Sep 11, 2008

A Tribute to the Club...

As many of you know my little girl was born with a "birth defect" known as clubfeet. We had a scare as to what the cause was about halfway through the pregnancy. Basically there was a possibility that our little baby girl wouldn't be with us. Fortunately, the Lord blessed us and her that she would only have the clubfeet and would get to live a fulfilling and normal life.
Clubfeet is something that is easily corrected these days. That is something that we are indeed grateful for. I knew that her feet would not look normal when she came out, but I did not know exactly how they would look. I do have to say it was very emotional when she was born to see that she indeed had the clubfeet. I was also uncomfortable with them at first. I know, it sounds awful, with her being my own child, but I had never even seen clubfeet in real life, and I didn't know what to expect. Mostly, I just had a hard time looking at them because it made me sad. It made me sad that my little girl was not normal. I didn't even really take a look at them until 24 hours later. No one expects their child to have a birth defect and no one wants that for their child. It is hard to have to see your child go through something that you will never go through.
I am grateful that if she was going to have a birth defect that it would be this one. One that she would live through and not have to suffer much. We are indeed blessed in this respect. We are also blessed that they are such incredibly cute little feet. Which brings me to my Debbie Downer moment...her cute and adorable feet and legs have been hidden from view!! I cannot touch them or look at them. They are in casts. What they do for clubfeet is this: Starting very early on in life(within the first month of life usually) they put the baby's feet and legs in casts for 6-7 weeks. This gradually stretches and molds the feet to where they need to be. These casts are changed every single week. Which for us means 2 hours of driving to Salt Lake every week and a $35 co-pay once a week. And with gas prices the way they are really makes me wish this doctor would make house calls!!After they do the casts for 6-7 weeks, they will cut the cord in her heel. Then she will have casts for 2-3 weeks after that. Then after that she will wear foot braces(shoes with a bar in between) 24/7 until she is a year old, then 12-14 hrs/day until she is about 3. Luckily, this is all when she is quite young, so chances are that she will not remember it.
Last week was the first official week of the casts. I was emotional about it. Sad to see her feet and legs covered and sad that I will not get to hold her as I once could. Her clubfeet made her so compact. She could just fold up quite nicely. She could cover her belly button and other parts with her feet. They were soft and cute and I miss them.

We had a nice doctor who explained the whole process to us. He was also very kind and gentle to Rosaline as he put her legs in the casts. She is a bit heavier than she was(she was only 7lbs. 7oz. when the casts were put on). She was fussy for the first couple days, but she is a sweet little baby who seems to tolerate her little restraints well. She has a couple more nicknames now, Pound Cake and Brick baby. Today we are getting the casts changed and hopefully she will handle it well again!!




11 comments:

The Halls said...

You are an amazing mommy :) I couldn't begin to imagine how hard that would be, it's one of those things you wish you could go through for them.

I know another mommy who's little boy was born with a tethered spine, and his intestines has something wrong to the point he couldn't use his exit areas. They attached something to him through his side so waste could come out... but after many many surgeries, his mom is actually enjoys the poopy diapers now. :)

Just as the Lord blessed you with Rosaline, you know He'll get both of you through this. Thank you for sharing this blog, and you'll continue to be in our prayers!

Oh yeah... if Rosaline keeps her dark hair color, how could would it be that you'll have all the hair colors in your family! :)

Itty_Bitty_Wittes said...

I am so glad to see this post! You are an awesome mommy. Her feet are so cute! I think you are right, they are particularly cute and the casts although they may seem scarry are only temporary. You can do it! So can she! Good Luck Danielle! I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

briansmithprovo said...

She's so cute! You guys cook good kids! Great educational post here! Thank you for sharing. And since we're so lame we can't carve out an hour to see Rosaline it's good to see pics.
Brian

Jon-Michael said...

Danielle you are awesome. From the sound of it, it must have taken a lot of courage to face this challenge, and then be so open about it. I am so proud of you and the wonderful mother and wife that you have become. Mark is a lucky man, and your children are too. We are so looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

The Cleverley's said...

My nephew had club feet when he was born. He went through the same process, casts, braces, surgery. He is now 2 and a half, is free of the braces and runs around like any normal kid. Just hang in there, and thank the Lord for modern medicine!!

Jennie said...

OH she is so adorable! And those cute little feet. It would've been hard to see them casted up, but it will make her that much more beautiful. What a challenge, but one you can make it through-those are the best kinds. I didn't know what club feet really meant so thanks for sharing. And it is a way better alternative than losing her.

Hannah S said...

Wow. What a challenge. It is nice that it's curable now. I didn't realize it would last so long w/the braces and all.
If you ever want to stop by on the way back stop by and play w/us in Murray.

Julianne said...

Do you go to Primary Children's Hospital to get the casts changed? If so, you should stop by cardiology and say hi to me! I'm for sure there mon-thurs. Your baby is darling by the way.

MJ said...

Wow, Danielle, you are awesome!! Rosalie is absolutely darling--just the cutest little baby!

Anne said...

wow, I'm glad you posted all that- and I'm sure it was hard.
How sad to see her casted like that, even if you know it's for the best.
You are an amazing mom, I can't imagine how hard this situation has been for you, and yet you keep smiling :)
Awesome that you took so many great photos of how her feet looked before... I am very greatful for modern medicine!!

Dylan, Holly, and Aspen said...

Those are some of the cutest pictures ever. Her feet are so cute. I love the pic where she's lying on her back and her legs and feet are crossed. How are things going? It was good to see you guys when you came out. Now we're just waiting for the day you guys move out here...one day! Love you guys. Say Hello to the fam.