Hip Babies / Hip Dysplasia

[xxClaire_24xx]

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?

every 6 weeks unless she out grows it then sooner and she has it on for 6 month(ish) maybe before maybe after, just need to wait and see.

The DR gave us the car seat for free which was really good of them and she still fits in the carrycot part of her pram as she is still so small so things are ok, I just need to destress about the nappy changing!!!

How is you LO doing in her cast xx

 

[MrsWatson]

I'm so glad to have found you lovely ladies!

Sophie is 17 weeks old and is waiting to have a closed reduction and spica. Our story so far...

I had a dislocated hip which wasn't discovered until I was 3. Traction, Closed Red, Open Red, and Osteotomy later I am fine and dandy!

Sophie was always going to be scanned at 6 weeks becuase of the history, but on her day 1 checks, the midwife found clunks to both sides. I tried to get the scan moved forward, but the hospital and my GP refused to do anything sooner.

At 6 weeks she was scanned and bi-lateral DDH confirmed, 10 days later she went into Pavlik, the left hip fixed, but the right hip is still dislocated.

She came out of pavlik 2 weeks ago, and will see our consultant when she is 6 months old (around the beginning of Aug) to book her in for a closed reduction.

It's lovely at the moment to have her legs back, and to be able to bath her etc.. but I am soo anxious about the future and about life with a spica.

 

[MrsWatson]

Oh, and just to add, our consultant has said that both hips would have responded better if she had gone into pavlik sooner aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhh!

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

yeah we would have been in a pavlik harness and sorted probably if they had listened to be going on from Ellie being 7 weeks bit it wasnt picked up til her neonatal check in March there

I must admit I thought that it was going to be harder that it actually is, we are only a week into the harness and I have almost go to the point where I dont really notice it anymore.

The hardest part is the stares and the comments that you get and realising that for 6 month (which means Ellie will be over 1) she wont can sit, crawl have baths go swimming etc thats emotional, but its all for the best I suppose. xx

 

[MrsWatson]

I've been told it will be worse for me than it will be for her, I hear they adapt to the spica really quickly.

I have a friend who's 11month old was in spica for 4 months, and she said that people would suggest that her daughter must have broken both legs becuase she was a bad mother.

I found it difficult seeing other babies and hearing mums talk about taking their LO's swimming when Sophie was in pavlik, I'm going to try and make the most of the next 2 months, and take her swimming, put her in the cutest trouser outfits etc..

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

well I done that and wish I hadnt as I got sooooo used to going swimming and now I really miss it lol

We use romper suits from next and dresses they are all gorgeous!!!! and cute lol sad but it makes things a little easier to dress them and have a "normal" routine, if tha makes sense. Yeah people say to me oh what happened to her legs and I say eh nothing and leave it at that lol and people dont know what to say, but its rue nothing has happened to her legs.

I would say prepare yourself for the general anesthetic, when she goes to sleep is awful but when Ellie woke she was a completely diff baby for a couple of hours xx

 

[Alias]

Bringing DD down to theatre was probably the hardest part. She bawled and bawled even after she was put to sleep (it's was 11am, she hadn't eaten since the night before - she was so hungry and tired and stressed by that point!) I was so strong until I had to walk away with her there on the table, then I bawled too. But they do adapt so quickly, and DD barely notices that she can't move her lower half. I also find it tough with other mums telling me about their babies walking and crawling, but I keep reminding myself she will get there eventually. I told DH one day that it's like her legs don't exist anymore, I've sort of forgotten that they're there, she has these pink things instead (her cast is pink fiberglass). We're 10 weeks today, 7-8 more to go...

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Yeah, bringing DD down to theatre was probably the hardest part. She bawled and bawled even after she was put to sleep (it's was 11am, she hadn't eaten since the night before - she was so hungry and tired and stressed by that point!) I was so strong until I had to walk away with her there on the table, then I bawled too. But they do adapt so quickly, and DD barely notices that she can't move her lower half. I also find it tough with other mums telling me about their babies walking and crawling, but I keep reminding myself she will get there eventually. I told DH one day that it's like her legs don't exist anymore, I've sort of forgotten that they're there, she has these pink things instead (her cast is pink fiberglass). We're 10 weeks today, 7-8 more to go...

well i normally go to toddler groups tues wed and im dreading going tomorrow cause all the other kids are "normal" doing "normal" things!!! its so hard to see them all doing things I know that Ellie wont can do for a while!!!

oh more than half way there now!!!

was your Ellie sleeping through the night before the cast went on our Ellie was now she is up 2 or 3 times a night, takes minutes to settle her but im so so tired xx

 

[Deeni]

Hi Ladies, haven't posted in a while but wanted to see how you were all making out. I am so sorry that you and your babies are going through all this. My DS is going on his 4th week in his Pavlik harness and that has been hard...can't imagine what you are going through with the spica. The babies seem to adjust well but it is still heartbreaking to us.

DS had an ultrasound at his latest doctor's appointment and I was told both hips are in their sockets so the harness seems to be working. However, the doctor said that the sockets need to get deeper and the hip bones more rounded. So tentatively we have 2 more weeks in the harness full time and 6 more part time.

I am trying to extend my maternity leave so I can stay home with DS until his harness is almost off. Currently I am supposed to go back in a few weeks but I just don't feel comfortable with putting him in daycare just yet.

Hope everyone is doing well and wishing the best for all our babies!!

 

[Alias]

Honestly, I don't know how you do it in the US. It's way, WAY too early for you to be thinking about going back to work!! I finished paid leave when DD was 6 months, and I couldn't face going back to work then. I took 4 more months (we have an option of 16 weeks unpaid after the 26 weeks paid) before I went back, and only then did I really feel I was able to hand her over to someone else on a daily basis. I wished I'd waited on the unpaid leave though, as about 3 weeks after I got back to work we found out DD had hip dysplasia. I would have been better off taking the time now!

Deeni, Will your LO be going into a different brace then when he's got it on part time? I didn't think the pavlik one could be done part time, it's too complicated? DD is going into an abductor brace(?) when she gets out of her cast. I was hoping she'd go into it after 12 weeks (which is 2 weeks away!) but they're saying 18.

 

[Alias]

well i normally go to toddler groups tues wed and im dreading going tomorrow cause all the other kids are "normal" doing "normal" things!!! its so hard to see them all doing things I know that Ellie wont can do for a while!!!

oh more than half way there now!!!

was your Ellie sleeping through the night before the cast went on our Ellie was now she is up 2 or 3 times a night, takes minutes to settle her but im so so tired xx

My Ellie was sleeping pretty well before the spica. She didn't sleep though every night, but some, and the other nights we only had to get up once or twice. Now we go between decent sleep (up two/three times a night for the dummy) to awful sleep (up for an hour plus lots of dummy runs, or up 6/8 times a night). If she's not 100% healthy, I can kiss a decent night's sleep goodbye. And since she's in the creche, she's barely ever healthy!!

 

[Deeni]

Honestly, I don't know how you do it in the US. It's way, WAY too early for you to be thinking about going back to work!! I finished paid leave when DD was 6 months, and I couldn't face going back to work then. I took 4 more months (we have an option of 16 weeks unpaid after the 26 weeks paid) before I went back, and only then did I really feel I was able to hand her over to someone else on a daily basis. I wished I'd waited on the unpaid leave though, as about 3 weeks after I got back to work we found out DD had hip dysplasia. I would have been better off taking the time now!

Deeni, Will your LO be going into a different brace then when he's got it on part time? I didn't think the pavlik one could be done part time, it's too complicated? DD is going into an abductor brace(?) when she gets out of her cast. I was hoping she'd go into it after 12 weeks (which is 2 weeks away!) but they're saying 18.

Our leave here is a joke. I received 8 weeks unpaid but standard here is anywhere from 6-12 depending on the employer. It is not enough time!! The babies are still so new and going into daycare will be traumatizing for me. Unfortunately I don't have any family that can watch him when I go back.

When DS goes part time in the harness, it will still be the pavlik. The doctor is going to mark up the straps so we can put it on and off. Then after the 12 weeks in the pavlik, the doctor said he might go into another kind of brace for night wear. I don't know what kind of brace though. Maybe the abductor brace like your DD??

This week has been a good week for me and DS. I finally figured out that if I take his onsies and split them up the side, I can actually get them on him! Previously we were just putting him in shirts and then wrapping blankets around his legs. Now he can wear onsies!! Also, I popped his legs and feet out of the harness last night to wash them for the first time. DH held his legs in the froggy position. I just cried and cried since that is the first time I saw his legs and feet since he was 5 days old. They were sooo cute and I was heartbroken to see how they had the marks from the harness and his skin was peeling a little. It felt so good to get him cleaned up and I think I will do this every few days. Can't wait to give him his first proper bath. I am going to have to look up how to bathe a baby on youtube since I have no idea...haha!

Hope you and your DDs are all doing well. xx

 

[hel_5]

Fingers crossed for you Deeni - the harness worked for my DD1

Well today is the first full day in the spica cast - had the op done yesterday - she seems to be coping really well with it - i have probably jinxed myself now

But i am really worried about people saying stuff to me - people used to comment all the time when DD1 was a baby - she is petit and everyone used to comment how tiny is was, i was always asked if she was a premmie cause she was SO small and then would look shocked when i said no - and ask me if i was sure and then walk off talking about her

Hope everyone else is doing well x

 

[Deeni]

Fingers crossed for you Deeni - the harness worked for my DD1

Well today is the first full day in the spica cast - had the op done yesterday - she seems to be coping really well with it - i have probably jinxed myself now

But i am really worried about people saying stuff to me - people used to comment all the time when DD1 was a baby - she is petit and everyone used to comment how tiny is was, i was always asked if she was a premmie cause she was SO small and then would look shocked when i said no - and ask me if i was sure and then walk off talking about her

Hope everyone else is doing well x

Thanks hel_5. I hope things continue to go well for you both. I also worry about other people's comments. They can be so rude! And I am the kinda person that always has the right thing to say AFTER they walk away. Maybe have some answers ready just in case some people are rude.

Has anyone noticed increased gas/fussiness when their LOs were in the pavlik. DS is so gassy and I wonder if it is his position in the harness...

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

Fingers crossed for you Deeni - the harness worked for my DD1

Well today is the first full day in the spica cast - had the op done yesterday - she seems to be coping really well with it - i have probably jinxed myself now

But i am really worried about people saying stuff to me - people used to comment all the time when DD1 was a baby - she is petit and everyone used to comment how tiny is was, i was always asked if she was a premmie cause she was SO small and then would look shocked when i said no - and ask me if i was sure and then walk off talking about her

Hope everyone else is doing well x

Hi how are you doing and how is the little one have they said how many week she will be in it for? is it every 6 weeks for cast change xx

 

[hel_5]

Fingers crossed for you Deeni - the harness worked for my DD1

Well today is the first full day in the spica cast - had the op done yesterday - she seems to be coping really well with it - i have probably jinxed myself now

But i am really worried about people saying stuff to me - people used to comment all the time when DD1 was a baby - she is petit and everyone used to comment how tiny is was, i was always asked if she was a premmie cause she was SO small and then would look shocked when i said no - and ask me if i was sure and then walk off talking about her

Hope everyone else is doing well x

Hi how are you doing and how is the little one have they said how many week she will be in it for? is it every 6 weeks for cast change xx

Hey, she is in it for 2 sets of 8 weeks - then if everything is going well she will be in a splint thing for at least 8 weeks, shes doing really well at the mo - she doesnt seem too bothered although she has been quite sleepy today.

Hows ellie getting on? xx

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

yeah shes still sore where the stitches are rubbing against her nappy and she is still on 3 lots of pain killers til next Tues, and has her first of 4 cast changes on 19th July but she really doesnt seem bothered at all by it and she can even roll over!!!! I think that its just the rubbish comments that we get off people

Im so glad that you are doing good and so is the LO xx

 

[hel_5]

arhh bless her, cant believe she is on that many painkillers, but at least she seems ok - i think its us that worry/panic more!!!!

i cant believe she can roll over, emma is set quite wide so i dont think she will ever roll over.

i think anyone who makes shitty comments should either get bitched slapped or put in a cast themselves - that would soon shut them up!!!! he he he xx

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

arhh bless her, cant believe she is on that many painkillers, but at least she seems ok - i think its us that worry/panic more!!!!

i cant believe she can roll over, emma is set quite wide so i dont think she will ever roll over.

i think anyone who makes shitty comments should either get bitched slapped or put in a cast themselves - that would soon shut them up!!!! he he he xx

Ellie is set wide too but, and i shouldnt laugh I seen how she "manages" to roll over just there, she was on her back reaching for a toy and she reached to far and the weight of her cast pulled her round , got too laugh or id just cry, and she is still trying to sit up and things

did you get a carseat ok the hospital gave us one free xx

 

[hel_5]

I would love to see that!!!!!!!!

We didnt get a carseat from the hosp but the one we got from argos is grand - luckily emma is a 'petit' girl so she still fits into most things - like her buggies!

Did you get a coloured cast?? ours is green - vvvv green and that mixed with her ginger hair makes her look like a little lephuran (sp?)

I think we just have to laugh about it otherwise we would all end up