Today we drove up to Sydney for our appointment with the hip specialist.
The Bubby's hips could not be more perfect. He even told us not to get the five month 'just in case' xray we had booked because they are completely fine.
It was such a relief.
And also funny when she farted on him while he was checking her legs.
The Toddler's hips have also slightly improved. He showed her acetabular angles as 30 and 35 last time, now both are 30. He said if we need to have the operation there is no difference between doing it now or in one year or two years so we might as well wait to see if there is any improvement.
He said her inturned feet comes from her thighs and from her calves. Often the thigh flexibility will resolve itself with age. As she didn't like being examined, he said that he would see how she is going next time as to whether we look at the boots and bar.
And he doesn't want to see us for another 12 months (rather than six).
Overall, it went as well as it could have.
And it is just such a relief that things aren't any worse.
Showing posts with label Hips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hips. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Hips
The Toddler: The Toddler's hip angles came back at 31.7 and 33. Neither of those are below the 28 degrees that is the upper limit for healthy at birth. Neither of these are below the 20 degrees that they should be at the age of 2 if healthy. The angles have hardly changed.
The Bubby: Saw the MACH nurse today because I was tired of people telling me she was small or petite. She is in fact on the 50th percentile for height and head circumference, and 75th percentile for weight (so she is heavy!). The nurse also pointed out that her hip folds do not match up exactly. So now she has been booked in to see the specialist in Sydney at the same time as The Toddler. I hope it is nothing.
The Bubby: Saw the MACH nurse today because I was tired of people telling me she was small or petite. She is in fact on the 50th percentile for height and head circumference, and 75th percentile for weight (so she is heavy!). The nurse also pointed out that her hip folds do not match up exactly. So now she has been booked in to see the specialist in Sydney at the same time as The Toddler. I hope it is nothing.
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Xray time
The Toddler had her 6 monthly xray today. We don't get the results for another few days and the wait is killing me.
For the first time today I sat down and wrote down was results we'd had in previous xrays: Left hip 32, 30 and 30; Right hip 34, 30 and 37. She needs it to be 20 or below now that she is 2 for it to be normal.
I do not have high hopes.
I do wonder if there was not more we could have done when she was younger - it doesn't help that the doctor we were seeing (before finally getting referred to Sydney) currently has nine malpractice suites against him.
For the first time today I sat down and wrote down was results we'd had in previous xrays: Left hip 32, 30 and 30; Right hip 34, 30 and 37. She needs it to be 20 or below now that she is 2 for it to be normal.
I do not have high hopes.
I do wonder if there was not more we could have done when she was younger - it doesn't help that the doctor we were seeing (before finally getting referred to Sydney) currently has nine malpractice suites against him.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Hips
The Bubbys hips are good.
Thank Gawd.
It wasn't until I was lunching with a friend afterwards that I realised how unprepared I was for a bad result.
She'll go back for another ultrasound at five months to double check that it continues to grow normally, but it had 61% coverage as at last week.
So relieved to have dodged this bullet.
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Check ups
The Bubby had her hips ulstrasound yesterday to check for hip dysplasia. I'm not sure how to feel about it - the lady conducting the scan commented that they were a bit small, but this could be because she is not yet 6 weeks old according to her due date (although she was exactly seven weeks old from her actual birth date). She did also comment 'perfect!' - but this could have been in relation to finally getting a clear picture of one of her hips (she was not as well behaved while being scanned as The Toddler was).
The follow up appointment with the pediatrician is next week, less than one week to go...
The follow up appointment with the pediatrician is next week, less than one week to go...
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
These boots were made for walking
Now that the baby is up and off and around everywhere, she is ruining her socks. This is not helped by her newfound status of being 'the outdoor type' and keen to get out in the dirt and grass and up and down the stairs in our backyard.
I took her in to the specialty kids shoes shop to get fitted, as every attempt I've made to fit her for shoes has resulted in us losing said shoes - the baby has (adorable) chubby feet.
When she sat up on the step in the shop (just like the big kids!) the lady hrm'd as she set her tiny baby feet in the foot measurer. "She's not even a size three. I'm not sure what we'll have."
It took three pairs of shoes, and three trips out to the back storeroom, before they found a pair that 'fit' her. And by 'fit', I mean there is probably another third of the length of her foot left as gap up the top. Her feet are also wide, and chubby on the top, so one pair was too narrow, and the other pair cut in to her chubby little feet tops.
Her shoes are little cream t-bar shoes, with a heart on each toe. There are also cutouts in the toes, so she'll be able to wear them in summer.
As the baby toddled around the store trying them out, she kept getting caught up in her steps.
"Does she normally turn her feet in like that?".
Yes, the baby walks with a bit of a turn-in, but it's mostly her right foot, and not normally so noticeable. It was probably exaggerated by the fact she was kind of wearing clown shoes.
After paying $49.95 (!! More than I spend on shoes for me!!!!) the lady suggested we bring her back when she needs new ones, and they'll get her some with extra support, in the hopes that it will help her gait.
I hope it has nothing to do with her hips, and that a bit of practice sorts her out.
I took her in to the specialty kids shoes shop to get fitted, as every attempt I've made to fit her for shoes has resulted in us losing said shoes - the baby has (adorable) chubby feet.
When she sat up on the step in the shop (just like the big kids!) the lady hrm'd as she set her tiny baby feet in the foot measurer. "She's not even a size three. I'm not sure what we'll have."
It took three pairs of shoes, and three trips out to the back storeroom, before they found a pair that 'fit' her. And by 'fit', I mean there is probably another third of the length of her foot left as gap up the top. Her feet are also wide, and chubby on the top, so one pair was too narrow, and the other pair cut in to her chubby little feet tops.
Her shoes are little cream t-bar shoes, with a heart on each toe. There are also cutouts in the toes, so she'll be able to wear them in summer.
As the baby toddled around the store trying them out, she kept getting caught up in her steps.
"Does she normally turn her feet in like that?".
Yes, the baby walks with a bit of a turn-in, but it's mostly her right foot, and not normally so noticeable. It was probably exaggerated by the fact she was kind of wearing clown shoes.
After paying $49.95 (!! More than I spend on shoes for me!!!!) the lady suggested we bring her back when she needs new ones, and they'll get her some with extra support, in the hopes that it will help her gait.
I hope it has nothing to do with her hips, and that a bit of practice sorts her out.
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Check those hips
A few weeks ago I was wasting time on the computer, when I should have been doing something productive. I clicked through the online paper and saw an article about a doctor needing to be retrained. I clicked through and discovered it was the doctor we have been seeing for the baby's hip dysplasia. Awesome.
Of course, the husband and I were a little worried, so we booked an appointment with the pediatrician, so we could see if we should get a referral to someone else. The appointment wasn't until almost two months after we called in, but then I got a call this afternoon giving me one hours notice to bring the baby in for a cancelled appointment.
The pediatrician went around in circles a few times, but we decided that we would wait another 6 months before we take any more action. He said that her results and her hips are good for her age. Not great, but good. He said that another xray at 18 months would give us more of an idea on how she is going. When we told him we were relieved that we would get the check then, he explained that that was always his plan - he always xrays babies at 18 months. We didn't have another appointment or an xray referral from him, and the orthopedic surgeon also hadn't said anything about an 18 month check, so that's a little confusing, but either way it's a good result.
If we were to take her to Sydney, it is unlikely they would do anything apart from tell us to come back in 6 months. As it is, the pediatrician said that if the baby needed surgery, he would go through Sydney anyway, so we're no worse off. So at this stage, we will be taking the baby in for an xray in early January, with a follow up appointment with our pediatrician, and a referral to Sydney if we want.
Hopefully, the next few months of walking will do her hips some good.
Of course, he did ask questions about the shape of her head towards the end of the appointment, but he didn't explain what he was talking about and he took it back once he saw I was confused. So that's not great.
But he did weigh and measure her and go through a quick check. I did visit the nurse yesterday to have the same check completed, but she marked her on the charts as as 12 month old, not an almost 14 month old. So while I thought she was >90% for height, 50-75% for weight and 50% for head, she is actually spot on 50% for all three.
Of course, the husband and I were a little worried, so we booked an appointment with the pediatrician, so we could see if we should get a referral to someone else. The appointment wasn't until almost two months after we called in, but then I got a call this afternoon giving me one hours notice to bring the baby in for a cancelled appointment.
The pediatrician went around in circles a few times, but we decided that we would wait another 6 months before we take any more action. He said that her results and her hips are good for her age. Not great, but good. He said that another xray at 18 months would give us more of an idea on how she is going. When we told him we were relieved that we would get the check then, he explained that that was always his plan - he always xrays babies at 18 months. We didn't have another appointment or an xray referral from him, and the orthopedic surgeon also hadn't said anything about an 18 month check, so that's a little confusing, but either way it's a good result.
If we were to take her to Sydney, it is unlikely they would do anything apart from tell us to come back in 6 months. As it is, the pediatrician said that if the baby needed surgery, he would go through Sydney anyway, so we're no worse off. So at this stage, we will be taking the baby in for an xray in early January, with a follow up appointment with our pediatrician, and a referral to Sydney if we want.
Hopefully, the next few months of walking will do her hips some good.
Of course, he did ask questions about the shape of her head towards the end of the appointment, but he didn't explain what he was talking about and he took it back once he saw I was confused. So that's not great.
But he did weigh and measure her and go through a quick check. I did visit the nurse yesterday to have the same check completed, but she marked her on the charts as as 12 month old, not an almost 14 month old. So while I thought she was >90% for height, 50-75% for weight and 50% for head, she is actually spot on 50% for all three.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Hips - one year check up
We had the 12 month checkup on the baby's hips today.
She was nice and still for the xray, which was handy as the husband was at work so it was just me. Old habits die hard, and she just wanted to grab her feet and stick her butt up in the air (like she did in the harness), but the girl operating the machine took it pretty well.
The appointment with the surgeon was very quick. He put the xrays up on the wall and showed us that the socket joints are both in the right place, which is good. He drew all the angles and showed us that her left hip is still on 30 degrees (the same as it was in Feb) and her right hip is also on 30 degrees (it was 40 in Feb).
We will have another xray in 12 months time (no mention of an 18 week scan and night bracing (which is awesome!) but we wonder if we should have brought that up with him). He is hoping that her angles will be at 20 when she is 2 years old. If they are at 30 at 2 years old, she has a 50/50 chance of having normally developed hips as adult, so we would continue to monitor it before considering surgery.
Very glad to have that over and done with for a whole year, though already secretly dreading how that appointment will go, and what results it might bring. He noted that she is moving well, which seems to be a good thing, and he said that it could be that everything is fine but that the ossification is taking longer than average because she had the dysplasia - fingers crossed that that's all it is.
She was nice and still for the xray, which was handy as the husband was at work so it was just me. Old habits die hard, and she just wanted to grab her feet and stick her butt up in the air (like she did in the harness), but the girl operating the machine took it pretty well.
The appointment with the surgeon was very quick. He put the xrays up on the wall and showed us that the socket joints are both in the right place, which is good. He drew all the angles and showed us that her left hip is still on 30 degrees (the same as it was in Feb) and her right hip is also on 30 degrees (it was 40 in Feb).
We will have another xray in 12 months time (no mention of an 18 week scan and night bracing (which is awesome!) but we wonder if we should have brought that up with him). He is hoping that her angles will be at 20 when she is 2 years old. If they are at 30 at 2 years old, she has a 50/50 chance of having normally developed hips as adult, so we would continue to monitor it before considering surgery.
Very glad to have that over and done with for a whole year, though already secretly dreading how that appointment will go, and what results it might bring. He noted that she is moving well, which seems to be a good thing, and he said that it could be that everything is fine but that the ossification is taking longer than average because she had the dysplasia - fingers crossed that that's all it is.
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Month end
As the baby has clocked over each month, I've found myself getting really excited about her next month 'birthday'.
Except for this one.
While I'm excited that she'll be one in just over three weeks, she's due for her hip x-ray a few days before her birthday.
And I want it to be all fine and all clear and no problems. But this time I need to be prepared for the fact that it might not be. That she might need night splinting. That we might need to head up to Sydney to see a specialist. That she might need surgery.
Except for this one.
While I'm excited that she'll be one in just over three weeks, she's due for her hip x-ray a few days before her birthday.
And I want it to be all fine and all clear and no problems. But this time I need to be prepared for the fact that it might not be. That she might need night splinting. That we might need to head up to Sydney to see a specialist. That she might need surgery.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
The final result
The baby is harness free.
Very exciting (although the husband is still a little wary).
I called the orthopedic surgeon at around 10.30 and was told they didn't have her scans just yet but they could see us for an appointment on 15 March. I think my level of distress was pretty clear over the phone when I explained she was 7.5 months old and had already been in the harness for more than 3 months and I didn't know what I should do with her - they got us an appointment at 3.30 that day.
The surgeon was great - he sat us down and ran through all of our results, clearly explaining for the initial ultrasound, our midway ultrasound and this x-ray what we were looking for, how they got each result and what it meant exactly. He drew the angles on to the results and it was the first time it really seemed to make sense for us.
He explained how the second ultrasound was showing a good improvement from the first (something that the pediatrician didn't explain, when he first told us it looked worse and then oh no, it was actually better), so it responded well to the treatment.
In a nutshell, the ultrasound is able to see the baby's 'bones' (they are all cartlidegy) and the x-ray can see only the bone that has formed from cartlidge (so we can't really compare the two). He explained how there hasn't been a lot of consistent research in to how best treat hip dysplasia - all the doctors seem to do their own thing and then look back retrospectively at what worked - I think this is basically all because you can't really tell what's going on in there. There is not much research in to it, and it's quite vague - there's no actual proof that doing more than the pavlic harness makes any difference (it could well sort itself out).
He explained how the nurses can find more cases than there 'actually' are when the look at the leg folds - it could well be fine by the time baby is two years old, even if she hadn't had the harness.
The plan is that she will have an x-ray at 12 months to see how she is tracking. If it is not looking great (as in the angles in her hips are not closer to what they want) then there will be another x-ray at 18 months. If that one is still not great, they will look in to bracing her at night for 6 months and rescan at 2 years of age. There is no proof that this night bracing works, but then at least we will have tried something before we are left with our last option - surgery. They would cut in to her pelvis and change the angle of it, as her problem is not to do with a dislocating hip, but rather how much of her leg her pelvis is able to capture.
There is nothing we can do between now and then.
I don't think I realised how much the harness was weighing on my mind for all this time, until it was off. I just instantly felt better for it.
I hope that this is the end of it all, but we just have to remember the last thing the doctor said to us - this is only a very mild case.
Very exciting (although the husband is still a little wary).
I called the orthopedic surgeon at around 10.30 and was told they didn't have her scans just yet but they could see us for an appointment on 15 March. I think my level of distress was pretty clear over the phone when I explained she was 7.5 months old and had already been in the harness for more than 3 months and I didn't know what I should do with her - they got us an appointment at 3.30 that day.
The surgeon was great - he sat us down and ran through all of our results, clearly explaining for the initial ultrasound, our midway ultrasound and this x-ray what we were looking for, how they got each result and what it meant exactly. He drew the angles on to the results and it was the first time it really seemed to make sense for us.
He explained how the second ultrasound was showing a good improvement from the first (something that the pediatrician didn't explain, when he first told us it looked worse and then oh no, it was actually better), so it responded well to the treatment.
In a nutshell, the ultrasound is able to see the baby's 'bones' (they are all cartlidegy) and the x-ray can see only the bone that has formed from cartlidge (so we can't really compare the two). He explained how there hasn't been a lot of consistent research in to how best treat hip dysplasia - all the doctors seem to do their own thing and then look back retrospectively at what worked - I think this is basically all because you can't really tell what's going on in there. There is not much research in to it, and it's quite vague - there's no actual proof that doing more than the pavlic harness makes any difference (it could well sort itself out).
He explained how the nurses can find more cases than there 'actually' are when the look at the leg folds - it could well be fine by the time baby is two years old, even if she hadn't had the harness.
The plan is that she will have an x-ray at 12 months to see how she is tracking. If it is not looking great (as in the angles in her hips are not closer to what they want) then there will be another x-ray at 18 months. If that one is still not great, they will look in to bracing her at night for 6 months and rescan at 2 years of age. There is no proof that this night bracing works, but then at least we will have tried something before we are left with our last option - surgery. They would cut in to her pelvis and change the angle of it, as her problem is not to do with a dislocating hip, but rather how much of her leg her pelvis is able to capture.
There is nothing we can do between now and then.
I don't think I realised how much the harness was weighing on my mind for all this time, until it was off. I just instantly felt better for it.
I hope that this is the end of it all, but we just have to remember the last thing the doctor said to us - this is only a very mild case.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
More results
In the lift on the way to see the pediatrician today, the husband commented that he was sure she would need surgery and at least six months in plaster cast.
I wasn't sure what I thought was going to happen, but I had finally cried on the drive to the doctor. I'd felt it under the surface since we got the report, but it was only when I pictured her in the plaster cast, stuck, compared to the other babies her age that would be up and moving around, that I was getting upset.
We sat down with the doctor and he said he was happy for her to come out of the harness. We were a bit shocked/confused/unsure.
He told us that he wasn't happy with the report (it should have had a recommendation on it), so he called the person who analysed the x-ray and also an orthopedic surgeon who has an interest in pediatrics. The scanner person said they weren't able to compare the x-ray to the previous scans as they weren't done at the same place. Our doctor believes the scanner was too caught up in the numbers - as she was born with an abnormal hip, they shouldn't expect her results to be normal. He says that a score of 30-32 is fine, the main thing is that she should be down at 24 by the time she is 2 years old.
He said that the orthopedic surgeon couldn't access the reports on his computer but from having the report read over the phone to him, it sounded good and he thought she could have the harness taken off. The surgeon was in Sydney for the day, but will call us for an appointment, hopefully this week.
He said that we could take the harness off, but it was up to us - that it might be worth keeping it on just in case, as it could be hard to get the harness back on her once she's had it off for a while. He believes that the recommendation will be for it to be taken off and just to have x-rays to monitor the progress as we go.
He said that they used to put the babies in to a night brace, but that it's not really done anymore. I'm not sure why or why not.
We also have a referral for a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Sydney, if we like.
I guess we'll see how the next appointment goes as to whether or not we call them - the husband sent me an article to read on the surgery, just in case.
I don't know what I think.
I want her to be fine. I want her to not be strapped down. I want her to be able to move. I want her to develop just like all the other kids.
I don't want her to be operated on. I don't want her stuck in plaster till she is 13 months old, or more.
But I don't want her to have to go through surgery when she is older. I don't want to find out that we should have operated if we haven't.
I wasn't sure what I thought was going to happen, but I had finally cried on the drive to the doctor. I'd felt it under the surface since we got the report, but it was only when I pictured her in the plaster cast, stuck, compared to the other babies her age that would be up and moving around, that I was getting upset.
We sat down with the doctor and he said he was happy for her to come out of the harness. We were a bit shocked/confused/unsure.
He told us that he wasn't happy with the report (it should have had a recommendation on it), so he called the person who analysed the x-ray and also an orthopedic surgeon who has an interest in pediatrics. The scanner person said they weren't able to compare the x-ray to the previous scans as they weren't done at the same place. Our doctor believes the scanner was too caught up in the numbers - as she was born with an abnormal hip, they shouldn't expect her results to be normal. He says that a score of 30-32 is fine, the main thing is that she should be down at 24 by the time she is 2 years old.
He said that the orthopedic surgeon couldn't access the reports on his computer but from having the report read over the phone to him, it sounded good and he thought she could have the harness taken off. The surgeon was in Sydney for the day, but will call us for an appointment, hopefully this week.
He said that we could take the harness off, but it was up to us - that it might be worth keeping it on just in case, as it could be hard to get the harness back on her once she's had it off for a while. He believes that the recommendation will be for it to be taken off and just to have x-rays to monitor the progress as we go.
He said that they used to put the babies in to a night brace, but that it's not really done anymore. I'm not sure why or why not.
We also have a referral for a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Sydney, if we like.
I guess we'll see how the next appointment goes as to whether or not we call them - the husband sent me an article to read on the surgery, just in case.
I don't know what I think.
I want her to be fine. I want her to not be strapped down. I want her to be able to move. I want her to develop just like all the other kids.
I don't want her to be operated on. I don't want her stuck in plaster till she is 13 months old, or more.
But I don't want her to have to go through surgery when she is older. I don't want to find out that we should have operated if we haven't.
Monday, 20 February 2012
X-ray
The baby had her xray today - it took less than a minute.
We were taken in, got her down to her nappy, and the husband held her legs still while they took a practice shot of her pelvis, and then the real one.
I didn't even get to see the preview on the screen and when I asked if they'd be able to tell anything, the only comment I got was that we'd have to wait until the report was ready. That said, the (young male) assistant was lovely, smiling and waving at her, and he gave her a 'I'm a good girl' sticker once she was done.
I went back at 4pm to pick up the film and the report.
"There is bilateral acetabular dysplasia, the acetabular angle on the right measuring 34 degrees and in the left 32 degrees. The femoral heads are enlocated and the femoral capital epiphyses are ossified and symmetrical."
It sounded bad, then good.
From my googling, and the husband's googling, it's bad. In that it seems that she has problems with both sides of her hip, not just the one side - whether this means it has gotten worse, or just that they couldn't tell that earlier, who knows. The angles should be at 30 at the highest.
The appointment with the pediatrician is tomorrow morning.
I don't know what I feel about it all.
We were taken in, got her down to her nappy, and the husband held her legs still while they took a practice shot of her pelvis, and then the real one.
I didn't even get to see the preview on the screen and when I asked if they'd be able to tell anything, the only comment I got was that we'd have to wait until the report was ready. That said, the (young male) assistant was lovely, smiling and waving at her, and he gave her a 'I'm a good girl' sticker once she was done.
I went back at 4pm to pick up the film and the report.
"There is bilateral acetabular dysplasia, the acetabular angle on the right measuring 34 degrees and in the left 32 degrees. The femoral heads are enlocated and the femoral capital epiphyses are ossified and symmetrical."
It sounded bad, then good.
From my googling, and the husband's googling, it's bad. In that it seems that she has problems with both sides of her hip, not just the one side - whether this means it has gotten worse, or just that they couldn't tell that earlier, who knows. The angles should be at 30 at the highest.
The appointment with the pediatrician is tomorrow morning.
I don't know what I feel about it all.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Bumps
There are times when I think back to what it was like when I first started all this with the baby - this post in particular - and I would think 'oh, how little I knew back then - she's so delightful and amazing!'.
You guys, the baby was totally being a little bit of a b*tch today.
And I know it's wrong of me to say that.
I know that she doesn't know how to express herself.
I know that she doesn't know how she even feels or why or what it is or if it's good or bad.
I know she's just a baby.
I think she's teething - I'm pretty sure there are bumps in her lower jaw. One on each side of the two bottom middle teeth she does have, but they're like the second ones out... if they are coming through, there will be gaps between her teeth.
She bit me again yesterday, and again today. I wonder if she can pick up the stress I'm feeling when I'm trying to feed her and terrified of getting bitten, because she's not feeding much. She only fed at 6am, 12pm and then 8pm tonight. Every other time she'd attach, then pull off almost straight away, straining to get away from me.
She's been whinging all day, no matter what we do.
She's pushing food away. She's pulling her dummy out. She's waking up crying, and it's furious crying that will only stop when you hold her. She's crying if you aren't holding her. She's not eating much of her solids. She thrashes around when I try to feed her in the chair in her room and she cries a lot when we put her in her cot. She would only be napping for half an hour at a time. She is moving back and forth a lot more, getting ready to move... perhaps she is frustrated with this too?
She woke up at 3 and 330 last night, and I nearly fell asleep in the rocking chair - she just wanted to be held. She did. not. want. to be in her cot. I was talking to her, not in my nighttime voice, but my normal voice, telling her it was enough. I clapped so that the noise would interupt her. I flicked on her lamp to see if I could see anything wrong with her.
She had been like that all yesterday too. I tried for 45 minutes to get her to nap, and in the end only succeeded when she fell asleep on me on the spare bed and I was able to roll her on to her back on the bed and stay frozen, so that she'd think she was still on me when it was me on her.
I know that between 7 and 9 months the baby learns that it is it's own person, and that means they can be left, so that makes them clingy. But it's not like she's happy when she's with me - she is just unhappy. All the time.
I hope tomorrow is a good day. She's finally getting her xray to see if her hips are fixed and I was so sure that she'll be fine but now I just don't know. Perhaps she's preparing me for a terrible day.
You guys, the baby was totally being a little bit of a b*tch today.
And I know it's wrong of me to say that.
I know that she doesn't know how to express herself.
I know that she doesn't know how she even feels or why or what it is or if it's good or bad.
I know she's just a baby.
I think she's teething - I'm pretty sure there are bumps in her lower jaw. One on each side of the two bottom middle teeth she does have, but they're like the second ones out... if they are coming through, there will be gaps between her teeth.
She bit me again yesterday, and again today. I wonder if she can pick up the stress I'm feeling when I'm trying to feed her and terrified of getting bitten, because she's not feeding much. She only fed at 6am, 12pm and then 8pm tonight. Every other time she'd attach, then pull off almost straight away, straining to get away from me.
She's been whinging all day, no matter what we do.
She's pushing food away. She's pulling her dummy out. She's waking up crying, and it's furious crying that will only stop when you hold her. She's crying if you aren't holding her. She's not eating much of her solids. She thrashes around when I try to feed her in the chair in her room and she cries a lot when we put her in her cot. She would only be napping for half an hour at a time. She is moving back and forth a lot more, getting ready to move... perhaps she is frustrated with this too?
She woke up at 3 and 330 last night, and I nearly fell asleep in the rocking chair - she just wanted to be held. She did. not. want. to be in her cot. I was talking to her, not in my nighttime voice, but my normal voice, telling her it was enough. I clapped so that the noise would interupt her. I flicked on her lamp to see if I could see anything wrong with her.
She had been like that all yesterday too. I tried for 45 minutes to get her to nap, and in the end only succeeded when she fell asleep on me on the spare bed and I was able to roll her on to her back on the bed and stay frozen, so that she'd think she was still on me when it was me on her.
I know that between 7 and 9 months the baby learns that it is it's own person, and that means they can be left, so that makes them clingy. But it's not like she's happy when she's with me - she is just unhappy. All the time.
I hope tomorrow is a good day. She's finally getting her xray to see if her hips are fixed and I was so sure that she'll be fine but now I just don't know. Perhaps she's preparing me for a terrible day.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Tantrums
The baby and I were out with my parents today, from 10am until close to 3pm. This meant that her only two sleeps were in the car - she wouldn't go back to sleep when we got home and I put her in her cot.
At around 5.30 I managed to 'trick' her in to a nap, by putting her on my belly and patting her butt while we watched tv, but she didn't even have a full 45 minutes.
Then she was craaaaaaaaanky. She was overtired and hungry and just generally disgruntled, and we got an idea of what she will be like as a toddler - she was sitting in her highchair, making a cranky crying noise. The husband and I tried to give her some salmon, and she just turned her head and yelled. We tried to give her her water in her cup (she showed me on Thursday that she can pick up her own sippy cup and drink water) but she would have a mouthful, have a cough and then throw it at the floor (just missing our chihuahua!). The husband cut up some toast, she scopped it towards her and threw half of it straight on the floor.
We managed to subdue her with hugs and a bath (her first in 2.5 weeks, you won't believe how much I want this harness to come off next week) (also, she put her head in the water and did a scary splash around - I felt TERRIBLE) and she was almost a new baby after that.
But as I was sitting there, just not sure how to progress with her, I realised that she's likely to have me under the thumb when she's doing this 'for real' in a year or two.
I must do some reading on the best way to handle this in the future!
At around 5.30 I managed to 'trick' her in to a nap, by putting her on my belly and patting her butt while we watched tv, but she didn't even have a full 45 minutes.
Then she was craaaaaaaaanky. She was overtired and hungry and just generally disgruntled, and we got an idea of what she will be like as a toddler - she was sitting in her highchair, making a cranky crying noise. The husband and I tried to give her some salmon, and she just turned her head and yelled. We tried to give her her water in her cup (she showed me on Thursday that she can pick up her own sippy cup and drink water) but she would have a mouthful, have a cough and then throw it at the floor (just missing our chihuahua!). The husband cut up some toast, she scopped it towards her and threw half of it straight on the floor.
We managed to subdue her with hugs and a bath (her first in 2.5 weeks, you won't believe how much I want this harness to come off next week) (also, she put her head in the water and did a scary splash around - I felt TERRIBLE) and she was almost a new baby after that.
But as I was sitting there, just not sure how to progress with her, I realised that she's likely to have me under the thumb when she's doing this 'for real' in a year or two.
I must do some reading on the best way to handle this in the future!
Friday, 20 January 2012
Countdown
I got a call from the pediatrician's office today to confirm an appointment for the baby for Monday.
The next appointment I had written down was for 24 February, no 24 January.
Cue the exciting moment where I thought the baby might come out of her brace next week.
Cue reality and a bit of calendar counting where I realise that's way to soon.
So we changed the appointment to the 21st of Feb, following the xray booked on 20th Feb.
That's just over one month to go and the anniversary of the husband and I first dating - here's hoping that's a good omen.
The next appointment I had written down was for 24 February, no 24 January.
Cue the exciting moment where I thought the baby might come out of her brace next week.
Cue reality and a bit of calendar counting where I realise that's way to soon.
So we changed the appointment to the 21st of Feb, following the xray booked on 20th Feb.
That's just over one month to go and the anniversary of the husband and I first dating - here's hoping that's a good omen.
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Hip midpoint
We had an ultrasound on the baby's hip on Monday, to check out her progress. There was a part of me clinging to the hope that she would be able to come out of it, as one of the first timelines we were told was 6 - 8 weeks (she's know been in it for 6 weeks).
As soon as the scanner had a look and din't say a lot, I knew it wasn't going to be coming off yet.
Her hip coverage is at 46-48% (it should be at 50%), and with pressure it goes down to 42%. Her last scan had it at 45% coverage, so it is slightly improved.
We went to see the pediatrician earlier this afternoon, and he started by trying to get in touch with an orthopedic surgeon that has a 'pediatric interest'. It later prevailed that the Dr didn't realise she was already in a harness (instills us with confidence, right?!) and so he was worried that it was actually getting worse. We're actually a little confused by this because the figures were getting better, but somehow once he knew she was in the harness he was more confident that the harness is working. He then asked us why we had a scan and appointment at 6 weeks, because there isn't a lot of research in to how a hip in harness should look at this early stage (as if I had decided to get the scan and appointment just for fun). Hrm.
We have an xray booked in for her on the 20th of February (she's now at the point where she has too much muscle/fat over her joint so an ultrasound won't provide a clear enough picture) and an appointment with the pediatrician again on the 24th.
There's a few potential outcomes
- her hip could be fine by then, and she will be harness free.
- it may need a little extra, so she will get a different harness, to be worn only at night.
- it may not be good enough and she will need to see a specialist in Sydney.
- it could potentially be a degenerative hip thing, which will 'always be hard work'. The specialists would be able to tell us more about it then.
We'll see how it pans out in two months time.
As soon as the scanner had a look and din't say a lot, I knew it wasn't going to be coming off yet.
Her hip coverage is at 46-48% (it should be at 50%), and with pressure it goes down to 42%. Her last scan had it at 45% coverage, so it is slightly improved.
We went to see the pediatrician earlier this afternoon, and he started by trying to get in touch with an orthopedic surgeon that has a 'pediatric interest'. It later prevailed that the Dr didn't realise she was already in a harness (instills us with confidence, right?!) and so he was worried that it was actually getting worse. We're actually a little confused by this because the figures were getting better, but somehow once he knew she was in the harness he was more confident that the harness is working. He then asked us why we had a scan and appointment at 6 weeks, because there isn't a lot of research in to how a hip in harness should look at this early stage (as if I had decided to get the scan and appointment just for fun). Hrm.
We have an xray booked in for her on the 20th of February (she's now at the point where she has too much muscle/fat over her joint so an ultrasound won't provide a clear enough picture) and an appointment with the pediatrician again on the 24th.
There's a few potential outcomes
- her hip could be fine by then, and she will be harness free.
- it may need a little extra, so she will get a different harness, to be worn only at night.
- it may not be good enough and she will need to see a specialist in Sydney.
- it could potentially be a degenerative hip thing, which will 'always be hard work'. The specialists would be able to tell us more about it then.
We'll see how it pans out in two months time.
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Appointment two
We had our second visit with the physio today, to check up on the baby's harness.
She said the baby's skin is doing beautifully - there can be issues with friction/dampness and the harness, so it's good there are no problems.
She switched the two leg pieces around - this should hopefully stop her slipping her feet out and letting the harness rise up her legs.
She said when the time comes, she shouldn't need to transition out of it - some babies need an extra month after their three months, and they often just wear it at night during this transition (though many people have said it's not worth the hassle of on/off/on/off).
She said that there's a slight chance she might only need it for 6 weeks - we get another scan on the Monday before Christmas and seethe pediatrician the Wednesday before Christmas. Which I shouldn't think about, but I can't help it....
It doesn't bother her, but she looked very happy to be straightening her legs out and not as happy to be getting it put back on again.
She said the baby's skin is doing beautifully - there can be issues with friction/dampness and the harness, so it's good there are no problems.
She switched the two leg pieces around - this should hopefully stop her slipping her feet out and letting the harness rise up her legs.
She said when the time comes, she shouldn't need to transition out of it - some babies need an extra month after their three months, and they often just wear it at night during this transition (though many people have said it's not worth the hassle of on/off/on/off).
She said that there's a slight chance she might only need it for 6 weeks - we get another scan on the Monday before Christmas and seethe pediatrician the Wednesday before Christmas. Which I shouldn't think about, but I can't help it....
It doesn't bother her, but she looked very happy to be straightening her legs out and not as happy to be getting it put back on again.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Get it out
Baby had her first nappy blowout in the harness late last night.
You know what's worse than a baby pooping out of their nappy?
A baby that's saved up a 'I'm-starting-solids' poop for 36 hours that spills out of a nappy and on to their outfit and pavlik harness so that they get more poop on the harness as you take their outfit off; then you get to undo parts of the harness to rinse it then dry with a hairdryer but then the hairdryer stops so you hand dry it with toilet paper; then you work out how to do the harness up and hope you've done it right and then the baby pees on her other leg; then you get that sorted and dress her and she spews down the back of her outfit on to the back of her harness; then you get to undress and redress her again and it's past 11pm and she's overtired and potentially hungry again because she just pooped, pee'd and spewed all her food out.
That's what.
You know what's worse than a baby pooping out of their nappy?
A baby that's saved up a 'I'm-starting-solids' poop for 36 hours that spills out of a nappy and on to their outfit and pavlik harness so that they get more poop on the harness as you take their outfit off; then you get to undo parts of the harness to rinse it then dry with a hairdryer but then the hairdryer stops so you hand dry it with toilet paper; then you work out how to do the harness up and hope you've done it right and then the baby pees on her other leg; then you get that sorted and dress her and she spews down the back of her outfit on to the back of her harness; then you get to undress and redress her again and it's past 11pm and she's overtired and potentially hungry again because she just pooped, pee'd and spewed all her food out.
That's what.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Paused
Apologies for the dead air over here!
I just reread Thursday night's post and can see how tired I was.
Thursday, baby didn't nap a lot, she went 36 hours between poops, she was still getting over her needles and she was only feeding in two minute bursts. By the time we got home from dinner with the husband's family, she was well and truly jack of it. She would switch at the drop of a hat between dozing, crying, smiling and giving just THE saddest face. We gave her some panadol and settled her down to sleep, and she was okay.
Friday was better. We still gave her panadol at the end of the day when she went totally ratty, but she took the day a lot better. I went out to dinner with friends and was able to relax a bit, and concentrate on normal adult talk rather than freaking out about my poor baby.
She's pretty much back to normal now.
She's getting used to having just her arms wrapped when she sleeps, rather than her whole body (we're not allowed to wrap her legs as it pushes her legs towards each other - this is the only restriction on how he hold her). This is even quite timely as it's getting warmer.
She's kicking and stretching and moving her legs pretty well too - perhaps her muscles are loosening out.
We've had her on her tummy a few times - now we're sure to prop up her front half, otherwise she tips down towards her face. She even looked like she was trying to scootch forward this morning.
She had her first sponge bath this evening. She was happy because she LOVES having her clothes taken off. I don't know what's caused it, but whenever you pull clothing on or off her head, she gives the biggest grin. I am hoping we will get permission in the near future to be able to take the harness off for an hour and give her a real bath, so she can stretch and we can get her properly clean. Although I don't know how'd she react to having the harness put on again.
She spends her day in a size 0 short sleeved/pantless onesie (she had just moved up to 00 this week), with socks and a bib. The weather is not too bad so her arms don't get cold, a lot of her leg is covered with harness and the socks keep her feet warm. The bib is handy in that we don't have to change her clothes too much, but also limits how wet she can get the harness (to limit it chafing her skin).
It's not so bad - it really helps that she is happy enough.
I just reread Thursday night's post and can see how tired I was.
Thursday, baby didn't nap a lot, she went 36 hours between poops, she was still getting over her needles and she was only feeding in two minute bursts. By the time we got home from dinner with the husband's family, she was well and truly jack of it. She would switch at the drop of a hat between dozing, crying, smiling and giving just THE saddest face. We gave her some panadol and settled her down to sleep, and she was okay.
Friday was better. We still gave her panadol at the end of the day when she went totally ratty, but she took the day a lot better. I went out to dinner with friends and was able to relax a bit, and concentrate on normal adult talk rather than freaking out about my poor baby.
She's pretty much back to normal now.
She's getting used to having just her arms wrapped when she sleeps, rather than her whole body (we're not allowed to wrap her legs as it pushes her legs towards each other - this is the only restriction on how he hold her). This is even quite timely as it's getting warmer.
She's kicking and stretching and moving her legs pretty well too - perhaps her muscles are loosening out.
We've had her on her tummy a few times - now we're sure to prop up her front half, otherwise she tips down towards her face. She even looked like she was trying to scootch forward this morning.
She had her first sponge bath this evening. She was happy because she LOVES having her clothes taken off. I don't know what's caused it, but whenever you pull clothing on or off her head, she gives the biggest grin. I am hoping we will get permission in the near future to be able to take the harness off for an hour and give her a real bath, so she can stretch and we can get her properly clean. Although I don't know how'd she react to having the harness put on again.
She spends her day in a size 0 short sleeved/pantless onesie (she had just moved up to 00 this week), with socks and a bib. The weather is not too bad so her arms don't get cold, a lot of her leg is covered with harness and the socks keep her feet warm. The bib is handy in that we don't have to change her clothes too much, but also limits how wet she can get the harness (to limit it chafing her skin).
It's not so bad - it really helps that she is happy enough.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Hip
We were not just being hypochondriac's.
The right hip demonstrates dysplasia. There is reduced femoral head coverage at 40% and the alpha angle is reduced at 45y. Ossification centre however is identified within the femoreal head.
The degree of change on the right hip would warrant active treatment with a Pavlic harness.
The baby is now in her harness.
The ultrasound went well - she stayed still and happy for 95% of it. She didn't poop on the table. She engaged the scanner and the doctor with her raspberry skills.
I couldn't tell anything while they were scanning, I was trying to keep her entertained and happy. Once she had finished, the scanner stood up and said she was just going to check it with the doctor. When I told her that I'd put the nappy on her, she said that I could just cover her with the towel as they like to kick around and the doctor wouldn't be a minute.
As soon as she left the room, I knew.
The Dr told us the baby would need to be harnessed for at least 4-6 weeks. Her hip socket is meant to be like an egg in an eggcup, but her right eggcup isn't quite right. He called my GP and he said she would explain more.
We saw the GP yesterday and she called through to the pediatrician. She explained that it really doesn't bother the babies - it tends to upset the mothers more. I told her I was glad to be getting it sorted now, in the hopes that it would all be done and dusted before Christmas.
We saw the pediatrician this morning. He explained that it was lucky that we caught it. Normally, they don't bother about checking just for skin folds. When he re-examined her he noticed that one leg looks slightly shorter than the other. Had this been the 6 month check, he probably wouldn't have bothered getting it scanned. He indicated that there is a higher occurence in girls, though he didn't say what might have caused it as such. She will be in the harness for at least 3 months, with a checkup ultrasound just before Christmas (halfway through) to ensure it's getting better rather than worse. If it's not getting better then we'll need to look at 'other options'. I don't know what they are. He mentioned that there are 1-2% of children that have a hip problem that evolves - it isn't there when they are born but gradually gets worse. I don't know if this is her. He called the physio to check that they had a large harness as she was 'a bit chubby'. He later explained that this is because most babies are put in to the harnesses at 6 weeks of age (she showed no signs at 6 weeks). He also commented that I was doing really well with feeding her - she 'looks like a formula fed baby'.
We saw the physio at lunchtime today. I sat in the car and gave the baby a bottle feed while we waited and then took a last 'harness free' photo. We had already made sure she had a few 'last' baths - by the time she's allowed out, she'll be too big for the baby bath.
The physio was lovely and understanding. She told me that she hasn't had a session where the baby gets the harness put on and the mother doesn't cry. Quite often, the baby will cry. I didn't cry. Baby didn't cry. She told me that the 40% is not so bad. She also told me that if it hadn't been picked up, she'd be needing a hip replacement in her 20's.
It's not really so bad. We can't take it off her. If she gets it dirty, we have to clean her in it. We have to facewasher wash her. We will have to put cornflour in her folds and makes sure the harness doesn't get wet or her skin can get (something that I can't remember, but red and shiny and then heaven knows what). It straps across her chest and over her arms. Her legs are up at a 90 degree angle, falling flat. We have to hold her like a koala or we can sit her on the edge of a table. We can't pull her legs together. We can't use her feet to change her nappy. We can't put her on her sides. We have to encourage her on her belly with her funny leg position and she doesn't like it. She can't straighten her legs, but she can kick them out. She should be able to wear pants, but they have to be a size larger and loose so they don't pull her legs together.
She saved her tantrum for when she was home. Her cry was a really angry cry. She is so frustrated.
That's the hardest part.
The right hip demonstrates dysplasia. There is reduced femoral head coverage at 40% and the alpha angle is reduced at 45y. Ossification centre however is identified within the femoreal head.
The degree of change on the right hip would warrant active treatment with a Pavlic harness.
The baby is now in her harness.
The ultrasound went well - she stayed still and happy for 95% of it. She didn't poop on the table. She engaged the scanner and the doctor with her raspberry skills.
I couldn't tell anything while they were scanning, I was trying to keep her entertained and happy. Once she had finished, the scanner stood up and said she was just going to check it with the doctor. When I told her that I'd put the nappy on her, she said that I could just cover her with the towel as they like to kick around and the doctor wouldn't be a minute.
As soon as she left the room, I knew.
The Dr told us the baby would need to be harnessed for at least 4-6 weeks. Her hip socket is meant to be like an egg in an eggcup, but her right eggcup isn't quite right. He called my GP and he said she would explain more.
We saw the GP yesterday and she called through to the pediatrician. She explained that it really doesn't bother the babies - it tends to upset the mothers more. I told her I was glad to be getting it sorted now, in the hopes that it would all be done and dusted before Christmas.
We saw the pediatrician this morning. He explained that it was lucky that we caught it. Normally, they don't bother about checking just for skin folds. When he re-examined her he noticed that one leg looks slightly shorter than the other. Had this been the 6 month check, he probably wouldn't have bothered getting it scanned. He indicated that there is a higher occurence in girls, though he didn't say what might have caused it as such. She will be in the harness for at least 3 months, with a checkup ultrasound just before Christmas (halfway through) to ensure it's getting better rather than worse. If it's not getting better then we'll need to look at 'other options'. I don't know what they are. He mentioned that there are 1-2% of children that have a hip problem that evolves - it isn't there when they are born but gradually gets worse. I don't know if this is her. He called the physio to check that they had a large harness as she was 'a bit chubby'. He later explained that this is because most babies are put in to the harnesses at 6 weeks of age (she showed no signs at 6 weeks). He also commented that I was doing really well with feeding her - she 'looks like a formula fed baby'.
We saw the physio at lunchtime today. I sat in the car and gave the baby a bottle feed while we waited and then took a last 'harness free' photo. We had already made sure she had a few 'last' baths - by the time she's allowed out, she'll be too big for the baby bath.
The physio was lovely and understanding. She told me that she hasn't had a session where the baby gets the harness put on and the mother doesn't cry. Quite often, the baby will cry. I didn't cry. Baby didn't cry. She told me that the 40% is not so bad. She also told me that if it hadn't been picked up, she'd be needing a hip replacement in her 20's.
It's not really so bad. We can't take it off her. If she gets it dirty, we have to clean her in it. We have to facewasher wash her. We will have to put cornflour in her folds and makes sure the harness doesn't get wet or her skin can get (something that I can't remember, but red and shiny and then heaven knows what). It straps across her chest and over her arms. Her legs are up at a 90 degree angle, falling flat. We have to hold her like a koala or we can sit her on the edge of a table. We can't pull her legs together. We can't use her feet to change her nappy. We can't put her on her sides. We have to encourage her on her belly with her funny leg position and she doesn't like it. She can't straighten her legs, but she can kick them out. She should be able to wear pants, but they have to be a size larger and loose so they don't pull her legs together.
She saved her tantrum for when she was home. Her cry was a really angry cry. She is so frustrated.
That's the hardest part.
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