During my pregnancy, I was shocked to find NO mention of hip dysplasia in any information and what to watch out for in newborns or babies in general. There was no information on hip dysplasia from any of the publications provided, nor did any GP’s or Obstetricians ever mention this condition to me. I feel like had I not known about the condition, noone would have ever properly screened my baby and if she had hip dysplasia, it could go undetected for years!
Since I myself suffer from hip dysplasia, I insisted that my baby be screened for hip dysplasia. I had even requested to have a paediatrician in the delivery room so that the first screening will be done right at birth.
Because of my insistence, my daughter was referred to a paediatrician who then referred us to get her screened with Dr. Mulpuri at BC Children’s hospital who is one of the leading paediatric orthopaedic surgeons in Western Canada.
Her first visit to Dr. Mulpuri was at two months old where she had her first hip ultrasound and hip check. At two months old, she had shown signs of slightly dysplastic hips however we were told that at her age, it was best to continue monitoring her hips with visits every six to eight months since there is a chance as her hips grow, it could begin to develop normally. Since then, we have been visiting Dr. Mulpuri every six months and each time begins with a hip X-Ray followed by speaking to Dr. Mulpuri.
My daughter is now almost two years old and we are still doing regular checks with Dr. Mulpuri to monitor her and see if her hips will begin to develop normally.
It kills me to have the thought of my baby girl having hip dysplasia and for her to feel the pain that I have. She is such an active baby and I watch her daily checking if she has any limp or strangeness in her walk. I am so worried if she will one day have to go through the pain of surgery and recovery or have to wear a cast and /or brace and what that would do to her confidence. We are hopeful that her hips will naturally develop into normal hips but if not, we feel like we will have to take it one step at a time. At least we know that she is already being looked after. If the day came and her hips really developed into full hip dysplasia, I am confident that she will be able to get the treatment she needs at the right time. I feel we are fortunate to be in this position as had I not known about hip dysplasia and was not so adamant about my baby being checked, she could end up growing up in pain without ever knowing why until it was too late for any treatment.
I urge all parents to watch out for signs and listen to your children if they have pain. You all know your children best and even if your GP tells you it’s nothing or doesn’t do anything to investigate, please insist on it – at least even a simple x-ray to start.
