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Special Needs
Club foot with leg measuring 4 weeks behind the other
Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this board. I am feeling a little overwhelmed and didn't know where else to go. I hope you ladies can help. My DH and I were told at our 20 week diagnostic ultrasound that our son's left tibia/fibia were measuring 4 weeks behind the right. Both femurs were measuring at 20 weeks at the ultrasound but his left tib/fib was only 16 and his left foot was turned slightly in.
We went back today for our 24 week checkup. His left leg has continued to grow (which I am very happy about) but is still measuring 4 weeks behind the right. Everything else looks ok on the ultrasound, the rest of his organs and his heartbeat are strong. He is very active and we saw him kicking both legs on the ultrasound today, so the leg is functioning.
They are not sure what is the cause of the deformity. They don't know if it is a physical issue such as short tendons, positioning etc or if it is the result of a neurologic disorder. I feel so helpless without any answers. I am a pediatric homecare nurse and work with children with disabilities on a daily basis. So it is hard for me to not stress or think about it.
Were anyone elses child(ren) born with a leg and/or foot deformity? Any words of advice would be much appreciated. I feel like no one in my family understands what I am going through.
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Re: Club foot with leg measuring 4 weeks behind the other
Welcome to the board. I am so sorry you are going through this scary-ness. There are some limb-difference moms who frequent this board and should be able to give you details about their experiences.
You mention some really positive things: the ability to kick both legs, strong heartbeat, and good organs. Keep a positive thought and hang in there.
Those are reasonable emotions when you get news that something is not quite healthy about your baby. We have all been there. What has helped me in the past has been talking to a counselor, doing some visualizations about letting go of things I can't control, and (this will sound cliche) but praying and putting it all in God's hands.
You have been given a gift of knowledge. Now you have lots of time to focus your energy on researching and getting a good team ready to help your little guy. That will help you feel more peaceful as his birth approaches.
I will also say that having a child with special needs has given me so much good in my life. Not only is he an amazing kid, but we also share this special bond because, well I don't know how to explain it. It's just really unique. And even though I have spent many nights crying about his issues, I know at the core of my being that not a thing about him is tragic. I believe he inspires people to be kinder, more thoughtful, and to see all people as having value. I am truly humbled and thankful to be his mom.
It has taken me a few years to be able to write about him in this way. It is a grief process-- like anything difficult we aren't expecting, we have to grieve that pain. When I was in your shoes, just realizing my LO had some health concerns, I would have read this and said, "I am so glad for you, but I don't want to be like you. I don't want to be in this club." It's a journey, but you do come out on the other side! ((hugs))
Thank you, your whole post means a lot to me. I guess I am still in the initial phase of shock and disbelief. I just spoke with my daughter's pediatrician this morning (who will also be my son's) and she is giving me a referral to meet with an orthopedic. Although we wont know exactly how severe it is until he is born, it makes me feel better to speak to a specialist now.
Whatever happens we will still love him and treat him the same as his sister. I just wasn't expecting this, but I guess no one really does, and can't seem to take my mind off of it. I'm not even sure how I am going to make it through work tonight without having an emotional breakdown.
I will try my best to stay positive. I'm so happy there is a board on here where I can get/give support. No one in my family has ever been through this and really can't understand my emotions and fears.
My sister's DS was born with club foot. They have no idea what caused it - genetics or fetal positioning. He is now (age 5) 100% and plays soccer every day!
Obviously, he had a cast (several as he grew) when he was a baby and he learned to walk and climb stairs later than the usual milestones.
FWIW, Mia Hamm and Kristi Yamaguchi (sp?) both were born with club foot. It's positive that your DC is being diagnosed so early so that you can start treatment asap. It is one of the birth defects that with early treatment can be reversed.
Although I don't have a child with a physical deformity, my husband was born with a leg/foot defect. He doesn't have a club foot but one of his feet is 4 sizes smaller than his other foot and that leg is also about 1/3-1/2 the size of his other-normal leg. The doctors believed that his was a result of not growing in utero because of a blood supply loss or something mal-positioned that didn't allow for growth.
He did have many surgeries/hospitalizations(13, I think) when he was a child-early adulthood to do leg lengthening procedures as well as the lizarov method. Although he still has the physical deformities, it doesn't hinder him in anyway. He has such an upbeat attitude that it is inspiring and if you met him, you would immediately know that it hasn't made him "less" in anyway.
Other than the physical deformities, he hasn't had any lasting issues in 12 years. He just recently broke that femur and that has been the only problem since I have known him.
I can only imagine what you are growing through but just know that a leg is just that, a leg. Although, it might be tough, I am sure that everything will work out in the end. Please feel free to PM me if you want his info and I am sure that he would be happy to email with you if you have any questions!
Thank you! It is nice to know that such famous athletes were born with something similar and still became so successful. It makes me feel a little bit better. I know what my son has is a little more complicated than club foot due to the tib/fib issue but I'm praying it is something that can be handled with help from ortho surgeons.
Thank you so much for sharing your husband's story with me. That gives me a lot of hope! Like you said, it is only a leg and hopefully it can be corrected. I am going to PM you. Thanks again!
My son was born with a right clubbed foot. He's five months now. I didn't know it until hours after he was born that anything was even wrong with him. They actually had to point it out to me. At one week old, we started treatment to straighten his foot. He was put into a cast, and had them changed for four weeks. Then he went to braces for three months. On January 25th he had a procedure done to clip he achilles tendon. And was put into a cast, that doesn't get changed for three weeks. Monday we take him back to Shriners Hospital ( where he gets treated ) to get his cast removed, and back to the braces. At first, i was scared. But then i came to realize that it's just apart of our lives now. He's a little behind on rolling over, and probably will be on crawling too. He's just now starting to roll over. But the way i see it, is it could be worse. It's a long process. He'll wear the braces when he sleeps at night until around age 4. I actually forget sometimes that he even has a clubbed foot. lol. His right foot is quiet a bit smaller than his left, and his right leg is smaller too. It doesn't seem to bother him any at all though. (: just keep your head up. && if you ever need anything, i know what you're going through. If you have any questions or just want to talk, just message me.
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