Today is Friday. That much I remember. So if Cecilia got her cast on on Tuesday this must be day 4. Yeah ok, brain a little slow but it is still there. I remember today is Friday because we took Cecilia back to Primary's to get a CT scan of her hip to make sure it is in the right place. That went well. Everything looks good and we were able to convince the doctor to cut off some of the top of her cast. It came up so high that it dug into her armpits and she could lick the front of it when she sat. He agreed that it was too high and thankfully cut off about an inch and a half (like Shaun said in his post). I joked with the doctor that he does this to all the parents so they feel better about the cast they have in the end. It was very traumatizing for Cecilia, but worth it to get another inch of her cute body.
So on to the reason my brain is so fried. I think Cecilia must have had some muscle spasms last night because she woke up several times crying between 10:30 and 2. We kept going in and rocking her to sleep, then put her down and 10-20 minutes later screaming again. Finally at 2 am I gave her some more Motrin (after Tylenol at 10:30) and rocked her to sleep and and stayed there holding her for about an hour. She would occasionally jump and start crying, which is what many say the signs of muscle spasms are. Poor thing! Finally I think the combination of pure exhaustion and the medicine worked and she slept until 6:30. Shaun and I are running on fumes after three nights in a row of little sleep. But we are tapping into our reserves and hope tonight will be better.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Minor victory
anyway. The surgeon agreed with us that it was way too high on her
body so he let the nurse cut off a bit of it. Too bad they could hear
the little one scream from two miles away.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Surgery Day
Well our journey has begun. Cecilia is now in a full body cast. It is much larger than I expected and we all hate it. It also has a bar across the legs which the doctor and nurses say makes it easier to pick her up. Which may be true but dressing her is more difficult and we can't get as close to her.
Anyway her surgery was on Tuesday and it was honestly one of the hardest days of my life. I don't know a mom out there that won't cry uncontrollably when her perfect little baby is taken from her to go into surgery (and continues to cry every time she thinks about it). But thankfully they were able to do the closed reduction and just cut a tendon to loosen the leg to get the perfect fit. The doctor said it sat really well and there was no question as to the open reduction. This is good because the recovery time is a lot less and we were able to bring her home same day. She cried that day more than I think she ever has in her entire life combined. She was mad, and I'm sure in pain, when she woke up. Thankfully they called me back quickly and I was able to nurse her, which calmed her considerably. It was so hard to see her screaming at the top of her lungs and in this HUGE cast and with dilated eyes from the anesthesia. Of course I cried too. Had a hard time stopping since too. But everyone who has gone through this says the first 2 weeks are the hardest. We just have to make it through these two weeks and everything will get better. I just can't help feeling so sorry for my little girl who keeps trying to pull the cast away from her and whom I can't cuddle and comfort. I can't help wishing we found this sooner so we could do the harness which would be so much easier to deal with. I can't keep from crying when I give her a sponge bath on her head and feet remembering when she loved to take baths.
But I'm also grateful that we found it before she was mobile because I know it would be so much harder on her if she knew how to move and couldn't. I'm grateful for her spica chair which will allow her to sit up and play and where we can feed her. I'm grateful for the online group where I can hear others stories and be grateful she will only have this for 3 months and hopefully never again. I'm also so very grateful that Cecilia is an otherwise normal, perfect baby.
At the hospital we had to wait with other families whose children were having surgery. How grateful I am that Cecilia doesn't have a feeding tube and tracheotomy and who is going through her 4th surgery and she is only a year old. How grateful I am that I'm not the mother of the teenager who has a severely scarred face. Or the mother of the 6 year old so skinny that I can carry her in my arms. How grateful I am that Cecilia has a curable condition and after these next 3 months we can look back and never have to worry again.
So day two and we are sad and grateful.
Anyway her surgery was on Tuesday and it was honestly one of the hardest days of my life. I don't know a mom out there that won't cry uncontrollably when her perfect little baby is taken from her to go into surgery (and continues to cry every time she thinks about it). But thankfully they were able to do the closed reduction and just cut a tendon to loosen the leg to get the perfect fit. The doctor said it sat really well and there was no question as to the open reduction. This is good because the recovery time is a lot less and we were able to bring her home same day. She cried that day more than I think she ever has in her entire life combined. She was mad, and I'm sure in pain, when she woke up. Thankfully they called me back quickly and I was able to nurse her, which calmed her considerably. It was so hard to see her screaming at the top of her lungs and in this HUGE cast and with dilated eyes from the anesthesia. Of course I cried too. Had a hard time stopping since too. But everyone who has gone through this says the first 2 weeks are the hardest. We just have to make it through these two weeks and everything will get better. I just can't help feeling so sorry for my little girl who keeps trying to pull the cast away from her and whom I can't cuddle and comfort. I can't help wishing we found this sooner so we could do the harness which would be so much easier to deal with. I can't keep from crying when I give her a sponge bath on her head and feet remembering when she loved to take baths.
But I'm also grateful that we found it before she was mobile because I know it would be so much harder on her if she knew how to move and couldn't. I'm grateful for her spica chair which will allow her to sit up and play and where we can feed her. I'm grateful for the online group where I can hear others stories and be grateful she will only have this for 3 months and hopefully never again. I'm also so very grateful that Cecilia is an otherwise normal, perfect baby.
At the hospital we had to wait with other families whose children were having surgery. How grateful I am that Cecilia doesn't have a feeding tube and tracheotomy and who is going through her 4th surgery and she is only a year old. How grateful I am that I'm not the mother of the teenager who has a severely scarred face. Or the mother of the 6 year old so skinny that I can carry her in my arms. How grateful I am that Cecilia has a curable condition and after these next 3 months we can look back and never have to worry again.
So day two and we are sad and grateful.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wicked in San Francisco
This weekend we traveled to San Francisco with Cecilia's Hadley grandparents. We took them to see Wicked, the broadway musical and to give them a bit of grandparent time with the baby.
It's getting more difficult to call her the baby, even though she's not even 8 months old. I've attached a picture of her standing on the chair, something she has been able to do for a few months already. She loves to stand but hates to crawl. Well, she hasn't ever crawled but she just recently figured out how to roll over. And only after prodding does she even do that. She grabs our fingers from a sitting or even laying position and she wants to stand by stretching her legs out straight and lifting her head. When she's standing she even puts one foot in front of another and tries to walk.
Back to our San Francisco trip. We have some friends who used to live in the city who know people living there now who get a great baby sitter a few times a week. They put us in contact with her and we had her watch Ceci on Friday night so we could all go see the show together. Saturday was filled with visiting the ferry building farmers market, lunch at Fishermans Wharf and shops in North Beach and Pacific Heights. How can you not love San Francisco?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
DDH
Cecilia has been diagnosed with a condition called Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip or DDH. Essentially what it means is she was so squished in the womb that the ball of her left femur couldn't fit into the right place in her hip when it was forming and so is not in the right place now. We need to get them together and keep them there so they will stay and grow around each other properly. If we had caught this before she was 6 months old they would have just put her into a harness for up to 3 months and her hip would have grown over the ball. But now that she is older she is too strong for the harness and there is a possibility that tissue has grown between the socket and the ball. This means she will have to have a surgery. They put her under anesthesia and try to place the ball in the socket. They then inject a dye and take an X-ray to see if it "sits" well. If it does then they put a cast on her and they are done. If it doesn't they snip a tendon that can cause the area to be tight and see if they can get a good fit. If still not then they give her an epidural and make an incision and clean out the fatty tissue that is in the way. The first two possibilities are called a closed reduction and the third, more invasive, is called an open reduction. Either way she will have to be in a cast from her belly to her ankles for three months with a cast change at 6 weeks (because she will grow out of the cast).
Shaun and I are obviously upset by this news. A million thoughts go through my head at the same time, so many that I can't express them here. This is a fairly common condition (1 in 1000 births) so there is a lot of information online and a support group for "Hip baby" moms. These resources have been so helpful for us as we come to grips with life over the next three months. The symptoms are pretty clear and the treatment is very standard. Both of these facts comfort us that Cecilia has been correctly diagnosed and will be treated properly. I feel the Spirit has confirmed this to us and put our minds at rest that this is the best for our daughter. Additionally through the support group I can talk with other moms and get advice from them on how to diaper, clothe, clean, feed and entertain Cecilia while she is in a cast.
I'm most concerned with two things. First, sleeping. Many moms say this is the hardest part because it is difficult to keep them comfortable (understandably so). Additionally as you know Cecilia is in love with her swing, which she will not fit into with a cast on. I have renewed and doubled my efforts on that front and we are finally making significant progress. Thank Heavens! But we won't know the position of her legs in the cast until the surgery. They may be straight out, or bent up like an M shape or anywhere in between. This makes it hard to prepare for sleeping positions . We just pray the Lord will help us when the time comes. My second major concern is the number of blowouts Cecilia has on a regular basis. She poops up a storm during her morning nap and frequently the diaper can't hold it all. Regular blowouts in a cast is going to be a nightmare. It isn't like I can take out the cotton lining and wash it. I have done a lot of research on this and hope I found some good pointers for keeping the cast clean. Let's just say feminine products and Depends are used as well as double diapers. I think Heavenly Father is helping me out here too because since we started to feed her more cereal her poop has gotten thicker and says in the diaper better.
Entertainment is going to be tricky, as will taking her anywhere. The vain side me thinks about how many comments we get about how cute she is and knows these will turn into "what happened to her?" But like I said, that is the vain side of me and probably needs to be humbled anyway. Besides she will still be adorable. We bought a chair specifically designed for spica kids (that is the name of the type of cast) and hope she likes it. At least she can sit up and play in it. I recently posted about how she loves to walk now. That will be impossible and will probably frustrate her. We probably never should have done it with her. We'll try to underemphasis it now. Cecilia loves walks outside so we will just have to figure out a way to bundle her up and take lots of walks. Maybe I'll get in shape :)
Everyday we think of another aspect that will change or be more difficult. But we just remember this is what is best for our daughter and 3 months isn't that long. The long term outlook is really good if we get it taken care of. She shouldn't have any problems as she grows up and her hip should grow to be normal. Both of those facts are very encouraging and will sustain us during the hard days. I'm just so grateful we found it now before she is really walking or crawling as it would be much harder. This is the main reason we decided to move forward ASAP. So her surgery will be December 8th at Primary Children's Hospital here in SLC. If she just needs the closed surgery we can take her home same day, if they have to do the open she will come home next day. Please let us know if you know someone who has gone through this as I love to get as much advice as I can. And pray for Cecilia that the surgery will go well and she will adjust quickly to being in a cast.
Shaun and I are obviously upset by this news. A million thoughts go through my head at the same time, so many that I can't express them here. This is a fairly common condition (1 in 1000 births) so there is a lot of information online and a support group for "Hip baby" moms. These resources have been so helpful for us as we come to grips with life over the next three months. The symptoms are pretty clear and the treatment is very standard. Both of these facts comfort us that Cecilia has been correctly diagnosed and will be treated properly. I feel the Spirit has confirmed this to us and put our minds at rest that this is the best for our daughter. Additionally through the support group I can talk with other moms and get advice from them on how to diaper, clothe, clean, feed and entertain Cecilia while she is in a cast.
I'm most concerned with two things. First, sleeping. Many moms say this is the hardest part because it is difficult to keep them comfortable (understandably so). Additionally as you know Cecilia is in love with her swing, which she will not fit into with a cast on. I have renewed and doubled my efforts on that front and we are finally making significant progress. Thank Heavens! But we won't know the position of her legs in the cast until the surgery. They may be straight out, or bent up like an M shape or anywhere in between. This makes it hard to prepare for sleeping positions . We just pray the Lord will help us when the time comes. My second major concern is the number of blowouts Cecilia has on a regular basis. She poops up a storm during her morning nap and frequently the diaper can't hold it all. Regular blowouts in a cast is going to be a nightmare. It isn't like I can take out the cotton lining and wash it. I have done a lot of research on this and hope I found some good pointers for keeping the cast clean. Let's just say feminine products and Depends are used as well as double diapers. I think Heavenly Father is helping me out here too because since we started to feed her more cereal her poop has gotten thicker and says in the diaper better.
Entertainment is going to be tricky, as will taking her anywhere. The vain side me thinks about how many comments we get about how cute she is and knows these will turn into "what happened to her?" But like I said, that is the vain side of me and probably needs to be humbled anyway. Besides she will still be adorable. We bought a chair specifically designed for spica kids (that is the name of the type of cast) and hope she likes it. At least she can sit up and play in it. I recently posted about how she loves to walk now. That will be impossible and will probably frustrate her. We probably never should have done it with her. We'll try to underemphasis it now. Cecilia loves walks outside so we will just have to figure out a way to bundle her up and take lots of walks. Maybe I'll get in shape :)
Everyday we think of another aspect that will change or be more difficult. But we just remember this is what is best for our daughter and 3 months isn't that long. The long term outlook is really good if we get it taken care of. She shouldn't have any problems as she grows up and her hip should grow to be normal. Both of those facts are very encouraging and will sustain us during the hard days. I'm just so grateful we found it now before she is really walking or crawling as it would be much harder. This is the main reason we decided to move forward ASAP. So her surgery will be December 8th at Primary Children's Hospital here in SLC. If she just needs the closed surgery we can take her home same day, if they have to do the open she will come home next day. Please let us know if you know someone who has gone through this as I love to get as much advice as I can. And pray for Cecilia that the surgery will go well and she will adjust quickly to being in a cast.
Walking
We have mentioned several times how Cecilia loves to stand. Every once in a while I'll try to get her to walk. The first several times I had to physically bend her legs for her. She wasn't ready yet. So I kinda forgot about it. The other day I tried it again and she did better. I tried swinging her body back and forth to get her to take the steps. But Shaun learned the trick and now she loves to walk. Just a little bit of pressure under her armpit and it is like a string tied to her leg, she will raise it and put it forward. I caught a video of it. Amazingly enough this was the same day she rolled over. She went through a mental growth spurt or something.
She has gotten so much better in the three days since this was made. Yesterday she had a ball and every time it rolled away from her we would stand up and walk over to it and I would sit her down so she could play with it. She loved it so much that ever time I helped her stand up she would do this super cute jig, dancing with her legs like YEAH I love this! then she would start walking toward the ball. Anyway, enjoy the video!
She has gotten so much better in the three days since this was made. Yesterday she had a ball and every time it rolled away from her we would stand up and walk over to it and I would sit her down so she could play with it. She loved it so much that ever time I helped her stand up she would do this super cute jig, dancing with her legs like YEAH I love this! then she would start walking toward the ball. Anyway, enjoy the video!
Monday, November 30, 2009
She finally rolled over!
I have been working with Cecilia to roll over for months now. Everyone says not to compare your child to others, but sometimes it is hard. There are several babies in our ward that were born around the same time as she. They have all been rolling over for months now and one is doing an army crawl. I know that she enjoys doing different things than they do, like she sat up pretty early and she stands really well (she loves to stand). But she isn't really mobile (which is nice for a couple of reasons). Anyway recently she has been getting really close. I just have to touch her head to give her the idea and she does the rest. But Shaun says that doesn't count. So we worked and worked. She did the physical work and I did the emotional (listening to her fuss and scream about it). Last Wednesday she finally did it! We worked together on it for a while and then she did it all by herself! I called Shaun so excited! That night when he came home I tried to show him but she wouldn't do it without just that finger of reminder. He says "doesn't count." I say "she totally did it earlier!" He looks at me like MmmHum. Then Friday I had her on our bed working on it again and she totally rolled over all by herself. This time Shaun came home just in time. He even grabbed the video recorder to capture it for all of you. YEAH FOR CECILIA!!!
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