - she refused to be put down in the cot), or because we walked past a light, or the nurses wanted to take her temp etc.
Slept really well that night, but was REALLY miserable the next day - I felt that there was something bothering her other than the cast and I was really worried she wasn't eating / drinking anything, so took her to the doc - sure enough she has a bad throat infection and he put her on antibiotics - poor little thing - teeth, cold, throat AND a spica cast!! No wonder she was so miserable. Not sure if she should have had the surgery afterall...
So about the only thing she's been happy to do in the last few days is sleep (which she has done a lot of). THe antibiotics have kicked in now, and she seems a little bit happier today - tolerated being sat on the beanbag for about 5 mins. It has been exhausting, as when she is awake she basically has had to be held otherwise she just cries. She is ok in the car or the pram though.
Nappies aren't as bad as I was expecting - we are using one size up on the outside (which rarely need to be changed as they don't tend to get leaked on) and an incontinence pad on the inside - hospital suggested this, and it seems to work really well as it fills pretty much the whole gap in her cast. We are getting through a lot of them though, and they are really pricey!
To be honest, I don't think she has really noticed the cast that much yet - she has been far more bothered by her throat. I can tell she's getting a little bit frustrated today though, now that she is feeling better.
Anyway, sorry to have written a thesis! I'm feeling better now too, now that we have started the process and I can start counting down the days - 81 to go!! We are due to have cast change on 3 August.
I was happy to read that you and Olivia are doing ok since Monday's operation...it truly must be so hard to see your child go thru it all, I cannot even imagine. My bub has had a Dennis Browne brace fitted for 3 days now (instead of the pavlik harness) and it tears at my heart watching her get used to the new 'feeling' of the brace...let alone going thru surgery! All the very best and fingers crossed Olivia's hip responds well.
We just got the 3rd cast on yesterday. This one is only up both legs to the top of his thighs (no belly bit) but still with the bar in between. Was good to be able to clean his back and bum which had alot of dried skin (and poo we think) stuck to him - unfortunately there are some things that are just going to happen and only so far you can reach
Bertie - glad to hear things are going well, I hope little Olivia gets better soon though, must be hard with a cold... we've been lucky and missed the flu so far (DD school was closed with the swine flu 2wks ago but we never got it) touch wood
Hudson slept alot in the beginning, I think that their bodies go though quite alot so they need to recover a little. Will Olivia play on her tummy? Hudson was crawling around on his belly as soon as his drip was out... only bugger is he wears through his cast, but the sanity is worth it. We have also invested in his favorite DVDs - we never really let him watch TV before but have had to now just so we can keep him entertained as he does get bored.
Let me know how you go with your first yukky poo that goes all the way up and in the cast - priceless moments those
3rd cast!?! Is this 3 all together (ie one after another, part of the same treatment), or separate treatments? When we were in the hospital, the nurses kept asking us if this was our first spica - I was wondering, should we be expecting loads of spicas?!? I'm really hoping that, apart from the cast change midway through, we will only have to go through this once and that will be that, except for a brace for a while!! I'm not sure how optimistic that is??
Olivia is much happier today, now that her throat is better. She has been happy sitting on the beanbag playing with toys on a little table in front of her, and can also sit in her high chair (with a bit of adjustment) to eat etc. She is still wanting to sleep a lot though (I'm not complaining about that ) She's not so enthusiastic on her tummy though, unless she is on one of us (i.e with one of us laying back on the sofa and her on her tummy on top).
I asked the physios in the hospital whether she would be able to commando crawl with the cast, as I had read about lots of babies doing so, and they looked really shocked and said they didn't think she would be able to and had never heard of that happening! We'll have to see if Olivia will give it a go, once she's settled into it a bit more - it might be too heavy for her.
No major leakages yet - we had a bit of poo leak out of the side of the nappy this morning (overnight), but it only went on the waterproof tape at the side, so I could wipe it off ok. We are using incontinence pads inside her nappy, and that seems to catch everything but the squishiest poos. She tends to have quite solid poo, so we'll just have to hope she doesn't get the runs!!!
Bertie x
She is going into childcare on Monday, so we'll see how that goes!
Last edited by bertie; June 26th, 2009 at 05:48 PM.
Lizy - sorry I've just read your post in the other thread and you previous posts, so i can see hudson's just had 2 cast changes rather than 3 separate casts...
Bertie x
Last edited by bertie; June 26th, 2009 at 05:46 PM.
I just read what you said about the physios, You should tell them that you chat with someone whos son has worn the knees through 3 casts from commando crawling... our Dr's and cast nurses will vouch for that!!!
How did you guys go with daycare??
I think they always refer to the spicas as a new cast even though it just a cast change - all three of our casts were slightly different from the last, The first cast was REALLY wide, the second not so wide and the third about as wide as the second one but without the waist bit.
Had to laugh on the weekend - Hudson was playing outside while I was mopping the floor... I went to find him as he was really quiet and he was sitting in the dirt digging and throwing sand!!!! I have no idea how he got in the garden bed let alone how he managed to sit up in it!! Was so funny though and I took pics... probably gonna have to explain that one to PMH tomorrow when we go to get the cast off. Oh well, at least he's happy I say!
So off we go to Perth and back tomorrow (5hrs each way) to have the cast removed and pick up his brace. The things we do for our babies.... Thursdays gonna hurt at work!!!
At least I get to bath Hudson tomorrow for the first time in 14weeks - looking forward to that!!!
hope all is going well with everyone - will post again after the trip tomorrow and let you know how the brace is.
Glad to hear Hudson is doing so well - you must be so excited that his cast is coming off - can't wait to hear how that goes!
We are doing really well too - almost 3 weeks in, and Olivia couldn't be happier. She does get a bit frustrated at times not being able to move, (doesn't show any signs of commando crawling - I think it's just a bit heavy for her) but all in all does not seem at all bothered by the cast. So far we haven't had any problems with nappies or anything - the incontinence pads seem to be working perfectly and we have had no leakages (touch wood). In fact, this is one good thing - changing nappies is so much easier now that Olivia can't wriggle away!!!
Olivia has been at childcare for 2 weeks now (she just does 2 days per week), and it seems to be working out fine. They have been really good to her, and she loves the extra stimulation.
So we are all good! Can't wait for the cast to come off, and even for the cast change which will mean that we are at least half way, but as long as it's doing its job in the meantime, we are all happy.
My three month old was diagnosed with hip displacia at two months and has worn a leg brace for the past four weeks, only to find yesterday that it hasn't worked and she now needs surgery. I'm wondering if anyone has any stories to tell about babies who have been under a general for surgery at such a young age. She will be four months old at the time of the surgery.
Also, if anyone else has been through the plaster stage - she'll go into a cast for six weeks - how did you manage? I'm not sure what to do about clothes and breastfeeding! She was fairly distressed once the brace went on, she was freaked for a week, so I'm wondering how people have made their babies comfortable in those first few days. She too has lost her giggle that she was learning before the brace went on, which I'm finding one of the hardest things of all. Will all of this delay her development like sitting up and crawling? How did you manage the car seat and highchair? She's in a backwards facing car seat. After the plaster, she'll be in the brace again. At the moment, she's brace-free and kicking those legs like there's no tomorrow.
Sorry to bombard with all these questions, just hoping that people can share their experiences. Sorry if some of these questions have been answered too - am finding it a little difficult to concentrate
It sucks, but I know it's common. Poor little munchkin, but she's braver than me.
Thanks for reading this.
Corelly
Last edited by Miss.September; July 14th, 2009 at 04:55 PM.
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) She's not so enthusiastic on her tummy though, unless she is on one of us (i.e with one of us laying back on the sofa and her on her tummy on top).
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