Elijah’s Hip Dysplasia Story
Our son Elijah was born with hip dysplasia of his left hip. He was succesfully treated for it and we wanted to write our story so that maybe what we went through could help other families that have a child with hip dysplasia. I know researching on the web helped me when we found out his hip would need treatment. Here is our story.
Elijah was born December 5th, 2005. He was born 3 weeks early, was not a breech baby, and was born vaginally. Our pediatrician did his exams and tests on him at the hospital like he does on all babies and he told us that he did a test on his legs and hips and noticed that his left hip made a click when he pushed his leg back. He told us that it was probably nothing that was going to need treatment, but he suggested we go ahead and place two diapers on him and see a pediatric orthopedist just to have a second opinion.
We went to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville to see the orthopedist, and Elijah was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, also known as DDH. DDH is an abnormal formation of the hip joint. The recommended treatment for DDH initially was to try what they call a pavlik harness. The harness was an appliance that brought his legs in a frog-like position, and he was to wear it at all times for 6 weeks. The Drs. hoped that the harness would allow the hip joint to go back in place, and without him moving his legs, allow the ligaments and tissue surrounding the hip to form correctly.
After two weeks we took Elijah back to the orthopedist for a check-up, and we got the news that the hip was still dislocated and clicking so we had to move on to the next treatment option. We were told that the joint be positioned manually (closed reduction) under anesthesia and be maintained with a body cast, also called hip spica cast.
On February 1st, 2005, Elijah was put to sleep and the Dr. put the hip in place and applied the cast. The cast started right below the nipple line, and extended down both legs to the ankles. It was very hard at first seeing a body cast on our 2 month old son. The nurses at the hospital told me that it would be much harder on me than it would be Elijah. Easier said than done, they told me to really try and stay strong and positive because he could feel my emotions, and if I felt stressed and uneasy about the situation that he could feel that too. So I really tried to not feel those things around him, but it was hard at first.
We had some problems at the hospital before we could leave though. He would not fit in his car seat! The cast made his legs spread apart so much that the car seat we had wouldn’t adjust to the level he needed to be to fit in it. The hospital was scratching there heads for 3 hours until they found a flatter bottom car seat, the kind that bigger babies and toddlers normally sit in. We had to place several blankets under him and behind him to get him in the car seat securely, but that was what we had to do to get home!
Diapering was very interesting and difficult at first. They only leave you a small opening in the cast to place a diaper. They also put water proof tape around the opening in case of leaks. Within a few days we had a leak, and it started to smell. They suggested I dry the inside of the cast, and also use a dryer sheet to help with the odor. After a few days it dried, but it still had a slight odor. When we went back to the Dr. for a check I was informed that when he was in the hospital getting his cast on they didn’t put the waterproof tape all around the opening like they were supposed to. That would have helped to prevent the leaks from becoming so bad. If your child is getting a spica cast you might want to ask about the waterproof tape and make sure it’s placed properly, but keep in mind that you can’t prevent leaks completely there will be some!
During the time the cast was on we tried different kinds of diapers and products. What worked best for us were Pampers Baby Dry diapers and we also placed the Stayfree Maxi Pad inside the diaper. Also, the Boppy was our best friend! We placed him on the Boppy for every diaper change. We put him on his back first and removed the diaper and then flipped him over on his belly to place the diaper on the backside. We had two boppy’s and we kept one in the car for when we traveled and one at the house. As recommended by the Dr., we checked his diaper every 2 hours during the day, and whenever he woke up at night. Because he was still pretty much a newborn during this time he woke up probably 2 maybe 3 times at night. We also had to keep him upright; that way if he were to have a leak the urine flow would go downward and not up into the cast. We used our bouncy chair a lot, and we also used a travel swing that had a flat seat so he was able to fit in the swing. At night in his bed we did place a pillow and laid his head/upper body on it. That allowed him to still be upright but also be lying down. The clothes that worked best were onesies or rompers. He wasn’t able to wear pants or pajamas but he stayed warm because the cast covered most of his body.
Elijah had a new cast put on March 10th in order to check progress and upgrade to a bigger cast. The total time in the cast was 8 ½ weeks. During that time he had to have adjustments on his cast on the left leg because it had gotten to tight and his foot was starting to swell. He also had to have the cast adjusted around his belly because he wasn’t keep food down well and spitting up a lot because it had gotten too tight. Remember to look for these signs every day! Your child is growing very quickly!
On April 3rd the cast came off, and they were able to do it without putting him to sleep. He was then placed in a splint/brace. He wore it day and night, but at his last visit the Dr. said to just keep it on at night. After 3 1/2 months of wearing the brace at night, he finally got it off when we went to his last check up with the orthapedist. His hip looks great and felt solid! Our next visit to him is when Elijah is 18 months old and walking so he can see the progress of that.
If you are dealing with a child that has hip dysplasia and are fixing to go through treatment just remember that the time will pass fast and you will get through it. It seems really difficult at times, and you feel like it isn’t fair that your baby has to go through this. Elijah was such a joy and so easy going through it all. He really didn’t seem to realize that he couldn’t move his legs. Babies are so accepting of change. Stay positive and so will they!
****UPDATE (04/17/2008)****
We just wanted to take some time and thank everyone for the comments on this page. So far, there have been over 40 comments. Each of you help others who might be reading this and thinking “How am I going to go through this?” We try to respond to those that have entered e-mail addresses, but I’m sure we have missed a few.
Elijah is now running around so fast we can hardly keep up sometimes. His last visit went extremely well, but they want to keep an eye on the hip as he grows. We are down to visits only once a year now! If you look at some of the photos or videos here on camliner2.com, you will see just how well he is doing.
