These little feet have come a long way in a short time. [The marks, by the way, are the initials of the doctor who did her tenotomy surgery. Not surprisingly, Verity's skin was extremely dry!]
For the next 3 months, we are in the "boots and bar" phase of the clubfoot corrective measures. Roughly 23 hours a day she has to wear these. See how excited she is??!
Yeah. That makes my hips and knees hurt just to look at her. Poor baby.
The good thing is that she has learned to sleep on her back for the first time! Now that reflux is no longer such an issue for her, it actually seems more comfortable for her to be on her back. Sometimes. Maybe.
Actually, our poor girl is pretty miserable most of her waking moments, especially when it's time to "reboot." I'm not sure how she manages to get a little foot slipped out from time to time, but it happens. And regardless, we check her feet several times a day to make sure she doesn't have red spots indicating pressure sores. (She has a few times; we've learned how to take better precautions to avoid that and are getting better. Of course, now the leather straps are stretching, so we have to figure out just the right hole for buckling.) During the rare moments her feet and legs are free, we try to do some mini-therapy sessions: giving her time on her sides, stroking her feet with various textures, moving her legs so her toes go up toward her face, etc. That part is fun. Strapping her in correctly while she is thrashing her legs and screaming at high volume is not.
Nights are pretty brutal. Days can be difficult, too. She is happy (or at least moderately content) only if someone is holding her and/or holding the pacifier in her mouth. (She can't keep it in her mouth on her own very long at all.) She does nap during the day (like now...otherwise I wouldn't be typing); I suppose we could say she naps at night, too. It's disappointing, though, when we had gotten some decent stretches at night before the switch. We were hoping that after a few days/nights it would get better, but no luck yet. We are hoping and praying she will get used to this sooner rather than later...Mommy is ready to throw in the towel and say forget it already, but I'd hate for all of this to be in vain. Even after the 3 months of constant wear are over, she will still have to do boots and bar for nights and naps...just when we want her to be content and sleeping. <Eye roll>
Prayers for our patience, perseverance, and a decent amount of rest to facilitate a decent amount of brain activity would be greatly appreciated!
From what I've been told by other parents who have endured months of seemingly torturous procedures, restless days and sleepless nights; this will all be worth it in the long run. We will look back in a year or so and this difficult period of time will seem like a drop in the bucket. Bad days will have been outnumbered by good...smiles will outweigh the tears. These little ones, as we well know, are extremely resilient and as young as they are will not likely remember these times like we will. They will only know what they know in that moment and then it will pass into the next. They will, however, know our love and patience and comforting arms and soothing voices. We have been rejoicing through pain and facing anxiety and fear head on like fierce mama bears. The little things are HUGE. The milestones are incredible achievements once thought impossible or unreachable. We persevere and pray that tomorrow brings more happiness as we embark on another day in the life of our precious miracles. God knew what He was doing when He gave Verity to you. No matter what you're going through, you are never alone.
ReplyDelete