And here’s Micah, all nice and clean and ready for bed!
For those of you who have never seen a child in a cast correcting hip dysplasia before, it can be quite shocking! We are now used to it, but at the beginning, it sure is shocking seeing your child in such a cast! When Nina first saw Micah in his cast, she felt SO bad for him! She kept looking at him with a look of pity and any time he made a noise, she would rush to him and say, “it’s o.k. Micah, it’s o.k.” Very cute.
As you can see in the pictures, the cast extends from Micah’s belly button to his feet, with a little opening at the diaper area. It is surprising how quickly babies, and Micah especially, can get used to having such a cast. The doctors made the cast with extra room for Micah to grow these 6 weeks, and it is padded with lots of cotton to protect his legs. When Micah gets excited, his arms move up and down, and his little feet wiggle. Too cute!
Perhaps one of the most challenging things in caring for this cast is trying to keep it as dry and clean as possible. Now, this can be quite the task as the diaper area has a very small opening space. Of course, Micah can not wear diapers while in the cast. Instead, we tuck a sanitary napkin into the opening. While we were still in the hospital, David went to the store and bought several different types of sanitary napkins for us to try out. I think we found the ones we will be using! (They are quite expensive, and we go through a lot in one day, but they help keep Micah dry and clean and that’s what’s most important!) Throughout the day, I am constantly checking Micah’s ‘diaper’. If it is just the least bit wet or dirty, I change it right away. Since Micah is a breastfed baby, it can be quite tricky trying to keep him and the cast clean. Yet, since he’s a boy, it hasn’t been that difficult keeping the cast dry! (David and I laugh, as we wonder what the lady at the cash register must be thinking when David goes to the store every couple of days and buys several packs of sanitary napkins!) And of course, Micah is not able to be submerged in water these 6 weeks, so no baths for him! Therefore, I am giving him sponge baths each evening before bedtime, in hopes of keeping him clean and ‘sweet-smelling’. :D
Having our little baby in a cast does make quite a bit more work for us… but honestly, I am really enjoying caring for our little boy, and consider it a privilege to be his mommy! I can not carry him with one arm free anymore. Since the cast makes him heavier and clumsier to carry, it takes both of my arms to hold him. Thus, the other arm is not free to wipe a little girl’s nose or stir a cooking pot of soup, but that’s o.k. Also, we can’t just put Micah anywhere. He needs to lay propped up on pillows so that his head is higher than his bottom (helps aid in keeping the cast dry, as any urine then flows down instead of in the sides). Oh, and car seats were definitely not created for babies in such a cast! It took us a while, but we figured out how to fit him in his. We use several pillows so he’s laying just right and then strap him in around his legs. It looks quite funny, but he seems to be comfortable and it does the trick (although perhaps not the safest)! We also figured out how to put him comfortably in the stroller… one foot in and one foot out! We will definitely be using socks these 6 weeks!
Yes, all this is a little more time consuming and makes my job as mommy a little bit busier. But, like I mentioned earlier, I am totally enjoying caring for him! I consider it an honor and find it so rewarding seeing him comfortably and contentedly sleeping. I love my baby and I love being a mommy! :D
So far, this whole ‘cast experience’ is going well for us. (Thank-you for your thoughts!) We are just so thankful that Micah’s hips can be helped in this way! Oh, but don’t get us wrong. Even though we are thankful for this cast, we are counting down the days until it will come off! (Only 38 more days!) May 8th is the big day when we’ll be able to see Micah’s sweet legs again! :D
Well, I better go and check Micah’s ‘diaper’ again… “good-night”! :D
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