Hip Babies / Hip Dysplasia

[Alias]

Hey, Since there are a few of us here, now we can have a place to chat about how to deal with casts, braces, etc and help eachother out!
I'll start by including a few useful links

Steps Charity UK
Wiki
Baby Hips Ireland
International Hip Dysplasia Institute

My Daughter was diagnosed with DDH in her right hip at 10 months, and had a closed reduction and spica cast at 11 months. We're now about 7 weeks into the cast (12 or 18 weeks total, depending on the doc we talk to) and had it changed a week ago. DD is doing so well though, and her hip is doing well. We still expect that she will have a pelvic osteotomy when she's about 18 months old. I have good days and bad days, but still believe that any bad mood can be turned around by baby giggles.

 

[hel_5]

Hi thanks so much for setting this up, here's a bit of background about me, my eldest, Lucy was diagnosed with a dislocated hip at birth, she was in a harness for 3 months and then got the all clear. So when I had Emma - now 5 months old - and they checked her hips and said they were fine i was so relived about it and thought nothing more about it, just after 4 months we got an appointment for a xray (because her sis had a dislocated hip) i thought everything would be ok, they looked at the x-ray and said umm not sure, but think she is ok, we will be in touch if there is anything wrong, we got an appointment to see the consultant, i honestly thought she was going to be fine or worse case in the harness - which is easy! but no her left hip is dislocated and we are currently waiting for an appointment in crumlin (Dublin) she needs to have a closed reduction and a cast, hopefully that will work - hoping to get the appointment through soon
(sorry just relised how long this is!!) xx

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

aw your a wee star great idea.

Well when Ellie was 7 weeks old I noticed that her left leg was much shorter than the right and kept saying to HV and her physio and friends and family etc but everyone said that I was paranoid

When we went to her neonatal check up on the 7th March they took one look at it and said there was a problem but as there was no "click" said it was more likely to be hemihypertrophy rather than DDH and said they would refer us for an xray. Was supposed to be the 6th June but then I took Ellie to her GP as I felt it click so we got xrayed on the 13th May and were told that her oped reduction and cast would be fitted 24th May or 31st May

So so nervous and have a few questions

How do you change a nappy

What carseat do I get

Will she fit in her carrycot part of the pram still

How heavy will she be with the cast on

thanks in advance xxx

 

[Alias]

Lots of questions, I'll tell you what I can and hope it helps!

What everyone told us about nappies is to get a smaller size than normal (Ellie is in size 4 normally) and a size bigger, the small for inside the cast, big for outside. We got 3s and 5s but in the end we managed to get her usual size 4s on the inside. There's a hole between her legs, I put the nappy up the front as far as push it, and the reach in the top of the cast to pull it up and straighten it up. Then turn her over and do the same on her back. DD used to hate tummy time and cried when I did this for the first 2 days, but now she's up on her hands, trying to crawl backwards while I do it I have to admit I cried a few times too, it seemed so hard at first but it's got easier as I got used to it.

Carseat, they recommend this one from In car Safety Centre, which is a pretty good ERF seat so it's probably worth it. We didn't get it and I sorta regret it. But we'd already bought a stage 1 seat, and didn't want to spend that much on a second one. We ended up modifiying a cheaper britax seat as she wouldn't fit into properly. It's not quite legal though...

I doubt she'll fit in the carrycot. DD doesn't fit into the buggy part of her travel system she barely fit into her cot! We are using an umbrella stroller (Maclaren Techno we got second hand) with a towel behind her so she's more forward. I measured her feet width in the first cast, it was about 55cm across, toe to toe. She's probably about 80cm tall. Her second cast she's not as wide set, maybe 40cm? Anyway, a buggy with a wide shallow seat is what you should look for, some of the cheaper ones are best!

Weight - Ellie was 9kg before going into the cast, and 10kg once it was on. So about 2lbs of cast.

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Lots of questions, I'll tell you what I can and hope it helps!

What everyone told us about nappies is to get a smaller size than normal (Ellie is in size 4 normally) and a size bigger, the small for inside the cast, big for outside. We got 3s and 5s but in the end we managed to get her usual size 4s on the inside. There's a hole between her legs, I put the nappy up the front as far as push it, and the reach in the top of the cast to pull it up and straighten it up. Then turn her over and do the same on her back. DD used to hate tummy time and cried when I did this for the first 2 days, but now she's up on her hands, trying to crawl backwards while I do it I have to admit I cried a few times too, it seemed so hard at first but it's got easier as I got used to it.

Carseat, they recommend this one from In car Safety Centre, which is a pretty good ERF seat so it's probably worth it. We didn't get it and I sorta regret it. But we'd already bought a stage 1 seat, and didn't want to spend that much on a second one. We ended up modifiying a cheaper britax seat as she wouldn't fit into properly. It's not quite legal though...

I doubt she'll fit in the carrycot. DD doesn't fit into the buggy part of her travel system she barely fit into her cot! We are using an umbrella stroller (Maclaren Techno we got second hand) with a towel behind her so she's more forward. I measured her feet width in the first cast, it was about 55cm across, toe to toe. She's probably about 80cm tall. Her second cast she's not as wide set, maybe 40cm? Anyway, a buggy with a wide shallow seat is what you should look for, some of the cheaper ones are best!

Weight - Ellie was 9kg before going into the cast, and 10kg once it was on. So about 2lbs of cast.

god your fab to know!!! the nappy bit you have made sound easier but im sure there will be tears with me too.

the carseay part is most worrying as we cant afford that sort of money but we will see what happens nearer the time

Ellie is still the size of a small 3 month old so not sure what size of cast her will be she is 13lbs jus now so we will ust need to wait and see xx

 

[Deeni]

Hi, I am so happy that I found this thread. My DS was born on May 5th and we found out he has DDH the next day. He was in a Pavlik harness by May 10th. We are so thankful that they caught it early and are hoping the harness will do its thing and we will not need surgery or any other measures. I am so sad that my sweet, perfect little boy has to go through this but luckily the harness does not seem to bother him at all. I however am a mess...lol.

I am so sorry to you other ladies that have to deal with surgeries and casts. Even though I am praying that we will not get to that point, I guess you never know. I wish you all lots of luck with your upcoming appointments.

 

[hel_5]

Hi, I am so happy that I found this thread. My DS was born on May 5th and we found out he has DDH the next day. He was in a Pavlik harness by May 10th. We are so thankful that they caught it early and are hoping the harness will do its thing and we will not need surgery or any other measures. I am so sad that my sweet, perfect little boy has to go through this but luckily the harness does not seem to bother him at all. I however am a mess...lol.

I am so sorry to you other ladies that have to deal with surgeries and casts. Even though I am praying that we will not get to that point, I guess you never know. I wish you all lots of luck with your upcoming appointments.

Hi my DD1 had the exact same thing and is perfectly fine now - the harness did its trick, it is horrible when you first see them in it and i remember worrying about everything, and like your DS it did not bother her at all, one thing i would suggest is that the harness was filthy so we rang them and they told us to come in and they changed it for a new one - they did say we could have got it changed a lot earlier but also when we were up there they let us bath her - but we had brought nothing with us!! so just if the harness is getting dirty please ask them if they can fit a new one and if it would be possible to bath him inbetween the harnesses, good luck and i hope the harness does the trick for your DS

I forget to add that it does get easier, tell your friends and family about it all and make sure you show them the harness - that way it will just be normal to them, the thing i hated the most was the sympathy and telling me it was all going to be ok!! Silly i know but i wanted people to see how gorgeous my baby was not the brace she was in - im guessing you are feeling the same way

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Hi, I am so happy that I found this thread. My DS was born on May 5th and we found out he has DDH the next day. He was in a Pavlik harness by May 10th. We are so thankful that they caught it early and are hoping the harness will do its thing and we will not need surgery or any other measures. I am so sad that my sweet, perfect little boy has to go through this but luckily the harness does not seem to bother him at all. I however am a mess...lol.

I am so sorry to you other ladies that have to deal with surgeries and casts. Even though I am praying that we will not get to that point, I guess you never know. I wish you all lots of luck with your upcoming appointments.

Hi my DD1 had the exact same thing and is perfectly fine now - the harness did its trick, it is horrible when you first see them in it and i remember worrying about everything, and like your DS it did not bother her at all, one thing i would suggest is that the harness was filthy so we rang them and they told us to come in and they changed it for a new one - they did say we could have got it changed a lot earlier but also when we were up there they let us bath her - but we had brought nothing with us!! so just if the harness is getting dirty please ask them if they can fit a new one and if it would be possible to bath him inbetween the harnesses, good luck and i hope the harness does the trick for your DS

I forget to add that it does get easier, tell your friends and family about it all and make sure you show them the harness - that way it will just be normal to them, the thing i hated the most was the sympathy and telling me it was all going to be ok!! Silly i know but i wanted people to see how gorgeous my baby was not the brace she was in - im guessing you are feeling the same way [/QUOTE]

this makes complete sense as Ellie was in NICU and when all our family and friends came to visit all hey kept saying was oh my look at her feeding tube and all her drips and canulas which was really strange cause after a week or so I never noticed them at all and now she is going in the cast I am worrying about all the staring etc cause she is just a normal wee baby who has had a few problems along the way xx

 

[Alias]

Deeni, welcome! Hopefully your LO will only have the brace, and not have to go through anything more serious. But I know any treatment is hard, when you are told your beautiful new baby isn't perfect!

I forget to add that it does get easier, tell your friends and family about it all and make sure you show them the harness - that way it will just be normal to them, the thing i hated the most was the sympathy and telling me it was all going to be ok!! Silly i know but i wanted people to see how gorgeous my baby was not the brace she was in - im guessing you are feeling the same way

this makes complete sense as Ellie was in NICU and when all our family and friends came to visit all hey kept saying was oh my look at her feeding tube and all her drips and canulas which was really strange cause after a week or so I never noticed them at all and now she is going in the cast I am worrying about all the staring etc cause she is just a normal wee baby who has had a few problems along the way xx

I have felt like this as well. When we go out I'm watching people to see if they react to her cast or to her. I'm surprised that people usually still say 'what a great smile' rather than 'what happened to her legs?' Most seem to wait for me to say something, and then will ask a question - what happened usually, but some people have obviously seen it before and then will ask how long has she left to go.

I was in 'big shopping centre' known for mummies and babies yesterday and I found myself noticing the legs of all the babies in buggies. I'm becoming almost obsessed with cute chubby baby legs cause I miss Ellie's legs so much!

Claire, unfortunately you're probably going to have to try to find a ERF car seat since your DD is too young and small for a FF seat. There are a lot that seem to go second hand on the steps website, or that place I linked to also rents them for about 1/2 the price.

 

[hel_5]

Just got our app. through for the 7th June!!!!!

Claire in relation to the car seat we were told that the Babystart multi recline from argos was a good one - its only €50 (prob a lot cheaper in England!!) - and its suitable from birth to 4 years

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Just got our app. through for the 7th June!!!!!

Claire in relation to the car seat we were told that the Babystart multi recline from argos was a good one - its only €50 (prob a lot cheaper in England!!) - and its suitable from birth to 4 years

aw fab that you have he appointment through, we are def in next Tues and im getting so nervous!!!! oh al need to check that website thanks xx

 

[Alias]

Hey Claire, I think the waiting is possibly the worst part. I know I was going just crazy the week before Ellie's closed reduction, partly because she'd been postponed already for having a chest infection! We were so paranoid that she'd get another infection (she'd just started creche) that it nearly killed me getting through the week before the operation. But once the first few days in the cast are over, it gets easier. Even for her second cast the week before was tough, it's never fun just waiting and not being able to do anything to hurry it along!

On Monday we are officially half way through Ellie's casting. Although I'm still hoping in the back of my mind that they'll take it off in 3 weeks...

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Hey Claire, I think the waiting is possibly the worst part. I know I was going just crazy the week before Ellie's closed reduction, partly because she'd been postponed already for having a chest infection! We were so paranoid that she'd get another infection (she'd just started creche) that it nearly killed me getting through the week before the operation. But once the first few days in the cast are over, it gets easier. Even for her second cast the week before was tough, it's never fun just waiting and not being able to do anything to hurry it along!

On Monday we are officially half way through Ellie's casting. Although I'm still hoping in the back of my mind that they'll take it off in 3 weeks...

yeah ive been a crabbit snappy cow this week and its not like me!!!! but we head down south for a family christening on fri and come home late mon so hopefully that will keep my mind off it then we are straight into hospital on Tues am. Its the not knowing that is getting to me xx

 

[Emx]

Just wanted to pop in and say hi (and wish this thread had been around last year!) as my daughter was diagnosed last June with a completely dislocated hip (didnt find out until she 3 months old even though it had been dislocated since birth!)... she was in a Pavlik Harness for 4 months and came out of it full time in October. Although her hip socket is still immature it is going the right way and fingers crossed will continue that way. She will have another x ray at 2 and we will find out then if she is in the clear or if she has to have an operation to have the socket deepened and wear a cast..

Its worth mentioning that despite all of this lani has been walking since 11 months old with no problems!

I am having another baby in November and he/she will be scanned soon after birth to check for CHD..

Would be nice to offer advice to those who may need it and lovely to be in touch with other mums who understand what we have gone through (even though appointments are fewer and far between now, I still worry leading up to them!)

Emma x

 

[hel_5]

Emma, its always good to meet someone else, fingers crossed that both your LO's will be fine.

Claire good luck with the op tommorrow, i hope everything goes really smoothly, lets us know how you get on

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

hi all

well what a day Ellie was so poorly when she came back from theatre and she is till very sore we got home tonigh though which is good

what can I say about the nappy changes........ I cant see what Im doing for tears, the whole in the cast is too small for Peter to do so I need to do them all

Alias, how frequently did you change the nappy and when does it get easier, we have been shown to change Ellie on her tum then her back xx

 

[Alias]

Ah, the poor little thing, it's tough on them, isn't it. But at least the waiting is over. The first few days are definitely hard. But it takes less than a week to get used to it. I turn E over when I change her, front then back but same idea. She doesn't cry anymore, that only lasted 2 or 3 days, and then I stopped crying too I do still swear some days!

I change her nappy every 3 or 4 hours, same as always. At night since her normal nappies fit (barely!) I can leave her for the night. What size did your LO wear before the cast, and what's she in now? We had major leakage the first night with a smaller nappy on her. Then we tried the tena pad in the nappy trick, and that worked but didn't seem very comfortable. Then we tried her normal nappy and were happy to find we could get it all the way up.

Funny story, if it wasn't happening to me... DD has hand foot and mouth and is stuck at home for the week. My MIL took her yesterday and was complaining about the nappy changing. She didn't think she'd done a good job the last time, so would I check her when I got home. I did. She'd put the nappy on INSIDE OUT! Plasticy side against the poor baby's skin. When I told my DH he was really worried that she'd get wet down her legs. It did actually soke up a fair amount though, so I think it's ok. But seriously, how do you do that?? If I don't laugh I'll cry, cause I need MIL to look after her tomorrow again.

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Ah, the poor little thing, it's tough on them, isn't it. But at least the waiting is over. The first few days are definitely hard. But it takes less than a week to get used to it. I turn E over when I change her, front then back but same idea. She doesn't cry anymore, that only lasted 2 or 3 days, and then I stopped crying too I do still swear some days!

I change her nappy every 3 or 4 hours, same as always. At night since her normal nappies fit (barely!) I can leave her for the night. What size did your LO wear before the cast, and what's she in now? We had major leakage the first night with a smaller nappy on her. Then we tried the tena pad in the nappy trick, and that worked but didn't seem very comfortable. Then we tried her normal nappy and were happy to find we could get it all the way up.

Funny story, if it wasn't happening to me... DD has hand foot and mouth and is stuck at home for the week. My MIL took her yesterday and was complaining about the nappy changing. She didn't think she'd done a good job the last time, so would I check her when I got home. I did. She'd put the nappy on INSIDE OUT! Plasticy side against the poor baby's skin. When I told my DH he was really worried that she'd get wet down her legs. It did actually soke up a fair amount though, so I think it's ok. But seriously, how do you do that?? If I don't laugh I'll cry, cause I need MIL to look after her tomorrow again.

aw then she came round after the anesthetic she was so hungry but full of wind so couldnt drink her milk and was so so cranky and sore

Ellie used to be in a 3 nappy and we are using size 4 now they look great and we have had near poop explosions!!!! but yeah I think that Im just stressing in the back of my head "what if I get poop on the nappy". When I pull the nappy up the front it rubs of Ellies stitches where they had to cut the tendon so that whats causing her the pain!!!

Think that we are just going to do what we done before, change every 4 hours and leave her through the night, need to stop stressing x

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Ah, the poor little thing, it's tough on them, isn't it. But at least the waiting is over. The first few days are definitely hard. But it takes less than a week to get used to it. I turn E over when I change her, front then back but same idea. She doesn't cry anymore, that only lasted 2 or 3 days, and then I stopped crying too I do still swear some days!

I change her nappy every 3 or 4 hours, same as always. At night since her normal nappies fit (barely!) I can leave her for the night. What size did your LO wear before the cast, and what's she in now? We had major leakage the first night with a smaller nappy on her. Then we tried the tena pad in the nappy trick, and that worked but didn't seem very comfortable. Then we tried her normal nappy and were happy to find we could get it all the way up.

Funny story, if it wasn't happening to me... DD has hand foot and mouth and is stuck at home for the week. My MIL took her yesterday and was complaining about the nappy changing. She didn't think she'd done a good job the last time, so would I check her when I got home. I did. She'd put the nappy on INSIDE OUT! Plasticy side against the poor baby's skin. When I told my DH he was really worried that she'd get wet down her legs. It did actually soke up a fair amount though, so I think it's ok. But seriously, how do you do that?? If I don't laugh I'll cry, cause I need MIL to look after her tomorrow again.

this is so so funny how did she manage that

 

[Alias]

aw then she came round after the anesthetic she was so hungry but full of wind so couldnt drink her milk and was so so cranky and sore

Ellie used to be in a 3 nappy and we are using size 4 now they look great and we have had near poop explosions!!!! but yeah I think that Im just stressing in the back of my head "what if I get poop on the nappy". When I pull the nappy up the front it rubs of Ellies stitches where they had to cut the tendon so that whats causing her the pain!!!

Think that we are just going to do what we done before, change every 4 hours and leave her through the night, need to stop stressing x

See what happens, you'll know soon enough if she needs changing more often! We had poop explosions in the first cast, it was a bit of a disaster, but thankfully near the end of the 6 weeks so we weren't as bothered as we would have been if it were the beginning!

How often is your Ellie going to have to get her cast changed? Have they said how long it will be on for?