Checkup

Annabelle had a checkup today - her first for awhile.  As always, I was nervous going in.  I often forget about the journey we've been through, and I'm always a bit taken aback when people ask me how Annabelle is - I forget. 
I forget all the tears and heartache and sleepless nights through the Pavlik, and the Rhino, and the Spica.
Today's checkup was nothing short of perfect.  My girl's hips are still perfect. 
Her next checkup isn't for another year. 

Feeding the Spica baby, part 2 - breastfeeding

lying flat on the boppy, while still in the hospital

If you don't want to see pictures, turn away.  :)

lying flat on the bed, nursing in her sleep

I had been a bit anxious about breastfeeding Annabelle while in Spica ... but it has worked out just fine.    Again, I don't need to really elaborate, just check out the pictures.

bye bye, Spica

I have many mixed emotions tonight as I write this ...
I am happy that my baby girl's cast is off.  I'm happy we're one step closer to healthy hips.  I'm happy the hardest part is past us. 
It's hard to see my baby in so much pain, though.  I hadn't expected it quite this much.  I had expected her to be in pain after surgery - that just makes sense.  I understood that we should anticipate her to be uncomfortable after the cast removal since she hasn't moved her legs in six weeks.  What I didn't anticipate was the pain she has been in.  It's breaking my heart.  I hate that she's in pain.  I wish I had planned for this possibility in my schedule, seeing as I work tomorrow - it's hard knowing she'll be here and uncomfortable and I won't be able to be with her.

Otherwise, all went well.  Both of her hips are in place - yay!  Her left hip is starting to develop more, which Dr Olney was pleased with.  We go back to see him in six weeks.  Until then, we're back in the Rhino cruiser for 20ish hours a day - 1.5hrs out in the morning and at night and the other hour can accumulate through feedings, diaper changes, car travel, etc ...

Feeding the Spica baby, part 1 - highchair

As with everything else, Annabelle does not fit in our highchair in her Spica cast.  I had done some homework about options for a highchair, given that Annabelle is eating solid food now.  I debated getting one ahead of time, but James suggested we wait until we got home from the hospital.  We lasted about two days, until Annabelle batted my hand away and I was covered in pureed peas. Bleh.

out at Panera :)

This is what we ended up getting for Annabelle, and it works wonderfully.  I got it for $25 at Walmart.  Annabelle's cast is not quite wide enough, hence the pillow.  We had to figure out how to do the straps so that she would be safely strapped in, and it worked out great ... the shoulder straps went around her waist, and the side straps went over her legs I took her out to eat at Panera six days after her surgery.


And ... we were able to put her in it
 after her cast came off, and keep her nice and secure in her brace.  :)

cast is off!!!

Bathing the Spica baby

Spica cast = no bath for six weeks. 
We tried a couple different methods of bathing - because even though Annabelle doesn't get excessively grubby, she still needed bathing.  :)
You can essentially get the gist from the pictures, so I don't need to elaborate.  :)

Diapering the Spica baby

The biggest question everyone has when learning about the Spica cast is "HOW DO YOU DO DIAPERS?????"

It's so very simple.  Pre-spica, I had been quite anxious about this as well, but truthfully, it's easier to diaper a Spica baby than a wiggly baby.  :)

Before going into the hospital for Annabelle's surgery, we didn't buy any diapers, because we weren't sure what we'd need.  After learning how to diaper the day after her surgery (after her catheter came out), we determined the supplies we'd need.

Pre-surgery, Annabelle was in size two diapers.  She ended up needing size one diapers to go under her cast, and size six diapers to go over it.   In the hospital, the size one diapers they had were Pampers Swaddlers, with (insert fanfare) the wetness indicator.  I was never happier about the brilliance of this invention.  There was a means to be able to know whether or not my daughter's diaper was wet (if it was questionable) - without going through the rigmarole of pulling the diaper out of the cast.  Genius.  My husband went to the store and got a small package of both Pampers Swaddlers and Huggies Little Snugglers to determine if one was better than the other.  My answer = YES!  The Pampers were soooooooo much better than the Huggies for our Spica cast.  The Pampers were much wider at the bottom in the crotch area, so they were able to be tucked entirely under the cast, unlike the Huggies.
So ... we opted to spent the extra cash to buy the Pampers Swaddlers while Annabelle is in Spica.

For nighttime, I had read on several other blogs to add an incontinence pad for extra absorption.  Brilliant.  These are what we ended up getting at Target (see below photo), and they worked marvelously.  Annabelle often sleeps 10-12 hrs at night (maybe waking just enough to nurse), so she would often go that long without a diaper change - and she would still wake up dry.
Just make sure to get the moderate absorbency, rather than the light!

Babywearing the Spica baby

When I was pregnant with our first daughter, Charlotte, I did a lot of research on baby products.  I wanted to make sure what we were investing our money in was the safest for our child.  I had initially registered for a Baby Bjorn carrier.  After reading many reviews, however, I learned that that style of carrier may not be the best for a baby's hip development.  I don't know what stuck with me, but after that I didn't feel like that was the best option for us.  I ended up purchasing a Ergo carrier for Charlotte and that investment has proven to be invaluable for us given that we have embarked on a journey with hip dysplasia.


The International Hip Dysplasia Institute  suggests that carriers that allow the baby to sit in the carrier rather than dangle promote a healthier position that does not cause excessive force on the hip joint.
There are lots of different styles of carriers that promote this better positioning.  The ones I can think of off the top of my head would include any Mei Tai style carriers, Beco carriers, Ergo carriers and the Moby GO.
I feel content knowing that when Annabelle is NOT in her Spica, if I have her in our carrier, her hips are well supported and safe.  The Ergo has also come in quite handy because I've been able to wear Annabelle while she is in her Spica.  I wore her almost the entire evening after we came home from the hospital, and I use it anytime we're out shopping, since we have to take her out of her carseat, and she doesn't fit in the cart.  :)

 



*** please note that I am not endorsed by any company to make claims, and I am not specifically promoting a specific type of carrier.

Dressing the Spica baby

Back in June when we had the planned closed reduction and the plan to be in Spica for 12 weeks, I had stocked up on t-shirts and dresses to go over the cast.
Now, given that the seasons have changed, I acquired some long sleeved shirts to go over the cast.

Now that we're several weeks in, however, I've determined that plain shirts are NOT my preferred article of clothing over the Spica.
For starters, the diaper that goes over the cast is 100% visible, and I think it just looks bad.  Even with a huge cloth diaper cover over it to mask the hideousness.  Secondly, I've discovered many a toy inside her cast since the t-shirt makes the top of the cast fair game.
Annabelle is currently in 3-6 month clothing - yes, she's 8 months old.  She's a peanut.  :)

 
So ... I've narrowed down my preferences, and these are:
short or long sleeve onesies - size 9 months snapped over the bottom of the cast
sleepers - size 9 months also, snapped all the way around ... zip sleepers wouldn't work I don't think





I've also managed to streeeeeetch a pair of pants over her cast - this was only for Halloween - I had found a pair of Halloween pants at a garage sale earlier this year, and I really wanted her to wear them on Halloween.  I'm a dork.

2 weeks down, 4 weeks to go

I don't mind the Spica much.  I almost hate to say that, but I don't.
It's cumbersome, it's heavy.  Last week I had a day where I was mad at it ...
It still makes me sad to look at my little one and to know she's not meeting her milestones because of her DDH.  It sucks.  It breaks my heart sometimes.
But I feel so unbelievably blessed to know that our journey is hopefully brief and our daughter will be FULLY HEALED before she will ever know the difference.
Annabelle amazes me.  She is truly a gift from God, and I know He gave her to us to be her parents for a reason.  I cherish her (just as I do her big sister). 
I see God working through us in our situation to bring light to others that come upon this blog.  He has a plan.

Spica roll

Yesterday Annabelle was turning herself pretty well both on her tummy and on her back.  I had thought that by the end of the 6 weeks she'd be rolling and/or crawling just based on how well she was rotating herself yesterday.
This morning, she rolled!  I saw her get some pretty good leverage at one point and thought she might do it, but didn't think it would be this soon!  I was elated.  This girl doesn't let anything hold her back!

Blessings come from raindrops

I think we're nicely getting used to the spica cast.  Annabelle has been sleeping relatively well, she has been eating well, and is a bit less frustrated now about her lack of mobility.  I think her pain is doing a lot better too. 

Looking back on our journey so far, it's been frustrating, it's been full of worry and tears.  We have learned a LOT.  They always say parents with kids with conditions become experts, and while I'm definitely not an expert, I feel relatively well educated ... enough to answer questions when people ask them ...

Every day since Annabelle was born I have been so grateful that her hip dysplasia was caught early.  As Dr Olney has told us, this is often not detected this early in life.  Most of his surgeries are done on older kids, aged 2-3 who are diagnosed after they start walking.  I thank God that Annabelle *WILL NOT* remember the Pavlik Harness.  She won't remember the Rhino Cruiser, or mommy and daddy twice handing her over to the OR nurse.   She won't remember the Spica Cast, she won't remember the pain.  She will remember the stories we tell her down the road, and how much love her mommy & daddy had for her through this whole journey. 

The few weeks before Annabelle's surgery, she cut six teeth, to bring her total to EIGHT.  Those few weeks were frustrating beyond belief.  A few days before her surgery I decided that her cutting her teeth then was a blessing.  She endured that discomfort prior to surgery and going into her spica cast.  Now I don't have to worry that her fussiness/discomfort is from incision pain or from the spica. 

While we were waiting outside the recovery room for Annabelle to be transported to her room, there was a family with a little boy that looked to be about two years old.  His mommy was explaining to him that he had to walk with the "nice nurse" and she would see him afterwards.  I feel so blessed to not have had to explain to my daughter why I was sending her away.  To not wonder if she would look at me afterwards wondering why I sent her off to be in pain.  The last glimpse I have in my head of her being taken to surgery, is her smiling at the OR nurse while playing with her hat.

I am also extremely thankful that the closed reduction was unsuccessful.  We didn't have to endure 3 months in spica, with a cast change at 6 weeks over the hottest summer on record. 

All in all, I am so, so, so grateful that the condition our daughter has is FIXABLE, CURABLE, and something that we will be able to put behind us.

we are home!

I'm glad to be home with my baby but a bit nervous to learn how to take care of her at home ... at the hospital everything is a bit more adapted to her ... at home, we have to figure out what works!

Annabelle is doing well now, she is still in some pain but we're trying to keep on top of it ... she's nursing well, and she ate babyfood this morning as eagerly as she always does.  She's back to smiling frequently, but is definitely more subdued.  She wants her mama all the time ... 

Good morning, beautiful

Morning smiles

attempted tummy time

Meet the Spica

playing with daddy

going home!
Yes, I did match her dress to her cast, I had bought this
dress before her attempted closed reduction as her
"Going Home outfit"

Photo with daddy!

Riding home!  Her new rented Britax Hippo carseat ...
She looks uncomfortable,
but she actually slept the whole way home

Open Reduction and Capsulorrhaphy

I'm so glad today is finished.
Annabelle had her surgery, an open reduction with capsulorrhaphy, which took about 2 hours.  We were able to see her about 4.5 hours after the nurse took her back to the OR.  She was heavily sedated on pain medicine and was occasionally moaning.  It took Annabelle a long time to wake up, and even longer to smile, which is rather unusual for my normally very smiley girl.  We skyped with daddy & big sister this evening and big sister got Annabelle to smile.  It was nice for her to see her baby sister at the hospital and to have a little view of the cast that we've talked about.

Here's a little photo recap of our day:

last bath for six weeks!!!

totally oblivious to the day ahead

waiting for Dr Olney to arrive

arrival in her room

Daddy watching over her

starting to wake up

first time holding her

starting to play

Love my girl.

First smile of the day, Skype with Daddy & big sister

Sweet dreams, sweet girl.

Waiting ...

Annabelle is in surgery.  We got a call a little over an hour ago from the OR nurse saying that they had just started.  Dr Olney anticipated anywhere from 2-3 hours from start to finish, as they'll be applying the cast and I'm assuming it will have to dry.

The wait is hard, and I'm trying to keep myself busy ...

I was going to be brave.

I was going to be brave.

We did this before, right?  We woke up well before dawn and drove our tiny girl to the hospital for surgery.  We carried her down the hallway knowing we would soon have to hand her over to the OR team.  We handed her over and watched the OR nurse carry her around the corner to the team that would care for her while under anesthesia.  I sobbed as we helplessly took the elevator to the waiting room where I would pace until we got word that she was out of surgery.  We waited in angst as we were waiting to hear her name called so that we could meet her in the recovery room.  I rocked and held my sedated little girl and longed for the time she'd open her eyes and want to nurse again. 

We did this already.  So, next time, no big deal, right?  That's what I've been telling myself. 

I was going to be brave.  With this surgery, we have no what-ifs.  The outcome is definite:  Open reduction, Spica cast for 6 weeks.

So, then why with every passing day that the day gets closer do I get more and more scared?

35 days until we do it again.  35.  That's a fewer number of days than she'll actually in the cast.  When I think about it, I'm nauseous.  I don't want to do this again.  I'm scared to death.

I know her condition is fixable.  I know eventually this will all be behind us.  I know there are far worse case scenarios out there that we could be dealing with.  I know all of this.

It doesn't make me less scared.

I can't tell you what a helpless feeling it is to hand your child over to someone and know that you have absolutely no control over what is about to happen.  I don't want to do it again.  This is what our girl needs, so we will do it again.  And again after that if we need to.

I was going to be brave.

So I'm going to try to be.

spica, here we come

Our visit this morning had both some expected, and some unexpected news ...

The Rhino cruiser helped Annabelle's left hip. It's now in place, and Dr Olney anticipates it should stay there. It will need to continue to be braced for awhile to provide stability to the hip joint as it grows and hardens.

It did not help her right hip. He said that there is no improvement. So we are going to continue ahead with the scheduled closed reduction on Monday (today is Thursday). During this, she will be put under general anesthesia, dye will be injected into her hip, and this will allow him to reduce the hip, or manually put it in place. He may or may not need to do a tenotomy, to cut a tendon to allow the hip to be reduced. If all goes well, the hip will reduce, and she will be in a spica cast for 3 months. The cast will be changed out after 6 weeks.

If the hip does NOT reduce, we will not do the cast, she will go back into her Rhino cruiser until she's 6 months old, when she would have an OPEN reduction, or actual surgery on the hip joint.

We asked him if surgery was the best option, seeing as the Rhino cruiser helped her left hip - could it help her right one? He said if there had been any improvement, they might try that first, but seeing as her right hip is essentially unchanged - the best option going forward is the closed reduction/spica cast. Both hips will be in the cast, and this will not hurt her healing left hip at all - but it will continue to provide support.

If she's placed in the Spica cast, we'll likely stay overnight on Monday. If the hip doesn't reduce, we'll go home the same day.

I'm praying for the cast.