Natalie is very active, as stated in almost every other post we have made. Since the weather is starting to get warmer, Danielle and Natalie were able to get outside this last weekend and play around the yard. We bought a trampoline last year. Natalie had a lot of fun Friday evening just playing around on it with her big sister. She probably spent a good 30 minutes out there. That amount of time jumping around just makes me think of a heart attack if I were to even attempt to do it for that long. Again, there was no complaining about her hip and she seems to be doing very well. We are looking at possibly putting her in soccer this next season.
Last week we had a great time at Disney World. We were able to take our two daughters, Natalie and Danielle down there with their grandparents as well. It was a lot of fun and probably really put a strain on Natalie’s hip. It was a good test for how she would do playing sports.
Anyone who has been there realizes that there is a ton of walking involved. Natalie, being as active as she is, has little desire to be pushed around in a stroller. We got her a small monkey backpack that acted as a leash as well to make sure she didn’t get too far away from us. She walked quite a bit, but was not feeling well. She ended up having an ear infection.
When it came to walking, she did quite well. She never complained or acted as though her hip was hurting. Even while being sick, she still seemed to have much more energy than most of us. We were able to go to all four Disney World parks in Orlando, FL. At all of them, she enjoyed running around and seeing all of the different Disney characters. Overall, I think this showed that she is ready to take on soccer and basketball soon.
I’m not going to lie, things have been a little slow around here lately. After the good news about Natalie’s hip, we have basically been doing the same old thing stuff. Natalie is still aggressive as ever and getting after her older sister, Danielle. They are fighting over the smallest things it seems.
Anyhow, we will be taking a week long vacation to Disney World in Florida next week. We are really excited about that. I’m sure we will have some stories to share about how much walking we did. Right now, we are just hoping that we won’t be rained on. The 10 day forecast is not looking so good at the moment.
Also, if you are a reader of this blog, I want to encourage you to get involved here on SpicaCasts.com. If you have a daughter going through this situation, i’m sure other readers would like to hear about it as well. Natalie was just one of the many people that have to endure open reduction and spica casts each year. Please, shoot me an email or post on our forums and let me know that you would like to start submitting articles. I’m sure all of our readers would love to hear about your child’s story.
Natalie had her appointment yesterday morning. The poor little thing had to have two other tests run on her before we went to see her orthopedic doctor. She was a little traumatized by the time that we had to go this appointment, but we got really good new while we were there.
Natalie no longer has to wear her brace at night. The doctor told us that she is just like every other kid. She can play whatever games she wants. We no longer have to super cautious of what her activities are. The doctor does not want to see her until next year for a follow up. I am sure that we will have to continue follow up appointments for the next couple of years.
The doctor also said that she does not look like she will require surgery when she is four, but it is still not completely out of the question. I will take whatever good news we can get for now. Thanks to everyone who was thinking about her yesterday.
Natalie is going in for a check up with her doctor tomorrow. She will actually be having a lot of other test run on her as well. She had been having problems with UTI’s so we are having all of her test run tomorrow. She will have a total of three. We will begin our day at 6:30 so that we can get all of her appointments in by noon.
We will keep you posted on her progress with DDH. I pray that we will get some good news tomorrow. She only has like one year left to correct the condition before they consider doing surgery again. I personally do not want to have to go through another surgery that is going to keep immobile for a long period of time.
Hip dysplasia is a condition that involves the hip and the joint. This condition causes the hip to form improperly. In some cases both hips can be affected by Dysplasia. The severity of the case can range widely. The treatment for DDH or Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip depends on how old the child is and how severe the condition.
There are many different causes for dysplasia. A baby that is in the breech position is more likely to develop DDH. A family history is also a common factor. It is important to remember that if you have had one child with DDH, you such have any children that are born after to be checked as well. A female child is also at a higher risk for this condition.
Finding Hip Dysplasia in young infants can be difficult. An ultrasound will be done on the hip joint to see how it is formed and to see if the joint is out of socket. Bones of an infant do not show up on x-rays until they are about 6 months old. Older children will be given x-rays to determine the placement of the hip.
The treatment for Hip dysplasia depends on the age of the child. Infants under the age of six months are normally put into a pavlik harness. The harness is used to place the hip in the correct position. This will reduce the joint and the body will adjust to the proper placement of the hip. Most infants will completely recover using the harness
Older children such as 6 months to 1 year are more likely to need a spica cast. The spica cast will hold the hip in place like the pavlik harness, but it will allow less movement. Surgery is not always required for this procedure. The normal time in a spica cast is six to twelve weeks.
Children close to or over 1 year old are more likely to need surgery to correct the condition. After the surgery to correct the joint, a spica cast will be placed on the child to prevent movement. This will give the joint time to heal in the correct position. The normal amount of time in a spica cast is six to twelve weeks.
Natalie’s Birthday
I am so excited about Natalie’s birthday coming up. She is so excited for her party this year. She is really into Dinosaurs. We went to go see the Walking with Dinosaur show at the ford center. She paid attention to the entire thing and was talking about if for days afterward. When I think back on how far she has come, it makes me look back over the last couple of years.
When Natalie was first diagnosed with DDH, I was so afraid that she would have all kinds of developmental delays. She has proved me wrong again and again. It amazes me how children quickly adjust. Natalie is getting ready to turn three on Feb. 12, and I can not believe how far she has come.
When she first had her surgery, she was so little that it was hard to tell if she would have any delays. I was afraid that she would walk way later than all the kids her age. This little girl was so amazing that she learned how to walk just after a month and half out of her cast. I just knew that I would be carrying her around for six months after her cast was removed. She just would not be still. I do not blame her though after being forced in pretty much one position for 12 weeks.
The age of two is when most children start figuring out how to jump with their feet off the floor. Any age under this and they usually are just up on their toes. I thought well her hip is still pretty far off from where it needs to be, so I did not expect to be able to do this. Yet again, mom was in for a surprise. She just started jumping out of nowhere one day.
Do not get me wrong, I am happy that she can surprise me with these things. I am so proud of how far she has come. I am looking forward to what this new year will bring. I say that because we are thinking about signing her up for soccer, if her doctor says that it is okay.
There are so many different reasons why a child can develop hip dysplasia. This reason alone can make it difficult for doctors to pin point why it happens. For instance, your newborn baby is a girl, and she seems perfectly healthy and normal in every other area. In this case, your baby being a girl is the only reason for the dysplasia. That is why this particular condition can be hard to diagnose early on.
Hip dysplasia can be very tricky to find. Sometimes symptoms do not show up until your child is several months old. There are some cases where both hips are compromised making the diagnoses even more challenging. This condition is easier to treat the sooner you find it. That is why most infants will endure a surgery to correct the condition.
A reminder of the list of symptoms for Hip Dysplasia:
• A click or popping when the hip is rotated
• There is not full range of motion
• The legs are two different lengths
• The hip joint is not very flexible
If you have any concerns that your child could be having dysplasia, it is important to make an appointment with your child’s doctor, especially if the child is a girl. It is better to be on the safe side then to let the condition go.
My wife recently talked about how to keep your child dry with the use of feminine pads. There were some questions about exactly how it was done, so we took some pictures. Below is my wife explaining how we did it. I hope the pictures help!
Wife’s Explanation:
I am going to try to explain each picture the best that I can. This is Natalie’s second cast that the doctor’s office let my mom keep. Natalie’s second cast only covered part of her left leg so it looks a little different then a lot of other spica casts.
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| (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.) |
You can see how the pads are placed through the back of the cast. You will put the cotton side of the pad toward their skin. You do not have to peel the paper off the back. This will actually make it more difficult to get the pad in the right place. Just use the white medical tape to keep it in place.
• Remember do not force anything in your child’s cast. If they do not slide easily into to place, you may have to find a different method.
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| (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.) |
This area is the inside of the leg from different views. This is where you cut one pad in half. You place one half on the inside of the leg. You will want some of the pad on the inside and some on the outside. This will keep the material on the inner thigh area dry and the material on the outside of the cast dry as well. One pad should be enough for both legs.
I hope that this makes it easier to understand I know that doing all of this makes the cast really ugly, but the cast itself is not much better. It is the price that is paid for the comfort of your child.
This is a topic that I do not have a lot of information about. I can image how difficult it would be to find a day care that would even consider taking in a child that is in a spica cast. Since I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom, we did not have to consider who would take care of Natalie while she was in her cast.
I am not sure how much a regular day care would be able to keep up with the needs of a child who is in a full body cast. Most day cares only staff enough people to take care of children without special needs. For more money, they might allow a child to continue to attend. Even if this is possible would it be the kind of quality care that your child would need?
I think that the best way to go would be to check into a local day care that handles special needs children on a regular basis. This would probably be more expensive, but the people here would most likely be more qualified to take care of a child in a spica cast. It would likely only be for a short period of time so it would be worth checking into.
There is a website that is dedicated to finding child care for any one. It is www.Care.com. It allows you to look at available child care sitters that are listed in your area. They have a page for special needs children where the sitters are educated or experienced with special needs children. You can sign up for a free account or pay for the premium packages. The premium packages offer free background checks. The site also shows if the sitter is full time or part time, and how much the sitter charges per hour. This seems like a great option to try out. It would most likely be expensive since instead of the typical weekly rates, you pay by the hour.
Child care can be a difficult decision to make especially when it comes to a child who definitely needs a lot of care. I hope that this will help any one who has concern about how and who will help take care of their precious little bundle during a difficult time. Also, if anyone else has any ideas or solution feel free to add to this information by posting a comment. It would be greatly appreciated.
