Perfection Interrupted

It took a long time for me to want to have kids. I never had a maternal instinct in my whole life. Even my treatment of my Cabbage Patch Kids would have sent a CPS caseworker into a tailspin. But one day 18 months ago, it hit me like a flash. Something was missing in our lives. My husband T and I decided that having a baby was the fulfillment we both needed. Fast-forward to March 2010 and our beautiful L.E. was born. She was the perfect little baby girl, chubby and pink. But perfection was not the case. Our pediatrician immediately noticed her hips clicking out of their sockets.

L.E. was diagnosed with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH). Her hips were not fused into their sockets properly. The pediatrician told me this less than 2 hours after delivery and all I could think to say was that our dog had that same thing when he was a puppy. $1800 in surgery costs later, he was cured. So I didn't think much about it until they came and took L.E. away to do an ultrasound and more tests. Our pediatrician made it seem like it would be a very simple treatment; she would wear a little cast for a few weeks and it was great that it was discovered so early. She would be able to run marathons some day! Once we were home from the hospital and I began Googling away, it started to sink in.

We started seeing a pediatric orthopedist that I would love to call Dr. Personality due to his lack of having one. He confirmed that her hips made "clunking" motions when he moved them in and out of their sockets. He prescribed her a Pavlik harness. When asked how long she would need to wear it he casually replied, "a year or so." A YEAR?! My beautiful baby girl was going to be wrapped in canvas and velcro for a year! All I could think about was the drawers full of beautiful clothes that were going to be accented with a hideous jumpsuit-type harness. I know I sound completely selfish and vain right now but that is honestly what I thought.

We're very fortunate that L.E. is not in any sort of pain from DDH at all. But with me being post-partum, I cry every day because my perfect soft little baby is wrapped in stiff crinkly-ness.