I can NOT believe that my little girl is almost four weeks old.
I do not know where time has gone!
I was just telling Jesse last night about how much I love her already. We were sitting in a restaurant and she was sleeping in her carseat next to me and I actually MISSED her.
I seriously never knew I could love someone as much as much as I love her.
I plan on writing her birth story here in the next couple of days.
For now, I wanted to write a quick entry about her little brace.
The more pictures I share of her, the more people I get asking what she is wearing.
Most people who know me know that I have had some major hip problems in my life. When I was 3 years old I had to have reconstructive hip surgery due to late diagnosed hip displasia. I then had to have another reconstructive surgery when I was 15 and I finally had a hip replacement a few years ago. This has been a major obstacle in my life and something that I wouldn't want anyone else to deal with.
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| Little Rachel back in the day |
When I met with Lyla's pediatrician two months ago, I shared this history and my concerns about my baby potentially having the same problems (despite no one else in my family having hip problems therefor making it unlikely that it is genetic).
He heard my concerns and we made a plan to be sure to take extra steps to check that her hips are properly developed.
So there I am laying on the operating table, listening to my baby crying in the warmer, patiently impatiently waiting for it to be time for Jesse to bring her to me.
A doctor suddenly leans over me and says that her APGAR score was wonderful but he noticed some popping with her hips when they were fully extended and that he was going to make her pediatrician aware of the issue.
Now, the man was very unaware of my fears and therefor dropped this bomb on me like it was nothing. I laid there for what seemed like forever thinking about what that would mean until the whole world stood still as I was able to see my precious Lyla for the first time.
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| Jesse meeting Lyla |
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| First family photo! |
Later that day, Dr Yeager came to the room and checked out her hips. He told us he was calling an orthopedic doctor to come see her and double check everything.
He told us he wasn't too concerned with everything because he had to fully extend her legs before any unusual movement happened.
And that was that.
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| Only a couple hours new! |
Well, the next morning, at about 7am, in comes Dr Geitz.
Jesse and I are slightly delirious after our sleepless night and we tried to pull ourselves together for his visit. The doctor checked little Lyla out and he said that she does indeed have hip displacia.
Now, it's unknown why she got it. Could be genetic, could be because she came out with her legs crossed very tightly, or just.... because. Either way, due to my history, he didn't want to take any chances and went ahead and put Lyla in a brace.
The brace holds her hip joints in the proper position so that as her bones fully develop they will grow in the proper position. He told us to expect her to wear it for 12 weeks (could be less) and in 6 or so weeks we would get an ultrasound done to see how everything was developing.
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| One day old Lyla |
I know God is good and I have complete faith in his plan but it was a very devastating moment for me. I was overcome with a feeling of guilt and my heart broke for my precious little girl.
That morning I cried a lot.
I knew the brace was for the best and that everything was going to be okay but, like I told my mom, I just needed to feel the full extent of my pain and cry as much as I needed to so I could then be strong and put it behind me.
Which I have.
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| Isn't she the cutest thing ever?! |
We've seen the doctor two times since then and every appointment it's harder for him to get her joints to pop. Hooray!
She can now take her brace off for an hour a day so we can wash it and give Lyla a bath.
Every time I take the thing off I just can't believe how LONG this child is!!!
I'm thinking she might end up being tall like her mommy :)
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| Lyla at one of her doctor appointments |
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| One long baby |
So there's the long answer to the question, "What's that blue thing?" that everyone asks me!
Really it's just a great reason to rock the leg warmers!
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| The bow is seriously half the size of her face! |
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| Jesse & Lyla :) |
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| Her expressions crack me up! |
Our little girl is perfect in every way and we couldn't love her more!
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| One of her birth photography pictures |
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalms 139:13-16
