Free at Last!

April 4, 2013 was the hardest day we'd ever had as parents. It was the day that our sweet Katie was placed in her spica cast, and we began this journey of hip dysplasia. Here we are now: 14 weeks, four new teeth, hundreds of diapers, multiple sponge baths, hours of army crawling, and the cast has finally come off! She is free!

I have looked forward to this day for SO LONG. 98 days to be exact. Today was a day I was nervous about because it was the day we would find out if our journey was coming to an end, or if we were going to be opening a new chapter of treatment. I am happy to say that her X-ray came back perfect. She came home without a brace, and we have an appointment in 6 weeks for a follow up X-ray to make sure her hip is still in place. Am I nervous about it?  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But, I am choosing to trust in God and in His plan. He got us through this, and I believe that He will keep her hips secure and in place.

Katie was not a happy camper during the cast removal. She cried her eyes out. Naturally it was hard to see, but at the same time we were so excited for what was happening that our hearts were not as broken as they've been in the past while watching her cry at the hands of DDH.  A few minutes of a saw buzzing away, a few more minutes of scissors cutting apart the inner lining, and then there they were--the most perfect little legs and thighs I had ever seen. People had prepared me for a hideous sight, but Katie's little legs looked amazing. A small patch of flaky/scaly dead skin, but that was it. Her doctor said we win the prize for cast care.  He was bery impressed with the condition of her skin.  One bath later and her legs are looking as good as new.

Right now her legs still naturally fall into the froggy position, and they will for a while. Eventually they will go back to normal. We need to not lift her up by her legs when changing her diaper because her tendons and tissues are still doing their work. We also are to not to force her legs into any position. We need to let them do their natural movements. But if she wants to stand, she can. If she wants to kick, she can. Basically, anything she is comfortable doing, she can do. And she's already army crawling all over. She seems surprised by how much easier it is to move. She ended up rolling onto her back already, too, and it really caught her by surprise!

Everything about tonight was perfect. I got to bathe her, I got to put lotion on her entire body, and I got to nurse her, holding her close to me.  But, best of all, I got to hold her and rock her to sleep for the first time in 98 days. She felt so perfect and light and cozy. I'm so in love with my precious baby all over again.

 Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty she is free at last!!!

The cast had just come off, and I was able to put her in a favorite outfit of mine! She still looks a little shell-shocked from what had just occurred.

Five more days!!

13 weeks and 2 days. That's how long Katie has been wearing her cast. 5 days. That's how long we have left. 2:15 PM on July 11th cannot come soon enough. I can hardly believe that we have been on this journey toward healthy hips for Katie for this long, and am so thrilled to be so close to the end. Katie has adapted fully to life in her cast, and we are now baby-proofing since she is crawling everywhere. Yes. Crawling.
Katie's doctor is optimistic that she won't need a brace when the cast comes off. Please pray that this is indeed the case. We would like nothing more than to be able to move forward with our lives, and make DDH (developmental dysplasia of the hips) only a party of Katie's medical HISTORY, and move forward with her life as an adventurous, curious, crawling machine.
Throughout this journey I have read so many stories of moms who knew something was wrong, but pediatricians gave false assurances that everything was fine. These women now have babies/toddlers whom have endured multiple procedures and operations. I feel blessed to have had a doctor who humored me and gave me the X-ray. He was wrong. I was right. My intuition has hopefully helped to make Katie's journey a short one. I firmly believe that ALL newborns should be given the ultrasound at birth to check for DDH. They charge us to check for their hearing, so they should check for this, too. It would be so simple. It would save so much pain and frustration for families.
Thank you to the friends who checked their babies' hips. I am so happy that all of your babies' hips are healthy!
Final thought for you mommies out there...please don't use the bjorn. It does not support the hips. If your child has loose hips (which you have no way of knowing), it could cause the hip to slip out of the socket. I feel certain that this is what happened with our sweet Katie. Use the ergo. It supports the hips. It is recommended by orthopedists for healthy hips.
Five more days...

First ride on the carousel. She loved it! 

Cast Change and FINAL Countdown!

We had our cast change on Friday for our hip little Goldenbaby.  We were secretly hoping that it would just come off for good, but, alas, that was not the case.  The doctor did confirm that things are going well and the cast is indeed doing its job--insert silent cheer--but unfortunately it still needs to be on for 6 more weeks.

Katie was a trooper and came out of anesthesia much easier this time.  I think she was used to the cast, so she wasn't as scared or freaked out about her inability to move.  I also knew how to hold her, and was able to nurse her comfortably--something we couldn't do last time.  ALSO, we were actually at CHOC this time, and not just the Outpatient Pavillion, and so I felt we were given MUCH better care.  The nurses seemed to know more about what they were doing, were more sensitive to Katie, more sensitive to me, and just better overall. 

I hate this cast, I really do.  But, Katie is becoming mobile in it--she even rolled over while playing on the carpet the other day!  I was shocked to find her on her back, and she seemed shocked, too!  Katie moves herself around, rotating like a little turtle in a shell.  She's the sweetest baby, and makes my heart melt.

I can't wait for July 12th so I can give her a big warm bath, kiss her fat juicy thighs, and feel nothing but squishy baby skin when I hold her. 

Hip Dysplasia Awareness Month

June is hip dysplasia awareness month...I know it's not June yet but I have lots of friends with babies right now, so I feel compelled to do this now.  So, mommies, check the legs of your babies. Do they seem to be the same length?  Good. Next, lie them on their backs and lift up their knees with their feet flat on the ground.  Do they come to the same height? Good. Next, check their fat juicy thighs. Are they symmetrical to each other?  Because they should be.  And, finally, how is their development? Are they rolling over/crawling/walking on schedule?  If not, and you suspect something is wrong, ask for X-rays. For reals. If they are on schedule developmentally, but any of the other indicators are there, call your doctor and ask for an X-ray.  A pediatrician is not going to catch it. Not trying to scare anyone. Most babies don't get hip dysplasia, but mine did and so I'm so much more aware (obviously) and want everyone else to be aware, too!  My pediatrician thanked me for being so proactive because he don't catch it. Our orthopedist told me it went undetected because it was so mild. Had I not educated myself (thanks google) Katie would still be undiagnosed. Educate yourselves. Check your babies. 

Four weeks down...

We have had the spica cast for one month as of tomorrow!  Katie has been such a trooper, and life seems to have gone on as normal.  I will say that time seems to be dragging.  In many ways I can't believe it's already been 4 weeks, but in many more ways it feels like we've had this hunk of pink junk for forever!! In four more weeks we will go in for her cast change.  At that time we will find out how much longer we have to have it in our lives...we are hoping and praying for good news on that day!!

Katie's Papa Mike purchased her two spica tables--one for home and one for at the babysitter's house.  They arrived and have made a WORLD of difference to Katie's daily life...and ours!  She is able to sit up in her table and play with her toys, and stays entertained for a much longer period of time.  We are SO THANKFUL to Papa Mike for his generosity!!  And thank you to Ivy Rose Spica Chairs for making the tables for us!

Her name is written in Disney style...of course! We will be adding Minnie Mouse stickers soon!



 

Playing happily!

Big brother was so excited for her new table, too.

 



Teeth!  We have teeth!  In the past two weeks Katie has gotten her first two teeth!  Our little baby is growing up so quickly. 

Hard to see them, but they're there...along with a shirt full of drool!

She is eating up a storm.  She LOVES the food that I make for her.  Yep.  I've turned into Martha Stewart in my spare time and am doing something I never thought I would do: I'm making my own baby food.  I used to mock the people who do this (I never understood why anyone would make that which is packaged so nicely and conveniently at Target and sitting on the shelves just waiting to be purchased.)  Well, now I know.  It's so easy to do.  It tastes better.  And it doesn't take any time at all. So, I apologize to all of those whom I previously judged!!!  I was wrong!  But, I'm not judging those who buy theirs either.  I totally understand both sides now.  ;-)  Making her food is the one thing I can control in her little life right now, so it makes me feel happy to be able to do it for her!

Picture of first carrots...she is much less messy when she eats now. :-)

 

 



Prayer Requests:  That the next four weeks go by quickly, that her X-Ray on cast change day (May 31st)shows miraculous healing and that the cast can just come OFF instead of being put back on (hee hee), and that Katie continues to be so easy going throug all of it!

Praise reports:  Katie has been amazing.  She has adapted better than we ever could have hoped or prayed for. And, the outpouring of love from friends and family, and church family.  On Sunday a church member laid his hands on Katie and prayed for her healing.  I was so touched and felt so blessed.  God has shown us so much through his mercy and grace during this time.  For all of this we are truly thankful.

One Week Down...

Well we survived the first week!  Katie is such a trooper.  I'm fairly certain that she believes this cast is just now a part of her body.  She doesn't seem phased by it at all.  She is back to sleeping through the night, and she has still figured out how to move around in her crib.  She's like her big brother in that respect! 

She began at the top of the crib, and woke up, unhappy, at the bottom!  Little stinker!

 

Diaper changes have been a breeze, feeding has been successful...I'd say we've mastered this spica cast pretty well.  Don't get me wrong, I still don't like it.  But, I can live with it.  It's only for a short while.  We will survive!
This week we ordered her spica table--thank you to her Papa Mike for buying it for us! And it will be arriving sometime next week.  I cannot WAIT for it to arrive.  Play time is difficult for a baby in a spica cast because they need to move around a lot--I think she just gets uncomfortable in her various play positions.  We've been getting creative though, and it's been working....but the Spica Table from Ivy Rose Spica Tables will be a life saver!

Someone took over our favorite chair!

 

Doctor's Visit:  We had a visit to her doctor this week, and we scheduled her cast change.  (They change the cast mid way to adapt to her growing body.) It is scheduled for May 31st, which is 8 weeks post the original procedure.  We had originally thought it would be at 6 weeks...so this feels late.  But, I trust the doctor...since he has 38 years more experience than I do.  We were able to talk to him about her procedure, and he said that it went really really well.  He absolutely feels that the procedure will be a success, and even thinks that she won't need the brace after the cast comes off--BUT, he did say that it ultimately depends on her body and her healing.

I continue to pray that she won't need the brace afterwards. 

Gift from a friend--it's perfect. 

Thanks for the continued prayers for our family!  People keep telling me that I'm so strong--I'm not strong, GOD is strong, and your prayers giving me strength!  

7 weeks until the cast change! I uploaded a new app for my phone.  It's my new favorite app!

Three is a Magic Number

Day three. Such a better day. Katie slept well last night only waking once, and today she took two great naps. She seems to finally feel comfortable in her new "skin."  I was able to get out of the house to watch the big kids play soccer while my mom watched our Hip Goldenbaby.  I'm even getting back into my workout routine after being sick for over a week (emotionally and physically--but mostly physically--just ask the lady who moved away from me today at Caleb's soccer game while I was coughing) I'm starting to feel like myself again. I am 100% certain that it's because of the hundreds of people who are praying for us. There is such power in prayer. My dear friend sent me these Bible verses today:
Philippians 2:13
For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your path straight.
I gained so much comfort and felt the strength provided in these words. I don't know why we have to go through this journey, but I am going to trust in God's plan for us and for sweet Katie.

Sleeping soundly with her nigh-nigh