Before Jolie’s Hip Dysplasia journey, we didn’t know much about the topic, so we always take any opportunity to raise awareness on something that now hits so close to home for us.
The four factors for Hip Dysplasia are first-born children, females, breech babies, and family history. Jolie checked two of these boxes. Going forward any babies we may have now all have a family history of Hip Dysplasia, and will get a routine hip ultrasound shortly after birth.
Jolie passed all of her routine hip checks from birth until her four-month wellness checkup in July 2023, when her doctor, Megan Lehr, heard a click. We were sent to get an ultrasound, where we were told she did have hip dysplasia, and we were referred to Blank Children’s Hospital. We knew a little about what that might look like and assumed we would be leaving that appointment with a harness. We were shocked when we found out her hip was completely dislocated, and we would need to go to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital and meet with their pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Her hip click ended up being a crazy coincidence since her hip was dislocated. In this case, it isn’t usually caught until children have issues with standing/walking/running, so we are thankful for her diligent doctor for catching it and giving us the opportunity for earlier intervention.
At the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital Jolie had X-rays to confirm the dislocation. We met with Dr. Heather Kowalski who explained surgery and next steps. Jolie was scheduled for a closed reduction (with a possible open reduction if needed) to put the ball of her hip back into the socket. After she would be put in a Spica cast from the waist all the way to her ankle on the right side, and above her knee on the left.
Surgery day arrived and Jolie was put completely under anesthesia. They were able to stick with the less invasive closed reduction procedure by cutting her tendon, allowing the ball of her hip to go back into place. In recovery Jolie was in a lot of pain and it was all so unfamiliar to try and navigate around her cast and all of her cords/wires. They were able to get her pain under control and we stayed the night at the hospital. Her cast seemed so bulky on her tiny little body.
We received a special car seat that was adapted for Spica casts. We were able to go home and start navigating the next 12 weeks with the cast. Unique challenges included diaper changes, clothes, sleeping positions, special seats/chairs, holding her, and much more. At six weeks we went back to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, where Jolie was again placed under full anesthesia, to undergo a cast change. The doctor took a new set of X-rays and inserted dye into her hip to check her progress, and make sure the surgery was still successful. This cast only went above her knees on both legs, giving her some more movement and making her cast less bulky, which was exciting for everyone!
After 12 total weeks of casting we went back for cast removal day! Jolie was a champ, and had a lot of smiles during the removal process. We received our Rhino brace that she would wear full time for the next 12 weeks. After her cast removal, we celebrated with a “Hip Hip Hooray, Jolie B. is Cast Free” party. This girl deserved to be celebrated!
Her 12 weeks in the full time Rhino resulted in continual progress of her hip socket formation, so we moved on to do naps and nights in the brace for the next 16 weeks. She since has been wearing the brace at night only. Her hip is forming great and her socket is rounding out like they want to see, taking us all the way until October before our next visit. The longest break we have had without appointments/X-rays! We are hopeful she will keep making amazing progress and the good news will continue.
Jolie has been so resilient through this journey, and has worked so hard to catch up on her motor skills. She started walking in August, and I don’t think that is something that we will ever take for granted. There was so much unknown during this journey, and seeing her come out on top has made us so proud of her.
Even though this isn’t something we ever imagined happening during our first year with our baby, it has given us the opportunity to connect with new people and share our knowledge/experiences to help other families. We will continue to brag on our strong little hippy warrior any chance we get, as well as raise awareness for Hip Dysplasia. We will be walking alongside Jolie, family, and friends on October 12th in honor of Miles4Hips day!
