Judah and the Brace

At Judah's 4 month appointment, his PA noticed that the folds in his thigh were asymmetrical and she thought he might have some signs of mild hip dysplasia (read at the bottom for a description). We went the next day for an x-ray. They called back and said that he had some dysplasia, but that he would probably be fine, not need a brace, and would just need to be watched for a while. We made the appointment with the orthopedist. At the appointment, I was very disappointed in the doctor's attitude towards Judah's mild case and doomsday attitude about something that is actually pretty minor. We scheduled another appt. with a second orthopedist to get a second opinion. This guy was much kinder, respectful (of my educated questions), and was much more positive about the treatment. Which brings me to the brace.




Don't be fooled. He is not a fan of this thing. I am guessing he tolerates it better than other kids, but really it is hard to sleep with that thing on and that is when it does the most good.
The worst part of it is that before this my sweet boy would sweetly put his hand up on me and even kind of pat me as he nursed. Now, that closeness is not there (b/c he can't lay on his side) and I miss that.

...and to add insult to injury.
as I was entering the clinic, I opened the door over the top of my foot scraping off the skin where my toes meet the foot. doh! The upside was they took us straight from the lobby to an exam room so I could clean up my bloody foot and a tech came and gave it the purple gauze treatment. It is fine, but stung for a while...and who can really complain about something so small when my baby is so uncomfortable? Please pray he adapts quickly!


Hip Dysplasia in infants is diagnosed when the angle of the socket part of the joint is at an angle that allows the ball to slip out. The brace holds the hips in a static position to encourage the hip socket back to where it should be. The typical angle they want the joint at is around 25 degrees. Judah's are at 30 on the right hip and 27 on the left. Judah's hip doesn't dislocate, but there is cartilage that is keeping it in that is wearing down.