Hip Dysplasia, Pavlik harness, and nursing

mandala1107 · December 2015

So DS was just diagnosed with hip dysplasia this afternoon. 5 weeks old. Ortho said it was a mild case and the harness should correct it without more aggressive measures. My question is for mamas who've been here... What nursing positions did you use? Little man seems relatively content in the harness (we will see how the night goes) but I'm very curious what comfy nursing positions worked for you, or how you modified them.

He's already peed on the harness and he's only had it on for 5 hours

MrsN092714 · December 2015

Hey momma, I am in the same boat. Tomorrow marks one week in the harness. We go back for our first check up tomorrow and our next ultrasound in 2 more weeks. we are in it 24/7 and the biggest obstacle is the spit up on the shoulder straps. He is living in bibs! As for the breast feeding, we have found a few positions that seem to work well. If I am on the couch I basically get him to straddle one leg and feed off the opposite breast and prop myself against the arm rest. It keeps his legs at the right angles and with being more up right also helps with the spitting up! If we are in bed I lay him flat across a pillow and then use a second pillow to prop up the far sideof the pillow. His head is turned at more of an angle but he doesn't seem to have any problems eating that way. Sometimes we will be almost belly to belly I just make sure my arm is between his legs. It gets easier everyday. Did they give you a timeline of how long you will be in the harness? Would love to keep in touch as we go through this. It's nice to have someone to talk to.

tmladewig · December 2015

It gets easier with practice! Little girl is 5 weeks deep in the harness (since a week old) ultrasounds look good so 2 more weeks then weaning out of it. .I lay her on the boppy on her back then elevate her head and bring her towards me to feed. Use a bib and have a cloth diaper (I use them like burp cloths) handy to wipe her mouth and for any milk shooting out. She's peed on it and we've gotten milk on it several times, I used a wet hand towel with soap and water and rubbed it with that then dabbed with dry towel to soak some of the water up. She can have it off to bathe since 4 wks and I soaked it in a tub of warm soapy water, rinsed, then air dried (dr had me make marks with sharpy where the straps should go up to and where they fold thru the plastic part before I washed it)

mollypuss1 · December 2015

My LO is getting her harness fitted on Tuesday. We have been struggling with breastfeeding since day 1 (she's 5 weeks now) and have been forced to supplement. I'm worried that her harness will just add to the breastfeeding issues were already having and it'll become almost impossible so it's encouraging to read that others have had success. How long are your LO's going to be in the harness?

MrsN092714 · December 2015

mollypuss1 said:

My LO is getting her harness fitted on Tuesday. We have been struggling with breastfeeding since day 1 (she's 5 weeks now) and have been forced to supplement. I'm worried that her harness will just add to the breastfeeding issues were already having and it'll become almost impossible so it's encouraging to read that others have had success. How long are your LO's going to be in the harness?

The harness really only makes you more aware of the position you are feeding in as you want to keep the legs apart as much as possible in the froggy position. It is definitely doable! We have an ultrasound in a week and a half to see the progress on his hips and should have a better idea of how long we are in it after that. They said 6-12 weeks full time then weaning for 4-6. The first day is the hardest on you, everyday after gets easier!

mandala1107 · December 2015

Thanks everyone for the feedback! We've now had the brace on for 5 days and we've figured out some comfortable positions with minor adjustments. I still struggle with middle of the night feeding positions, but it's my problem in that I'm sleepy and can't focus, lol. The first few days were dreadful. I thought my baby developed colic and I was going crazy. Yesterday I saw my regular baby again. So day 4 for us was the day he was really used to the harness and not having any issues. We are lucky to be able to remove the harness for up to an hour a day, so I've figured out how to dress him in pants and hide the harness some. He's still growing into some newborn clothes so thankfully we have a ton of 3 month pants without having to buy more. Everything has gotten easier. I still cry about the harness regularly, but that's again, my problem. I feel like this is all my fault somehow, even though I know it isn't. If any of us need to stay in touch we can do messages or just keep checking in on this thread regularly. Good luck everyone!

mandala1107 · December 2015

Here's a picture wearing the harness. You can barely tell unless you know my guy is a tiny peanut not even 7 pounds yet. This picture makes him look a little chunky.

tmladewig · December 2015

Check your little ones upper hip folds for skin rubbed raw!
I noticed this on DD and a nurse friend had me put lanolin on it til it healed, now I put cetaphil sensitive lotion in the fold every morning to prevent her skin chaffing bc she can't stretch her legs.

mandala1107 · December 2015

Thanks @tmladewig! I haven't checked the hip folds yet! I have little socks with the toes cut out for where the harness rubs his neck and oddly enough have noticed the backs of his knees are incredibly stinky due to sweating and starting to redden. I just used a little baby powder but never thought of his hips! Will do that in the morning.

millieb14 · February 2016

Just had the 6 week ultrasound and found out she has minor hip dysplasia. Preparing myself for the harness. What were your timelines for treatment? I've cried myself sick today.

danixbanani24 · February 2016

Hi ladies! I wanted to comment because my son was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at just two days old! I am not breastfeeding but wanted to offer support that it gets better. Luca wore his harness 24/7 for 6 weeks, then 16/8 for two weeks/then 8/16 for two weeks to none at all. Luca is almost 4 months old and harness free. I cried for a whole day when they told me he had to wear a harness AND I couldn't take him home even though I was discharged (fking hospitals). He is perfectly fine now and we get an xray and follow up appointment when he is 6 months old. My advice is to find a GREAT orthopedist that specializes in pediatrics. Also, the harness is a bitch to keep clean but once you are able to take the baby out of it for an hour a day - throw it in the washing machine. I marked Luca's harness with sharpie and clip safety pins to make sure I knew where it had to be fastened. I would throw it in the wash on quick cycle then dryer for may 15-20 minutes. I remember so clearly saying to myself "I hate this harness...it is taking forever" and now it feels like it was no time at all. Hang in there hippy mommas! There is also a facebook group called "Hip Dysplasia In Babies (clicky hips or CHD, DDH)" that I recommend joining.

MrsN092714 · February 2016

@millieb14 we went into the harness at 4 weeks old. My son had a pretty severe case, his right hip was at 50 degrees and his left was completely dislocated (60+ degrees is the optimal angle). We were in The harness 24/7 for 6 weeks which was hard. We mastered the sponge bath! At our 6 week ultrasound everything looked great and we spent the next 4 weeks weaning. 8 hours out of the harness for 2 weeks and 16 out for the following 2 weeks, now we are done! To wash the harness we made sure all the Velcro was done up, marked where it was fitted to and tied it up in a pillow case, worked like a charm.
I was a complete mess the day they put him in the harness but everyday got easier and by the time our 10 weeks was up it truly had flown by. There are still a few things we can't do, no weight bearing until after our 6 month X-ray, no carriers that dangle the legs, no bumbo chairs as the force the legs together. I second the recommendation for the fb group, there are a lot of people with a TON of knowledge! It's nice to not feel so alone in it.
So much of it is harder on us as parents than them, the harness never phased my boy, he was happy to come out of it once we started weaning but didn't mind one bit when our time out was up and he had to go back in. Good luck hippy momma, if you ever have any questions feel free to fire me a message! Know that in catching it this early you are very lucky! The earlier it's caught the easier it is to treat.

mollypuss1 · February 2016

millieb14 said:

Just had the 6 week ultrasound and found out she has minor hip dysplasia. Preparing myself for the harness. What were your timelines for treatment? I've cried myself sick today.

My LO only had minor hip dysplasia also. She had one 'shallow hip' but they weren't dislocated. She wore the harness full time for 4 weeks, then 2 weeks of double diapers. Her last ultrasound showed her hips were now normal so it looks like it worked.

Like others have said, it'll be harder for you than it is for your LO. My baby barely noticed or cared that she was wearing it. Finding clothes to cover the harness was the hardest part, she wore lots of dresses and big long socks as I struggled to find any trousers that would fit over. I found that babygros/onesies in a size or two bigger would go over her legs but she was swimming in the top half.

I was the same as you and cried myself sick also when I found out but honestly, it's nowhere near as bad as you currently think it's going to be.

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Hip Dysplasia, Pavlik harness, and nursing

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