Dear expectant parents, or those of you with newborns, I am sorry, I am that annoying woman, the one who wants to act like they know better than the health visitor, the one who always has something to say. I act out of concern, out of wisdom, out of fifteen months of worry. For fifteen months I have watched my two-year old daughter undergo intensive surgery, be bound in a half body cast … [Read more...]
Mar 3, 2013
Lets Hope: Standing on Knife’s Edge…
By · 18 Comments
For over a week now my stomach has been gripped with anxiety and fear has been a constant companion. As someone who isn’t known particularly to fret it is a curious sensation to be on a knifes edge all day long, tottering near the prepice, unsure as to when and if the house of cards will come tumbling down. Everything has been going too well, diabetes seems to be behaving herself and twin … [Read more...]
Feb 12, 2013
Operation Day: 12 months later…. (Hip Dysplasia survival)
By · 34 Comments
Hip Dysplasia has not beaten us. Time is a curious thing. This time a year ago I was filled to the brim with anxiety, I paced the hospital corridors biting my nails waiting for my one year old daughter to return from theatre with her legs bound in spica to correct Hip Dysplasia. A whole year ago. Look at us now, I barely recongnise my daughter. Free from cast, learning to run when we … [Read more...]
Jan 23, 2013
I am not tempting fate – I am merely making other plans…. ~ Northernmum
By · 2 Comments
It's cold, it's dark, quite frankly it is a bit miserable outside my front door. I need a holiday. I spent this evening dreaming of life before terms like hip dysplasia, hypos and spica casts were part of our lives, a time when we didn't realise what lie ahead. I opened the photo album and saw a different woman staring back at me, one with far less wrinkles and much better … [Read more...]
Jan 10, 2013
A day in the life of a mum with diabetic and DDH kids (and twin boy!)
By · 24 Comments
2am - Alarm rings like a strangled kitten, awake from sleep in a panic, drool slips from mouth edge and eyes show confusion. Remember I need to test diabetic twin girls bloods. 2.05am - Stumble through pitch black bungalow and locate eldest daughter in bed. Turn on fairy lights above her bed and narrowly avoid her head connecting with my chin as she sits bolt up right and screeches "What. … [Read more...]
Dec 13, 2012
It’s time to say goodbye…. ~ Northernmum
By · 36 Comments
As 2012 starts to slowly shuffle around picking up his bits and packing his bags, I find myself biting my fist resisting the urge to help him on his way and shove him out the door. I can see 2013 lingering at the doorway, politely coughing and stamping his feet to try and keep warm. He doesn't want to come too early but he is eager to start the new year. I catch 2013's eye and hold it for … [Read more...]
Nov 28, 2012
Kids with disabilities – Micro Scooters: Review
By · 11 Comments
BB is finally starting to catch up, her walking has slowly turned to a stumbling run, her jumping is reaching the dizzy heights of three millimetres and the memory of spica is slowly starting to fade. My nerves are not so quick to dissipate, I see a slide and I shudder with the dread of a broken leg and when she tries to climb my heart leaps into my mouth and camps out for a while. She … [Read more...]
Oct 8, 2012
DDH: Jumping ~ Life post spica
By · 45 Comments
My daughter has never jumped. She has journeyed to places most two-year olds have never had the misfortune to go, she has experienced surgery, blood transfusions, and week-long stays in hospital cots but she has never had the giggly feeling of her feet leaving the ground and returning safely. She doesn't even know what jumping is... You call to her "Jump" and she crouches down, her lips purse … [Read more...]
Sep 12, 2012
DDH: What you will need when your child goes into a spica cast
By · 8 Comments
BB has been cast free now for almost four months and I still remember the terrifying feeling when she was diagnosed with DDH and the overwhelming worry about how we would cope and what we would need to cope. For anyone who is facing a future with a child with DDH here is an idea of what you will need. First and foremost a rear facing car seat, once in a spica cast your child won’t be … [Read more...]
Sep 8, 2012
DDH: How to prevent Hip Dysplasia in Babies – Northernmum
By · 19 Comments
Today I watched my daughter try and jump... She bent one leg and reached out her 'bad' leg straight so she was in a crouch position of some kind. She took a huge intake of breath and summoned all her energy and shouted 'jump' out with an enormous grin whilst merely standing up straight. It was beautifully funny. It was a tiny clue that the effects of DDH have not quite left us … [Read more...]
