How old was your dd?
diagnosed at 3 days officially but it was obvious from the moment she was born
first pavlik at 3 weeks then a second(as babies grow pretty quick) and then the decision at 10 weeks that it had failed-we had to wait for dd to gain weight to be operated on(as it's classed as non emergency op)so a date was pencilled in and we had to take her to the ward the week before for the big 'weigh in' had she not weighed enough she would have been cancelled and someone else offered the slot.
dd was operated on at 4 months 10 days old and was the youngest that day- there were four young children in the ward, mine, a girl 6 months, a girl 9 months and a two year old girl that the night before the op was happily running around(although it was more of a waddle)
Did you have to buy loads of special equipment?
we had to buy a new recliner chair as ours was too deep- we found the cheap bouncy material style chair was the best as the legs just stuck out over the edges.
we also found a bean bag was good support too.
special equipment is available to borrow from the hospital(or it was from ours)it was a bit large in our little room but it made it comfier for dd so we were happy for it.
How did you manage the whole nappy thing?
nappy changing and feeding have to be a1 procedures for cleanliness and we used to double bib dd and use a bib with a catching tray(i really found thm offensive cos they were plasticky(ifkwim)but no food or wetness ever got near dd so we had no bad smells or urgent return to the hospital for a cast change.
nappies changed every 2-3 hours and immediately after soiled(which most normal people would do anyway)but literally as soon as it was produced.
you will get shown how to change your dd nappy but we found huggies were quite good as they were more flexible and the velcro was stronger(but the nurses should be able to give you more up to date info)
Did you get stuff sorted before the operation in terms of buggy, car seat etc...or was it a slow process afterwards?
dh had to go out and buy the next stage car seat the day before dd was coming out of hospital as she went in fitting in the first stage car seat and came out in the second stage- we had a britax of some sort(can check with sis inlaw as she has it now as a spare) but the cast does rub off the material from the sides of the seat btu at leats we didn't have to get any extra straps from britax, but i do believe that special car seats are now made and can be hired(i think)
as for returning to work- i really didn't have a choice and had to but it was not a problem and in fact the other children that the cm looked after actually provided company and entertainment for dd as she was very demanding for attention due to being immobile and they were very good company for her...the cm was great with procedures for nappy and feeding too
it is a horrible time and i will admit that i 'bottled' it the first night and couldn't cope by myself and felt ashamed of myself...dh had to be given accomodation in a nearby old nurses block(arranged by pals).the thing i found really hard wa sthe fact that dd did not have head control and i just didn't know where to hold but it didn't take her long to get head control and after that it was so much easier.Personally i would not try and 'teach' your dd to sit up as it will then be frustrating for her to be in the cast at least she won't have that to contend with as she will have never known..
secondly- when the cast comes off, she might go into another smaller harness for a few weeks to give her chance to gain feelings around her before being fully free and when the last thing comes off remember that everything is a new experience for her so this is the time you will need to be really positive and patient and take her the swimming pool as soon as possilble as it is such good therapy.
wow sorry to have gone on but if you do think of anything else that you need to ask just shout out- i wish i had known about mumsnet or steps when i went throught his with dd
GOOD LUCK X