Hip dysplasia pavlik harness advice

[Ruth0505]

My first born baby girl is 8 weeks old today and yesterday had a routine hip scan as she was born breech at 37 weeks. I had an amazing pregnancy and she has been such a settled baby; we absolutely adore her and feel so lucky that she has been such a good baby for us as first time parents! Anyway, at yesterday's scan, we were advised that she has a shallow socket on her right hip and required a pavlik harness. Luckily, the consultant happened to have a clinic in the afternoon and so an hour later she was fitted with her harness and we were off home with some leaflets. It was such a whirlwind and we were so taken aback by the news; I hadn't expected anything to be wrong and now I feel so sad and guilty seeing her in her little harness. She seems quite content but I still feel awful for her. I wonder if anyone has had any experience of the pavlik harness and if so, any advice about resuming a normal routine? I don't want her to miss out on tummy time etc but don't want her to be uncomfortable either! Any advice would be appreciated. They think she will wear it for a few months and success rates are apparently quite high.

Yes my daughter was found to have shallow hips at her first doctor check. It was a faff and I was a bit stressed about it at the time but it was totally successful and the inconvenience completely justifies the end result. If ignored it would mean the baby having a plaster caste- much more inconvenient. Good luck!

Poor you. You must've been in shock. I cried for days after my daughter was diagnosed. However the harness was amazing. It worked perfectly and now they are completely normal hips
It does take a little getting used to but it's fine when you are used to it.
They can do everything with it on even tummy time. The only thing you can't do is wear trousers or leggings.
I dreaded the first poo Nami but even that was okay in the end. It's actually easier to change their bum with it on as her legs are kept out of the way.

Good luck and it really isn't as bad as it first seems

DD was in a Pavlik harness for 4 months, for 24 hours a day. She now has perfect hips, is nearly 2 and never stops running/jumping/doing gymnastics.

I totally understand about it being overwhelming initially, but very, very quickly it becomes your new normal.

Take lots of care of their skin creases. Clean and dry really thoroughly. It's really easy for them to get sore. I made some fleecy wraps to go over the shoulder straps as they rubbed a little bit. We didn't bother getting any specialist clothing, just went up a size and never put her in anything too restrictive. Tummy time is fine to do, just follow your DDs lead as to when she's had enough. Also found a stretchy wrap sling brilliant as she sat beautifully comfortable in it for hours. Please message if you have any questions.

Just dropping in to say that my dd was born with hip dysplasia (diagnosed at birth due to long family history of the condition). The Pavlik’s harness was successful and she now has perfect hips - and 23 years later she still hasn’t had any hip problems whatsoever.

The advice from other posters above is great. The only other thing I would recommend is trying to get hold of a second harness if you can, just in case of a poo explosion...

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reply; I feel so much better and reassured hearing about your experiences!

We are one week on now and have an appointment today to check the fit of the harness. DD has barely even noticed she has it on!! If anything, she has slept a bit better in that position; I think it might be the position she was comfiest in anyway as that's how she held her legs breech in the womb!

And it's so true about being reassured that she feels nice and sturdy to hold and she won't be rolling anywhere lol! we have gone out and bought her long sleeved bodysuits to sleep in and all of her larger size gifts she got actually fit her now over the harness!

Thank you again! it's great to know that we're not alone!

That's great to hear OP. She will have beautiful hips in no time!

Both of my daughters had DDH. DD2 was diagnosed at 6 weeks via ultrasound and had a pavlik harness until around 6 months old. She is now 3.5 and is about to be discharged from follow up. She does gymnastics, ballet and has no lasting effects.

I remember well the shock I felt at diagnosis but it is a very short time in their life and one they will never remember. It is in many ways harder on the parents!

On a practical note, we went for dresses in a size larger and knee high sock skirt to keep legs warm. We were given a spare harness just in case of a poonami which we didn’t need but it was comforting to know we had it. If you are breastfeeding, get some support from your local breastfeeding counsellor (via HV) on positioning. We managed to carry on which I didn’t think would be possible.

Hope your DD is doing ok with her harness and you are getting used to it too.