At 4 months, we found out our cute little Amelia had a severely dislocated left hip. It's a fairly common condition and happens more to girls and breech babies. There's a genetic factor in many cases (that's all from my side, I'm afraid!). We weren't able to get Mia into the Orthopedist until she was almost 5 months. They tried a brace for a week, but Amelia was MISERABLE and it didn't have any effect. So, we moved on to the Spica Cast.
A spica cast is a body cast, used for either hip dysplasia or broken femurs. She'll have hers on for about 3 months, with a cast change in the middle. Diaper blowouts are my current biggest fear (especially since she has a lot of those when she's in disposable diapers--not cloth--and there's not really good way to cloth diaper in the cast. It's just too bulky).
Wed, August 25th. One day before casting!
Wed, August 25th. One day before casting!
We woke up at 5:30 am to get to Shriner's Hospital by her 6:30 appointment time. She got dressed up in a cute little gown and was really pretty happy (although she started getting very tired by the time they took us to the acutal waiting area for the procedure). 
One last shot of those cute little legs and back--the last for 3 months! The most we'll see of these cute limbs will be on x-rays during her re-casting in 6 weeks. Going into the procedure, we weren't sure if they'd need to just cast of do surgery (they inject dye into the socket to see if there's any tissue in the way of the joint seating properly). After 45 minutes the doctor let us know she'd need surgery to clean up the joint and tighten up her hip casing. Thus began a 2 hour wait (which I know is not long, but to a parent who's kid is under anesthesia, it's LOOOOONG).
We passed the time meeting some Shriners...
and by enjoying the gorgeous weather outside of Shriner's.
Amelia came back from the surgery the saddest I've ever seen her. She would rouse a little and cry and cry, then finally settle down and sleep restlessly. Then she'd repeat. This went on from about 12:30-4pm. It made for a sad mama--I couldn't fix her problem at all!
and by enjoying the gorgeous weather outside of Shriner's.
Amelia came back from the surgery the saddest I've ever seen her. She would rouse a little and cry and cry, then finally settle down and sleep restlessly. Then she'd repeat. This went on from about 12:30-4pm. It made for a sad mama--I couldn't fix her problem at all!
After 4 she started to perk up, but she was still (understandably!) out of sorts. Her cast was cute and all but it made her a little hard to cuddle. She had an IV and monitors attached to her (including a big old splint and bandage on her left hand that was driving her crazy, but had to be there to keep her from pulling the IV out).
After a less-than-restful night with nurses in and out of the room, checking her blood pressure and other vitals, changing her position, giving her oxygen since her levels kept setting off the oxygen monitor, and giving her medicine, Amelia was a usual happy self. Seriously, this kid is the happiest kid I've ever met. We got to take a ride up to Primary Children's Hospital for a CT scan to make sure everything was properly in place. It was, phew! That gave us the chance to get her fit into a car seat, which is an adventure in a of itself!
They found the cutest oxygen mask for her--and the purple dino even matched her cast! Seriously, the girl knows how to accessorize!
My sweet little girl in a Spica Chair. A guy who's daughter was in a cast donated this one to Shriner's Hospital and we were able to let Amelia try it out before we went home. She really enjoyed it--it lets her sit up and play with her favorite toys (in this case, her oxygen mask and tubing). Tyler is building one for her at home as we speak! Look forward to pictures of Amelia at home (with her zebra {duct tape} cast trim) and in her Spica chair!
After a less-than-restful night with nurses in and out of the room, checking her blood pressure and other vitals, changing her position, giving her oxygen since her levels kept setting off the oxygen monitor, and giving her medicine, Amelia was a usual happy self. Seriously, this kid is the happiest kid I've ever met. We got to take a ride up to Primary Children's Hospital for a CT scan to make sure everything was properly in place. It was, phew! That gave us the chance to get her fit into a car seat, which is an adventure in a of itself!
They found the cutest oxygen mask for her--and the purple dino even matched her cast! Seriously, the girl knows how to accessorize!
My sweet little girl in a Spica Chair. A guy who's daughter was in a cast donated this one to Shriner's Hospital and we were able to let Amelia try it out before we went home. She really enjoyed it--it lets her sit up and play with her favorite toys (in this case, her oxygen mask and tubing). Tyler is building one for her at home as we speak! Look forward to pictures of Amelia at home (with her zebra {duct tape} cast trim) and in her Spica chair!
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