If not, meet baby Matilda (aka Tilly) and her incredible Mum, Amy.
‘’Matilda was breech for most of my third trimester, which is what lead to problem. When she was born they discovered that her hips ‘clicked’ when manipulated. An ultrasound at 6 weeks of age confirmed that both hips were affected, and she was diagnosed with bi-lateral hip dysplasia. Tilly was placed in to a Pavlik Harness when she was 8 weeks which she has to wear for 3 months. The harness holds her hips into the correct position while they develop. She has to wear it 24/7, and we have to ensure that her legs stay in an M Shape (knees up with the legs apart which helps the hips to stay aligned with the joint) as much as possible.’’
Mum Amy, found the Steps Charity incredible helpful and has a lot of information on Matilda’s condition and was a great help to her when she was first diagnosed.
Amy has been reviewing the new Ergobaby Swaddle and Sleep Set with Tilly and you can read more
of her story below:
“My now 14 week old daughter has loved being swaddled since birth. Swaddling enabled her to sleep for longer stretches as her startle reflex would wake her frequently otherwise. Sadly, however, at 8 weeks old she was diagnosed with bi-lateral hip dysplasia as a result of being breech in pregnancy, and she was placed into a pavlik harness for 12 weeks. I struggled to find a swaddle solution that would work with her harness, and had to go swaddle free cold turkey. This unfortunately resulted in many a sleepless night until we found the Ergobaby sleeping bag and swaddle set. It was an absolute sanity saver! On the first night of using, she went from waking every couple of hours to sleeping through. It works perfectly with her harness as her hips are kept in the correct position. It was easy to put on, far less fiddly and more secure than many other swaddles on the market.
A couple of weeks into using this swaddle set, my daughter started to enjoy using her fingers to self soothe. The fact that this swaddle enabled me to easily wrap her with her preferred arm out took us one step closer to easier bedtimes as she could suckle on her fingers to fall asleep. This swaddle will also help us to transition her to sleeping with both arms out while still feeling the security of a swaddle round her middle, and then eventually into just a sleeping bag. It’s beautifully made, the fabric is wonderfully soft, and it’s very easy to use. The two way zip is particularly helpful as I can change her nappy in the night quickly and easily, therefore not waking her too much meaning she can fall asleep again more easily. I’ve been recommending it to all my friends with newborns and will be buying a couple as babyshower gifts. My only complaint is that while it is designed to be worn without any additional bedding, it doesn’t have a tog rating, and it doesn’t advise how to dress baby underneath according to the room temperature. I was worried at times that baby might be hot or two cold. Other than that I can’t fault it at all! Highly recommended.”
ALL babies hips are checked at birth and at 6-8 weeks as part of a national screening programme, so we encourage you to ensure you read more about detection with the Steps Charity here . If your baby has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, you are not alone. According to Steps ‘about 1 or 2 in every 1,000 babies has a hip problem needing treatment’.
