Alexandra's Harness

I took Alexandra to her four month check-up last week and the paediatrician found her right hip to be a bit stiff. She told me it was probably nothing but that I should take her to an orthopaedic doctor just to be safe. I took her this past Monday. I thought it would be quick. However, the doctor came in and moved her leg for about two seconds and immediately diagnosed her with hip dysplasia or a dislocated hip. She then had a series of ultra-sounds done which confirmed the prognosis. She has congenital hip dislocation – where the hip is frankly dislocated, but reducible (I assume that means fixable).



Basically she has developmental problems in her hip which is often present at birth. However, they did not catch it at birth and are only realizing it now. The incidence of hip dysplasia is 4 per 1000 births. It occurs more frequently in girls, breech babies and first-borns (she is a girl but she was neither breech nor the first-born). It also tends to run in families (Neither Abby or Sammy had this problem and Abby was my first-born and breech). If left untreated the long-term consequences are very serious, including a shorter leg and a pronounced limp, with premature onset of arthritis and hip pain.


As a result, the doctor told me she has to wear a harness (or brace) to hold the hip in a reduced position to allow the head of the femur (the ball) to mold the acetabulum (the cup or socket). She has to wear the harness 24/7 for the next two weeks. If there is improvement, she will wear it for another two weeks (four weeks total and possibly longer). If there is no improvement, she will have to have surgery. I was completely shocked at this discovery and quite upset. I did not expect it at all. I felt this massive weight descend on me. I was a mess. They fitted her with the harness that day as well and I took her home. I can’t put any clothes on her, just a onsie and zip-up sleep sacks. Her diaper is difficult to change because you have to squeeze it in through her thigh and belly and the straps get in the way as well. She is difficult to hold and more difficult to settle at night. She also does not fit in the carseat as well.


However despite it all, she really has handled it well. I on the other hand, was a basket-case all day long on Monday. I was completely stressed and upset about it. When night came, I was even more upset, stressed and overwhelmed wondering how she would sleep at all. I was so upset that Charles forced me to sleep in the guest room and took care of her all night. He only came to get me when she was ready to feed at 5am. I basically got a full night’s sleep and have felt much better about the whole situation ever since. She has done well and improves each day to the point where she doesn’t seem very phased by it. I took the harness off for the first time on Thursday to give her a bath and her right leg just stayed in the upright 90 degree angle. She also slept better Wednesday night than she has ever – going to bed at 7pm and not waking until 5am. I am so glad that the doctors caught this now. I just hope that this harness can do the trick and she will not have to have surgery.

Here is my poor baby with her legs in the position she will be in for the next two to four weeks or longer - who knows!

This is from the packaging for the harness. As the doctor was taking out the harness and showing it to me for the first time (and my stress levels were increasing by the second), he pointed out that this baby looks quite happy in it....