When Bella's was 4 days old we took her in for her routine check up. She was doing well thus far, lost about a pound (which is normal), was a little jaundice but nothing to be concerned with, and we thought we were home free. At the last minute the doc was checking her legs and hips and found what he calls a "hip clunk". Basically he explained that babies are born with hip bones and sockets that are not yet hardened but rather, more like cartilage so that they can flexibly grow in the womb and go through birth. The "soft" bone has to be aligned with the hip socket so that after time as it hardens it fits perfectly in the socket for proper growth etc. Upon his checking he heard them and they apparently were not aligned and there was a reason for concern and he referred us to a pediatric orthopedist.
The pediatrician was right on. The x-ray revelaed that the bone and socket were not properly aligned. He called it hip dysplasia. (first the shoulder and now this, too much "dysplasia" if you ask me!) If the condition went uncorrected the bones could fuse improperly and cause problems like pain, or even one leg to be longer than the other or other complications. The severity wasn't terrible and her prognosis was good he said, but she would have to wear a brace. it is called the Wheaton -Pavlik Brace.
The aim of the treatment of hip dysplasia is to hold the hip in the reduced position to allow the head of the femur (the ball) to mold the acetabulum (the cup). According to the site and the doctor, it is used to treat hip dysplasia by holding the hips in a position of controlled flexion and abduction. Unlike a cast, the harness does not rigidly immobilize the hips, but allows movement in a controlled manner. This allows the head of the femur to deeply mold the acetabulum, stabilizing the hip.
My poor baby girl had to wear it 24/7 for 5 weeks. It wasn't the end of the world and it all could have been much worse, but my heart still hurt to see her in that brace. It made nursing hard, cuddling hard, sleeping and dressing a problem and changing her diaper was not an easy task. She couldn't wear shoes (OK, if you know me at all, you know this was a problem!) and her wardrobe which was filled with the cutest stuff, went mostly untouched.
The kids were a bit freaked out by it and I lost a whole lot of sleep. If this didn't work there was a cast they would put on and also surgeries. I couldn't imagine that at all. It would just kill me. I cry seeing other babies in them at the doctors office I couldn't imagine Bella in one.
After the 5 weeks, the doctor decided that it was OK for her to wear it only half of the day. So YIPPEE she wore her clothes and for the most part just wore the brace at night.
At her next appointment 4 weeks after that he said she can stop wearing it because he wanted to see what the hip would do on its own at this point. He wasn't totally happy with the depth of the socket, he felt it was still a little shallow though. So now I worry and wait some more to see what that little leg bone does on its own terms. We go back first week in May I believe , so that we can check on what it is doing. Say a prayer for us. It would be a trying time for a toddler that wants to crawl and start to explore to be confined to a cast or worse yet a surgery. I am however hoping for the best, I have high hopes because after all he did choose to remove it, and if I am staying positive I would like to think that if it were that bad he would not have chosen to go that route. Right? Right.
There is a pic of little Bella in the Brace. I hated to see her in it so I tried to hide it in most of the pics, but there is a bit of it you can see across the top. Her legs are what looked so depressing and uncomfortable though, but that has passed and I am only looking forward for now and praying my little heart out for now. With those prayers also comes a bunch of thank yous because even after all of this, I do see just how lucky we are if I step back and see the big happy picture.
The pediatrician was right on. The x-ray revelaed that the bone and socket were not properly aligned. He called it hip dysplasia. (first the shoulder and now this, too much "dysplasia" if you ask me!) If the condition went uncorrected the bones could fuse improperly and cause problems like pain, or even one leg to be longer than the other or other complications. The severity wasn't terrible and her prognosis was good he said, but she would have to wear a brace. it is called the Wheaton -Pavlik Brace.
The aim of the treatment of hip dysplasia is to hold the hip in the reduced position to allow the head of the femur (the ball) to mold the acetabulum (the cup). According to the site and the doctor, it is used to treat hip dysplasia by holding the hips in a position of controlled flexion and abduction. Unlike a cast, the harness does not rigidly immobilize the hips, but allows movement in a controlled manner. This allows the head of the femur to deeply mold the acetabulum, stabilizing the hip.
My poor baby girl had to wear it 24/7 for 5 weeks. It wasn't the end of the world and it all could have been much worse, but my heart still hurt to see her in that brace. It made nursing hard, cuddling hard, sleeping and dressing a problem and changing her diaper was not an easy task. She couldn't wear shoes (OK, if you know me at all, you know this was a problem!) and her wardrobe which was filled with the cutest stuff, went mostly untouched.
The kids were a bit freaked out by it and I lost a whole lot of sleep. If this didn't work there was a cast they would put on and also surgeries. I couldn't imagine that at all. It would just kill me. I cry seeing other babies in them at the doctors office I couldn't imagine Bella in one.
After the 5 weeks, the doctor decided that it was OK for her to wear it only half of the day. So YIPPEE she wore her clothes and for the most part just wore the brace at night.
At her next appointment 4 weeks after that he said she can stop wearing it because he wanted to see what the hip would do on its own at this point. He wasn't totally happy with the depth of the socket, he felt it was still a little shallow though. So now I worry and wait some more to see what that little leg bone does on its own terms. We go back first week in May I believe , so that we can check on what it is doing. Say a prayer for us. It would be a trying time for a toddler that wants to crawl and start to explore to be confined to a cast or worse yet a surgery. I am however hoping for the best, I have high hopes because after all he did choose to remove it, and if I am staying positive I would like to think that if it were that bad he would not have chosen to go that route. Right? Right.
There is a pic of little Bella in the Brace. I hated to see her in it so I tried to hide it in most of the pics, but there is a bit of it you can see across the top. Her legs are what looked so depressing and uncomfortable though, but that has passed and I am only looking forward for now and praying my little heart out for now. With those prayers also comes a bunch of thank yous because even after all of this, I do see just how lucky we are if I step back and see the big happy picture.
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