Here we are...

So, here we are.  6 months and I'm finally sitting down to write my first post since March.  March.  Really??  Needless to say, every second of my day is planned out. Between work and keeping up with these Dewbabies, turning on the computer has been the last thing I wanted to do :)  I think it's time I share some of this sweetness, though.  I mean really.  Look at that picture.  How precious, right?

Rivers has been such a sweet blessing to us.  She is a happy baby, always smiling.  I "Baby-Wised" when she was born, and oh my goodness how it worked! (that's a post for another day).  She is crazy about her brother and sister and they are equally happy about her.  After what we had been through before I was pregnant with her, knowing that SHE is the one that was meant to be with us at this exact time has made every moment so much more special.

Around age two months, I really started noticing that she had a preference toward the right side.  She kept her head tilted that way and really became fussy when I tried to have turn to the left.  She was diagnosed with mild torticollis and we were referred to a Physical therapist at UMC.  We have been on Wednesdays for several weeks and seen a lot of improvement.  Just before Christmas, our therapist (she is SOOO GREAT) mentioned that Rivers seemed to be kicking her left leg more when playing and leaving the right leg pointed out like a little ballerina.   When torticollis is present, hip dysplasia often can coexist.  Knowing this, she recommended that we discuss it with our pediatrician.  Thankfully, we had our 6 month check up scheduled that week.  After her physical exam (which was normal), our doctor ordered a hip Xray just as a precautionary measure.  So, the following Wednesday, after therapy I dropped in to have the xray and didn't think a thing about it.  Thursday, I received a call from our doctor.  The Xray showed an abnormality and she wanted us to be seen right away.  It just happened that the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon she wanted us to see had an opening that afternoon.

At this point, I'm sick.  I am physically sick.  My heart just can't bear the thought of anything being wrong with my baby.  We've already worried and prayed over a choroidal cyst found in the ventricle of her brain during an ultrasound, the decreased amniotic fluid, the head tilt...Did there have to be something else????!!  Ben read all he could online about hip dysplasia before we saw the doctor.  He tried to comfort me, bless his heart.  

When Dr Wright came into the room, he took our little baby girl and examined her.  He then asked why we were there, had WE noticed a problem?  His exam was normal.  After pulling up the Xray, within seconds he turned to us and said, "She has hip dysplasia, you are not going to like me very much in the next 20 minutes".  Rivers right hip socket is misshapened.  The socket is flat and not round.  Therefore, the femur (the leg bone) is not developing properly within the socket.  Her hip is dislocated. WHAT?  She has no problems, she loves to put her toes in her mouth.  She jumps in her bouncer.  Say that again.??  In her case, she is asymptomatic and would be, had we not found this.  She would probably have a normal childhood.  In the late teens and 20s, the problems would more than likely hit her, leading to a complete hip replacement by age 30.  PRAISE GOD for our therapist and pediatrician! 

At this point, the goal is to get her hip and femur to develop normally (remold the socket).  On January 16th, my baby is going to be put to sleep, the hip will be positioned, and she will be placed into a body cast called a Spica Cast.  This will mean a cast from her chest down to her right foot and to the thigh on left leg.  We will be in this for 6 weeks and then it will be removed and she'll be put to sleep again so that it can be replaced.  After the next 6 weeks it will be removed and she will have a brace to sleep in.  The doctor feels like this will do the trick since she is so young and developing still (Thank you, Jesus!)  The casting will hopefully help us to avoid surgery.

So, here we are.  6 months old and facing a new challenge.  My heart hurts.  I'm scared.  I'm grieving the loss of squeezing those little fat rolls for three months.  I know how blessed we are, though.  God is providing.  He loves us and he is caring for my baby girl.  Not sure how the next 3 months will go, but I know He already knows the plans he has for her and our family, good plans, and I am comforted by this.  Will you please pray with us?  We are praying for healthy hips on the other side of this....and maybe for a semi-clean cast during? (I hear diapering is tricky!)

Our doctor recommended that we visit this site for more information on hip dysplasia.

www.hipdysplasia.org