Brianna's Story...

Our beautiful daughter, Brianna Leone, was born on 11/12/08 after 23 hours of labor. She arrived the day before her due date. She weighed 7lbs 11oz and was measured at 19 1/4 inches (though I believe this was wrong - she is really long). Though we were warned that she may be slow to cry at birth d/t some heart rate issues she was having in the last few hours of labor, Brianna came out screaming and had APGAR scores of 9 and 9!

She was absolutely beautiful and both Todd and I burst into tears when we first saw her! We spent two days in the hospital where we got to know eachother and adjust to our new roles. Then it was home to where Grandma and Grandpa Gordon were waiting (they flew in from WI that night) Since our first weekend home, we have had many visitors from WI who were all excited to see little Brianna!

At her newborn exam, the pediatrician noticed that her left hip was clicking. She said that her hip was dislocating and we would have to have a specialist look at it. When she was one day old, we went and had a sonogram done on her hip and sure enough, it was dislocating and was underdeveloped. We were told she has Developmental Hip Dysplasia and we would have to see a specialist in Greenville SC (an hour away).

Our appointment with the specialist came a week and a half later. It was hard to watch him try to put her hip out of socket (the PA wasn't able to find the dislocation so we were thinking it had cleared up itself). After placing her on a wooden board and manipulating her leg and hip, the Dr. found the dislocation and confirmed that we would have to place her in a Pavlik Harness. (Ill post a pic if I can figure out how). We were told she would have to wear it 24 hours a day and we couldn't even change the baby T shirt underneath it until the next appointment.

I was in tears after they placed the harness. Our little girl looked so unnatural and almost in pain with the harness. As vain as it sounds, I also mourned our chance to use all our cute newborn baby clothes that we had gotten before her birth and our chance to give her her first REAL bath (her umbilical cord had just fallen off the day before). We would have to go back for weekly appointments and sonograms to verify the treatment was working. The last thing we were told was that it was crucial not to take it off or adjust the harness as it could cause permanent nerve damage.

So we went home and learned how to handle our little baby in this awkward unnatural harness but realized it was for the best and should only be short lived (approx. 6 weeks). After our appointment on week 2, I noticed she was not extending her left leg. The harness also looked like it was not fitting correctly... of course I flipped out and called the hospital at 4 am to schedule an emergency appointment for later that day. When we went in, the Dr. said that she was kicking her leg but the harness was not fitting her right. He adjusted it and we drove the hour back relieved and happy - though I still wasn't convinced she was kicking. I kept hearing them discuss the permanent nerve damage over and over in my head...

By our next weekly appointment, she still wasn't kicking and again the Dr. didn't like the fit of the Pavlik. They decided to place her in a different type of brace called a Rhino cruiser. I have to say, I like this brace so much more than the pavlik! There is no real chance for error as its hard plastic AND we take it off to change her diaper/change her so she stretches her legs a bit. Most importantly, a few days after we switched, she started kicking again! Seeing her kick her little leg was the biggest relief!

The latest sonogram showed her hip was in socket and was developed appropriately! This was such great news! Now we just have to have the brace on for another few weeks to make sure its stabilized and our little girl will be good as new! Im sure she will be excited as she fusses everytime we have to put the brace back on because it limits her little legs from kicking/stretching.

I hate to concentrate on her hip as it is only a small part of her and there is so much we are learning about her. But it is an important aspect of her little life right now because it limits how she is held, what she wears, how she feels etc.

Looking beyond her hip, she is so perfect! After a few rough nights, she has fallen into a pretty good routine where she sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at night and is very alert at pretty predictable times of the day. She loves spending time with her daddy when he gets home, she just lights up when he picks her up! She has also been tracking us since only a few weeks old and is now starting to realize she has arms and hands... so cute! We have also started hearing little coos and seeing smiles sneak through every now and then. Of course at this point they are still more accidents (or gas) than purposeful but its still great to see and hear!

Alright, I think Ive updated most of the events so far... I definately hope I keep this updated as its amazing how much I had to write just to catch up a few weeks - they change so fast!