first picture is when henry was a day old with is clubbed left foot. we for some reason have like no pictures of his foot. {parent fail} his right foot wasnt clubbed just looked like it for a few weeks, the second picture is his very first cast at 2 weeks old, the third is when he was in his boots 23 hours a day, and the last picture is his cute left foot now all straight and adorable! ahh he was so little in these first 2 pictures!
if you follow me on instagram you might have seen that henry now wears his boots and bar 12 hours a day! it got me thinking about how i haven't really blogged about henry and his clubfoot. when i was 26 weeks pregnant the doctor said henry may have club feet. dan and i were never upset or scared. we both knew right away it was something that was fixable and we were grateful this was the only thing we had to worry about. since finding that out we were opened into the world of clubfeet. something we knew nothing about. it has been an amazing learning experience.
when the twins were born he indeed had a clubfoot. luckily for us it was just one foot. we were referred to shriner's hospital is slc. when we went for our appointment when the babies were just 2 weeks old {we both thought it would be a consultation only} they doctor was very nice and explained everything to us about the correction process.
they would start with a series of casts, then he would have a small procedure done on his heel, and then the braces {boot and bar}. henry had a total of 7 casts. he went every monday and got a new cast. every week they turned his foot out a little bit more. his foot responded very well to each cast. after 6 casts he had his procedure in which the made a small incision and clipped his ligament to stretch it. they cast it and that last cast stayed on for 3 weeks.
henry was amazing through all of this. he never once cried when they took off or put on new casts. he only cried when we gave him baths. he was only a little fussy off and on during the weeks. that boy is so strong! when we would take the babies out people would ask about his casts. not many since they were usually covered by his pants. we would always just explain what they were for. sometimes i got annoyed that strangers would ask but, i have since gotten over that! it also goes for the whole having twins thing but, that another post!
after his last cast, he was given what we call his boots and bar. its these boot sandals with a bar in between. it is sorta like when you get a retainer after braces. they just help keep his foot in the new position. he wore them for 23 hours a day for 3 months. at first he was a little bugged by them { i would be too!} but, now he could care less they are there.
it has been 3 months and he now wears them 12 hours a day. it is so nice having a happy baby all day. he is like a new baby, it is so funny! he just kicks and kicks all day long!
through our clubfoot journey i have met some friends online who have children going through exactly what we are. it is so nice to have friends to ask questions, or to just vent. at the start i was angry. i was angry with my heavenly father that my poor boy had to endure this. i have since changed my view on this. i am no longer angry, i am grateful for this time. it has opened my eyes to the world of children with small or large ailments. when we go to shriners we see kids who are in walkers, or have two casts or have missing limbs or what have you. these kid we see are soo cute and so strong. we have been extremely lucky to have only had to deal with a small ailment. this is something that henry will only remember when we show pictures to him. it will hopefully not cause any other issues in his life.
i am so grateful for modern medicine and the doctors who are trained to help you in ways you didn't even know existed!
below are some questions we get asked and the answers to them. if you have any other questions please email me anytime! erykaann88@gmail.com
what are those things on his feet?
these are his boot and bar. he was born with a club foot, when he was 2 weeks he got his first cast. he had 8 total to correct his foot. these are like a retainer to keep his foot where it should be. it is called the potesti treatment.
are those to train him to be a snowboarder?
no! haha. although we say he may be super good at it!
will he be able to walk and crawl like a normal baby?
of course. there should be no issues when the time comes. he should be able to learn those things just like his sister!
why doesn't she {campbell} have those?
she didn't have club foot. we joke that if she did she would have been a pain because she probably would have cried more than henry does. she is high maintenance!
is this a genetic thing?
it can be. in his case we think it occurred because they were cramped in my belly!
do they slow his development?
not all! he can roll over and over across the room fast! he shouldnt have any issues!
is club feet a twin thing?
not necessarily.
how long will he have those?
he wears them 12 hours a day until he is about 3 years old! so, basically when he sleeps at night!
seriously if you have any questions please dont be scared to ask!!! :)
