My newborns legs *PIC ATTACHED*

[incogneto]

DPs mum keeps saying my 11 day old sons legs "don't look right" and now I'm really worried.

DPs brother has an extremely rare foot disorder so I think that's where the worry comes from.

Do they look normal to you?

My son was born with left sided talipes and honestly it looked like his ankle had been broken, the position of the foot really is that noticeably different.
Your son's foot does NOT look like that at all.
Maybe a little positional talipes, which may correct itself or may need a little simple physio.
To be honest it doesn't look like vertical talus either.

If you are really worried then explain the family history to your HV when you are signed over and ask if an Ortho referal is a possibility.

But for now....ignore your MIL and enjoy that wonderful little boy of yours.

If you Google Vertical Talus, it looks completely different - the bottoms of the feet are curved. So I don't think he's got that.

It does look to be potentially a mild case of clubfoot, but that said, babies' feet can be very flexible and sometimes it can be hard to tell a true clubfoot from newborn flexibility.

If he is seeing your GP next week, I'd suggest mentioning it at the appointment. I do suspect that if it was really a problem, it would already have been identified - babies are normally assessed by the nurse and physician at birth and by the physician again at discharge.

Speak to the HV/midwife. My eldest son had bilateral positional talipes at birth and the midwives spotted it right away. He saw an orthopaedics surgeon at 2 weeks who told us the bone wasn’t affected so all he needed was for us to do exercises and then once he was on his feet we got reverse last boots for him to turn his feet out which he wore til he was 4.

My daughters legs were similar at birth, she doesn’t have talipes.

(Her feet bent inwards but no one was worried and she’s fine now at 4)

OMG look at those skinny little Newborn legs!! 🥰
They look ok, I can sort of see why you may think that there’s a slight issue, just check with your midwife/HV for piece of mind x

My grandsons foot was exactly like this at birth and he was referred to a specialist. Specialist said it was fine. When he started walking (at about 10 months), his foot was definitely not right and the structure of his foot was mis-shapen. He was later diagnosed with 'club foot' or talipes as others have mentioned. He now has physiotherapy and some special insoles (made specifically for him) that he has to wear in his shoes. New ones will have to be made each time his shoe size changes. My daughter has been told it could be a slow process, (because it wasn't treated when first noticed at birth) but he is not in pain with it, and it is not noticeable when he is walking in shoes.

Please do make sure you get this checked out while your baby is still young, because this could help speed up the progress.

That said - it doesn't mean your child definitely has talipes, but by getting it checked, will give you and your MIL, peace of mind.
Good luck.

Might be worth finding out exactly what condition your BiL has, is it genetic, could your DH pass it on, has it the potential to be quite serious etc, so that you are fully informed with regards to any subsequent pregnancies.

I have a hereditary condition that has been passed to my DD. At the time of having her I was mildly affected but I have since realised my condition is progressive. Fortunately DD is more mildly affected than me but her kids might not be. She has been told that she can chose to have selective ivf to avoid passing it to her kids.

Hmm, his foot does look a bit at an angle but he might not have fully uncurled yet either. He's also got quite thin legs compared to mine so that might be making a difference in the photo.

For now I'd ask MIL to stop talking about it and then book a check up with GP to get baby checked - even if it's just to put your mind at rest.

Just to clarify positional talipes is really nothing to worry about and is easily rectified with simple excercises. Some people get worried by the name, as i did, but there's no need.

We can't diagnose but do speak to your hv - that's what they're for.

How cute!

I would say they look perfectly normal skinny legs for a scrunched up newborn and an early one at that.

Take him to the GP and it will slay your fears.

And politely tell the mother-in-law to try not to pass her (understandable) worries onto you and that you'll get it looked at.

Try not to obsess!

Allay your fears!

Thanks all ❤️