Hip Dysplasia and the Pavlik Harness: Information and Help

From the moment Eleanor was placed in her Pavlik harness to correct her hip dysplasia my world turned upside down.

Those neat, lovely piles of pre-washes clothes I so carefully folded? Tucked away in hopes she'll still fit in something when she is out of her harness. I can't bear to see them everyday so they are better out of sight and out of mind.

The cosy, lovely infant car seat / bassinet / travel system we picked out? She no longer fits in either piece and screams bloody murder when wedged in.

Our lovely, easy, calm, connected breastfeeding experience? Completely broken with weight-gain struggles and positioning problems at every turn.

The baby massage and swimming classes we signed up for? All cancelled or delayed until she can actually participate.

While things are not what I expected them to look like when I was baby-dreaming whilst pregnant (when are they ever?), they are what they are. I have scoured the internet for help and information and tips, but none of the websites I found had all of the useful information I needed. I found a support group online that was brilliant and helped me through my questions and concerns or just when I needed some reassurance. I thought it might be useful to put everything I had found and learned into one place for mums in the future.

Clothing:

Most of the clothes I had so carefully bought (or received as presents) did not fit over Eleanor's harness. Instead we found the following very useful:

Stretchy dresses, or empire waist dresses, sometimes one size up (sometimes her size), generally fit. They have to flare out enough to not put pressure on the harness. Underneath the dresses she wore onesies, her size but with a onesie extender added on.

 

Big dresses!

Onesie extenders (also known as vest extenders) worked wonders

We bought or were given clothes from two companies:

Silver Lining based in Australia - not cheap, but gorgeous, lovely clothes - especially the trousers that saw a lot of use as the weather got cooler!

Hip-pose - based in the UK and affordable we bought several jammies and onesies that we loved. It was so wonderful to see Eleanor so comfortable, especially at night!

There are many other websites out there but I found them either too expensive or their variety lacking. I also went to a second hand clothes sale and scoured the stalls looking specifically for clothes that were cheap and would fit. I was surprised by how many adorable and useful dresses I found!

 

Bodysuits from Hip-pose

 

The onesie and harem pants that fit over the harness from Silver Lining

Car Seat/Transport

We had originally purchased and IziGo BeSafe infant carseat, but within weeks realized we needed something different. There are two options in the UK for seats, but only one I found affordable. 

MaxiCosi has a terrific program where they rent you a hip-friendly carseat for up to 6 months for 100 quid, 50 of which is returnable when you give back the seat - and it's FREE if you already own a MaxiCosi seat! It is the MaxiCosi Opal HD seat, and we are so grateful Eleanor no longer screams when she is sat in the seat - she can spread out and is so much more comfortable! As of September 2016, this was the number to call to get the form to fill out: 012 8441 314. You also need a note from your doctor to prove your baby has hip dysplasia (my ortho consult wrote one up in a day!). Start to finish it took 6 days to get the seat - really terrific service in my book. 

Elenaor in her MaxiCosi Opal HD seat - so much more room!

Eleanor still doesn't fit in the bassinet and is too small for the normal seat, so instead, I'm baby wearing! We have an ErgoBaby 360 and a ring sling, and she spends a lot of time attached to me. Both are hip friendly and if she's happy I'm happy.

 

Breastfeeding:

This is one that I really struggled with, as after she was placed in the harness she didn't gain weight for two weeks. That made me one stressed out mama! With the help of women on my support site, I learned several new positions and ignored some of the usual breastfeeding advice.

The four positions that worked best for us are:

1) Sitting upright, baby straddling my knee

2) Sitting upright, baby held diagonally across my body one arm supporting the head, the other between the legs

3) Mum reclined, baby diagonal or laying tummy to tummy  (also called biological breastfeeding)

4) Baby on her back and turning her head, mum on her side (used at night!)

It was a tough slog to get back to where she didn't scream at me every time she ate - I was uncomfortable, she was uncomfortable, and we both missed the lovely, easy days where she'd eat for half an hour then fall asleep nursing. Since the harness, she never does that and I miss it but I'm grateful she's at least eating well now. 

Other Tips:

We found that it was easies to flip Ellie over each time we did a diaper change to thread the tabs through the harness. This led to LOTS of tummy time, which means our little one is already a pro!

 

Every night Eleanor got a washcloth bath and a nappy rash cream (we used Bepanthen as recommended by our ortho) between the hips and under the knees to protect the delicate skin. 

Some people recommend socks on the shoulder straps to protect baby's skin. We had the harness on 24/7 so nothing could go under it. This meant her clothes always protected her from the straps.

Our ortho was lovely and attached soft, fleecy wraps around the harsh straps over Eleanor's knees and backs of her legs. This prevented any type of rubbing rash.

Fleece on the straps!

The first 2 days (and for us, 2 weeks!) are the WORST and then it really does get better. Ellie still has panicked moments where she tries to kick her legs and can't, but is coping brilliantly for the most part!

Life and everything else:

Part of watching your baby undergo treatment for anything is just to put on a brave face. I had to cancel classes, mourn the loss of her little adorable chubby legs and tiny toes for weeks on end, and do without sweet bath time and fluffy baby hair. It's not the end of the world, and it could be worse, but none of those thoughts ever helped me. Instead, I dressed her in big dresses, took pictures of her sweet face and just got on with it. We couldn't change our situation and we just have to reach the end of treatment. For us, the four week ultrasound checkup was such a highlight, as we were told her left hip is completely acceptable angles, and the right hip (which was fully dislocated at the start) is improving. In two more weeks we have another check and we are hoping with everything we have to be harness free. I miss the soft cuddles and kicking legs of my newborn, and I am desperate to get them back. Until then, I hope these thoughts help a few other mamas out there struggling with their sweet babies in their harnesses