Did your baby have hip surgery?Did baby adjust quickly to spica cast?

Question

My baby is 9 months old and just had an xray on her left hip. We found out that it is underdeveloped and out of it's socket and she needs surgery. Any advice on how to keep her occupied? How long the cast will be on? What determines if there is a bar between her legs also? Can she fit in a regular stroller? Carseat? HighChair? Walker? What will she be able to do?? Sit up? Or only lay down? Very scared and want to hear from someone that has gone through this. Surgery is in 2 days.

Answer 1

Hi kylie ,my son had a plaster cast on for 3 months a hip spica just like your babys gonna have ,my son jake was 3 it was quite difficult at first but believe me you get used to it ,your baby will cry for a couple of days but she will get used to it i promise ,we used a sunlounger for a chair for him to sit on ,i used to put him on the kitchen sink and wash him as best i could ,we got him some shorts that were really big to get over the spica cause there bits will be showing for obvious reasons ,i got him a pushchair that could lay down ,this will be the time to read alot to your baby ,your baby is alot smaller than jake he was really heavy i ended up having a hernia cause i used to lift him up on my own ,when he first had it on i thought how the hell are we gonna get through this but you do its really hard at first everyone is upset but kids are so resilliant and jake was even army crawling about and even rolling down a small hill , i kid you not but he done that cause i let him and you go back in the middle of your treatment for a change of plaster which means them getting put under again so i thought what the hell its gonna get changed tomorrow anyhow ,going through this your bond with your child will be even stronger it is difficult but have faith in yourself and your family ,i will be thinking of you all .xxx

Answer 2

I dont know if this will help you at all. My son who was born in 1970 was born with hip displacia I think its called. ( I think that is spelt totally wrong but you know what I mean. )Anyway he had no hip joints.He was in a plaster cast for 4 years and still has trouble with his hips at aged 37. He went in hospital only last year to have a hip replacement. But if you think of his age and your childs age, there is a lot of difference now in treatment than there was then. Good luck and give the little sweetheart a big hug from me. [e-mail]

Answer 3

if the baby is under 2, and the cast is only temporary (1/2 year at most), they probably won't remeber the experience and will adjust quickly. If older than 2 and a 1/2 it's going to be harder for them to adjust.