I too had hip dysplasia at birth AND my daughter was diagnosed at 3 months. I turned the positive into a negative this year by creating a clothing line for babies with hip dysplasia- BabyHipWear. We have had great press pick up thus far..had I had the company formed at the time, I would have sent some clothing to Brooke!

My daughter was just diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia at 19 months old. We are starting what will be a long journey. I would love to know where to turn for some support groups. Please let me know if you know of any.

Thanks

My daughter Zoe was born with bilateral hip dysplasia in June 2005. I wrote a bit about our experiences here…

http://amadisonmom.blogspot.com/2007/03/previously-in-madison-moms-life.html

My daughter was finally diagnosed with this at 16 months, though we suspected it long before. Many pediatricians and even adult orthopedic surgeons do not recognize the signs of hip dyplasia. If left untreated the child may unable to walk or run, have huge limps, and have total deterioration of the affected hip socket by the early teens. Not a fun thing to imagine for yor child!! In my daughter’s case she endured 5 surgeries, traction to loosen the muscles and tendons, full body casts for many months, and wearing a brace for over a year. But with all of this she is able to walk, and take dance, and be a normal child, which is all her father and I ever wanted for her. Please, please, make sure that your baby is checked, and if there is any question take your child to a qualified pediatric orthopedic surgeon.

Nancy, developmental dysplasia of the hip ‘expert’ and mom to Claudia- who endured it all and still remained happy and cheerful.

My daughter was born with bilateral hip dysplasia. She was placed into the Pavlik Harness one day shy of her 2nd month ‘birthday’. It broke my heart at the time.

We were to keep her in it 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Keeping her clean was hard being that she suffered from acid reflux. After a few weeks, we were allowed to remove it one hour a day, but I tried to avoid removing it too much (it was too tempting to keep her out of it!). I took her out twice/three times a week for baths and to wash the harness.

8 weeks in the harness full-time, and 4 weeks of weaning, and she was fixed! It’s amazing what some canvas and velcro can do!

I got tired of having to explain Hip Dysplasia to strangers in the grocery store. They would come up to us and want to look at my daughter, and upon seeing the harness, would ask what it was. A couple would give me looks as if I put her in there by choice!! lol

She definitely adjusted to it better than I did. Our first day of weaning, she cried so much that I put her back IN the brace, and she was happy! Her Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon still laughs about that! lol

This condition runs in my family, and I had it. I was neither breech nor a first born. They didn’t catch it til I was 6 months old, I was put in traction for a week and then had a Spica cast from my armpits to my ankles for 6 months of my life.
Now Im 23 and my daughter, who was breech, has it but only in her left hip. She used to wear the Pavlik harness but it didn’t work for her so she quit wearing it. Shes now a year old and its still dislocated but she has to have open surgery for it, and afterwards she will be in a spica cast for 3 months. I’m not looking forward to this, I wish there was a support group with other moms I could meet to help me through it.

Just adding a comment far more superficial than what this story is about, but…

Gosh, that is a gorgeous little girl. She looks just like Brooke but with red hair.

My mom had this and because my grandparents ignored her limp she ended up having 13 hip replacements. She died at 43 because her hip was shattered and she got an infection in it. That is worse case………. However my daughter was also born with it and she wor a brace for 3 mos and is 6 and fine. from what the doctors have told me it has become more common. When you are at the doctor with your child and the doctor is pushing there knees to there chest and in a circular motion that is what they are checking for.

Both of my sons were born (1990 and 1992) with hip dysplasia and both were lucky and only needed the “several diapers and a thick blanket” treatment. It is always frightening to be told something is wrong with your child, but I am glad she did the right thing and followed the doctor’s treatment orders.