Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip ~ Support and Info

[snuggles' mum]

hi,

am not too sure if there have been many posts regarding hip dysplasia. my beautiful little girl who is 3 months old had to have an ultrasound on her hips the other day (clinically she was fine and there was no need to worry, however her pediatrician wanted to be 100% certain) and we have now been told that she will need to be in a pavlik harness for 3 months.

i was hoping that there are other mum's who can through their experiances provide me with some tips and insight as to what the next few months will be like. I've already been told that for the first few weeks she will be in the harness full time and after that she will be able to come out of her harness for a bath. Will I have to hold her differently? Can i still hold her close and hug her tight?

Does anyone know what this harness is like and if it causes the baby any discomfort?

I feel like i have failed her and i just want to make sure that i can make her as comfortable as possible.

[~WalkieTalkieHarry~]

Hey hun,

Sorry to hear about your DD. I don't have any experience but maybe PM Sunshine82. Her DD is just out of her brace.

Big hugs sweetie.......

Kylie

[snuggles' mum]

thanks Kylie

[em-e]

Hey,

Firstly massive hugs to you. I know the exact emotions you are going through.

When my DD was 6 weeks old she had an ultrasound on her hips (standard procedure for breech babies) and they though that one of her hips was slightly displaced. Thankfully a 2nd ultrasound a month later found that it had fixed itself.

I found this website here really helpful with information about it:

http://www.hip-baby.org/

I also found a section on another Forum which was dedicated to mums with bubs in braces/splints. Here is a link to it:
http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/...ic=580782&st=0

Good luck, I hope your DD doesn't need to be in a brace for too long.

Cheers,
Emily

[Mac]

I am so sorry you are going through this.
My now 8 year old was diagnosed at 6 months but was put in a spica cast then a splint.

There are quite a few mum's on here who's babies have had splints and i am sure they will be of great help.

Best wishes

[snuggles' mum]

thank you both for your support and for providing the links.

[Scruffy]

Hi there.

Firstly, please don't feel like you have failed your baby girl. You have done nothing wrong, and everything right and you certainly haven't failed her!

My daughter was diagnosed with DDH when she was less than a day old, and went straight into a Von Rosen splint - she was only 27 hours old when she was placed in the splint, and she stayed in to until she was 9 weeks old. There are a number of mums here who have had bubs with DDH, and I think altogether we covere the entire spectrum of possibilities in treatments. And the most important thing to remember is that even at it absolute WORST, DDH is a very treatable, curable problem, and babies grow up to be perfectly normal.

You will notice a difference when your bub goes into the harness and something will be different and somethings will be harder. But you will still be able to hold her tight, and squeeze her till she squeaks You can still successfully breastfeed, and you can can still have skin on skin time. You can still cradle her and rock her and lie with her snuggled in the crook of your arm. But it will be a bit different, and it may take you guys a few days to learn new ways of doing things.

I don't think the braces are harnesses causes bubs any discomfort or pain. I think at first they take a little getting used to for both mum and bub, but they get used to them really quickly.

The earlier DDH is identified and treated, the better the outcome is, generally. For my daughter, her hip was really bad at birth. However, 9 weeks in the harness and, fingers crossed, things seems to be okay for her now. We have regular check ups with her doctor, and we are keeping an eye on her tendency to collapse on one side, but things are looking good.

There are other mums with other versions of the DDH story around here. Please feel free to ask any questions you want.

Good luck.

[snuggles' mum]

a big thank you to all for your support.

Scruffy - you have made my day knowing that i can still hold her close means the world to me. I hope all continues to go well with your little one.

Was just wondering about clothes - ar there certain things i should steer clear from? The orthopedic surgeon suggested a larger size (she's only petite and am worried the next size up is way too big) - is that what everyone else did when it came to clothes?

Am trying to think happy thoughts at the moment, so again thank you to all for the support.

[TimeTraveller]

I am freaking out a bit here girls.....

DD is 8.5mths old and just the past mth or so i have become increasingly woried that she is the only bubba at swimming and mothers group that will not weight bear - took her to the GP who has referred us for a scan tomorrow and paediatrician on Tuesday.....

Scruffy if early detection is best - what will happen to my bubba....

I feel so upset not knowing and feeling like i have failed her that it hasnt been picked up earlier.....

With my limited medical knowledge it is clearly a local issue for DD (ie nothing neurological as she kicks and is otherwise developing well) and likely something to do with ?? tracking of the hip ball and socket??

please help - i am going out of my mind here.....

Lisa

[TimeTraveller]

*bump*

just trying to keep this active for the afternoon/evening births shift

L