Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

DD was a breech baby and therefore had to get the usual sono done on her hips at 6 weeks. We went, and they said her hips weren't quite looking the way they should, so the doctor sent us for another sono a month from then. We went last Friday for that one and they said her right hip looked fine, but her left hip they wanted to check again. We got referred to a pediatric orthopedist which we went to yesterday. Again, her right hip was measuring perfectly, but her left hip was measuring slightly under what it should. They said any measurement over 60 degrees was fine, she measured at 59. They told us that she needed to wear a harness for six weeks 24/7 and they'll see her again in six weeks to check it. I totally lost it and literally cried the whole day yesterday. She looks so pathetic in this harness. It seems a bit much for her to wear this whole thing for six weeks for one hip! It's hard for me to hold her to bf her and it's almost impossible to change her quickly if she's wearing anything except a onesie because you have to take the whole thing off. I'm just so upset about this whole thing. I feel like people are going to stare at her while she's out with me and think something is wrong with her. I know I have to get used to it and it is only temporary, and it obviously could be much, much worse, but I'm just so upset over the whole thing! Anyone else go through this that can offer some insight/thoughts/advice? Thanks for reading!

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

I don't have any advice or experience with my DC, but I wore the brace for a few months when I was a baby because both of my hips were dislocated at birth. My mom said she was all broken up about it too, but in the scheme of things it wasn't a big deal and I turned out perfectly!

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

My oldest wore one for a few months. It broke my heart at first but honestly it wasn't bad at all. She didn't even seem to know it was there and the time went by pretty fast so chin up!

Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

DD wore it from 3 days old until 12 weeks. Then she did another 6 weeks just at night. I cried the first day but we got used to it quickly and she never minded it at all.

DD wore just a onesie or romper with long socks or leg warmers so diaper changes were easy once we got used to it. We also kept a bib over it to keep it clean. We also washed the harness a few times to soften it a bit which made DD more comfortable. The doctor marked the straps and we would put safety pins to mark where they should go to. We would wash it while I gave her a bath and then throw it in the dryer with a dry towel and it would be dry pretty quickly.

As for nursing, you'll get the hang of it. I always used the laid back position and that ended up working perfectly. I would sit her to one side and get her latched and then flip her whole body in towards me. She also loved to sleep snuggled onto us that way.

In the long run, it won't be a big deal and once she's done it will soon be forgotten. DD will get used to it quickly to. I always compare it to babies wearing a diaper 24 hours a day as soon as they're born. We think nothing of that.

Like pp said, the time goes so fast. DD is 15 months now and it's hard to even remember those days!

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

Not me but a friend I have chatted with for years on another board, her DD had to wear one. I believe in her case it was for much longer.

She also had to get a custom made car seat and could not take a bath either.

Let me know if you would like to talk to her. She was a huge resource to others going through it and very knowledgeable on the subject.

Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

I have not gone thru the hip i do however have twins that are 21 months. My Twin A had to wear a helmet 23/7 for 10 weeks at 6 months so constantly got the stairs. My Twin B has trouble walking and has to wear orthotics up to his knees & sometimes walks with a walker although making HUGE IMPROVEMENTS. He is just delayed with no known reason why this happened. I understand how hard it is to deal but you just have to keep telling yourself her health is fine. Please be thankful thats all it is. Best Wishes to yoU!!

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

My niece had to wear one for the first 6 weeks and it really wasn't bad. She was a winter baby, so they didn't really go anywhere during that time so they didn't have to worry about carseats, strollers, etc. It was a little difficult to hold her, but after the 6 weeks was up her hips were perfect. She had to get a sonogram of her hips yearly until the age 5, I believe.

Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

DD was born in the spring, so we had her out and about with no problems. As far as the carseat, we just took out the infant insert and she had plenty of room. I wore her in the carrier, put her in the bumbo, took her to the beach, etc.

People rarely commented on it and if they did it was usually to say that their cousin, niece, friend, etc had hip dysplasia. People who hadn't heard of it before were just concerned that whatever the issue is must be painful and once I said that she wasn't in pain and it wasn't a big deal, they got passed it quickly.

Good luck and feel free to fm me any time!

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

My DD had to wear a brace (not a pavlik harness) for hip dysplasia from about 6 months to 12/13 months and I definitely can relate to the tear-fest. I cried a LOT the first day or two before she got her brace, partially due to the fact that I was shocked as we got through all the other tests before hand and I thought this was gonna be a routine "she's fine go home" appointment. And also the first orthotist i saw was kind of a weird jerk... anywayyy, She is 15 months now, out of the brace, and I look back being like "wow that was really not bad at all". She wore it for 12 hours, typically only from bedtime to breakfast, so that made it wayyyy easier on us, but sometimes it was harder with an 11 month old who wanted to crawl but was all rigged up in her brace.

I think it is good that you caught it early and are treating it early. It is probably 100x more stressful for you than for her, and it is good that you can treat it before she would be all "what the hell are these crazy pants I am wearing?!" (i sometimes called DD's brace her crazy pants... cause they kind of were).

Good luck, and hopefully since she only needs a slight correction she'll be out of the harness soon enough!

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

I know it sucks but try remembering that it's only temporary. If that is the only problem your child will have in life it isn't so bad. There are worse situations out there, so count your blessings. Don't worry about ignorant people.

Re: Anyone's DC have to wear a harness for hip dysplasia?

Thank you so much to everyone who replied. It was really good to read everyone's stories and advice and get some perspective on the situation. It's been a big adjustment for us the past couple of days, but we are doing well so far and getting used to it. DD seems to have adapted nicely to the harness and doesn't seem to be that bothered by it. We are just taking it day by day right now and hopefully the time will go by fast and everything will look better in 6 weeks!