Living the life la spica…..

My smallest child never ceases to amaze me; less than four weeks ago I clung to the side of her hospital cot with eyes that itched with tears watching my pale little girl undergoe a blood transfusion to slow her pounding heart rate after she underwent major surgery to correct her hip dysplasia.  Less than four weeks I lay on my sofa bed beside her cot with my eyes wide open wondering about how she and we would cope with twelve long weeks in a spica cast.  Less than four weeks ago the world seemed to be a bit of a shitty place that was bullying my baby girl who hadn’t done any thing to deserve it.

Then we hurtle back to the here and now; and I can show you a toddler who doesn’t toddle but instead uses every inch of determination to pull her healing body across the floor.  I can show you a gorgeous girl so full of life and energy that she doesn’t pause to think about the cast binding her.  I can show you a child who will make you feel better about the world.

BB’s path back to contentment has not been without assistance and as parents we have found this from Steps, a charity set up to help parents and children who suffer with hip and feet disorders.  It was Steps who arranged us a car seat and it was through Steps that we have managed to borrow an adapted chair and table for BB so she can play with her toys like little girls should.

My daughter shouldn’t have DDH, she does not fit the classic signs, she was not breech, she was not my first born, and we don’t have a medical history of hip issues.  The doctors don’t know if she was born with a dislocated hip or if something occured to weaken her hips and leave her susceptible to this condition.

STEPS Director and member of the IHDI Advisory Board, Sue Banton, said, “We don’t want to scare parents, but by putting their babies in inappropriate car seats or baby slings or by swaddling their babies in the wrong way there is a real risk of their child developing hip dysplasia”.

The International Hip DyspIasia Institute states:“Some types of baby carriers and other equipment may interfere with healthy hip positioning. Such devices include but are not limited to baby carriers, slings, wraps, pouches, car seats, exercisers, rockers, jumpers, swings, bouncers and walkers, and moulded seating items. These devices could inadvertently place hips in an unhealthy position, especially when used for extended periods of time. Any device that restrains a baby’s legs in an unhealthy position should be considered a potential risk for abnormal hip development”.

Did I do this to my daughter?

I will never know…

But I can help educate others.  If you are reading this and want to know the safest way to carry your baby in a sling or carrier, or how to position in a car please grab a cuppa and take five minutes to read this pamphlet and help me raise awareness by sharing this post where you think is appropriate.

But as for BB, you can see she is as perfect as ever…

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