Re: Just joined this group...

November 9, 2005

Kori,

I want to see those pictures!

allison

--- frogabog wrote:

> ...

>

> This is a post worth saving. I love it! It's all

> so true and

> amazing. You really summed it up nicely there.

> Thank you!

>

> If I could get the pics of my phone I'd show

> everyone how a 2yo does

> the macarena in a FAB. Her hopping quarter turns

> and all without

> holding on to anything or anyone. Just dancing her

> heart out with

> her brother at his school. I want to cry every time

> I see those pics.

> It's all good :~}

>

> Kori

>

> At 08:34 PM 11/8/2005, you wrote:

> >Jen,

> >

> >I think everyone else has said what needs to be

> said but I think I

> >will still take a minute to write my feelings. Our

> fifth child was

> >born with right club foot and it was a surprise at

> birth. The

> >orthopedic we consulted with was sure it wasn't a

> club foot and we

> >spent five long months tryin to fix our non club

> foot before we

> >found our current doctor. And the rest is history

> I guess.

> >I was just thinking today as I pulled Tenny down

> from everything he

> >climbed on that if I could just send every new

> parent a video of my

> > " disabled " child right now, no one would worry a

> minute about club

> >feet. You will never be able to convice these

> babies that they

> >can't do something. They learn and develop and

> surpass the

> >expectations left and right.

> >Everytime I looked at Tenny's foot for the first

> few hours it was a

> >shock, but soon I just loved that foot. My older

> kids just loved

> >that casts. We colored every one. They asked why

> they couldn't

> >have casts and why they didn't have them when they

> were babies--life

> >just ain't fair--Tenny gets all the fun.

> >I remember thinking the three months of full time

> FAB wear would

> >never end, but it does. Some days may be hard. I

> think that is

> >part of it, and part of being mommy. Guess what,

> it is okay to

> >have a hard time as long as you don't give up.

> Just keep going a

> >day at a time. It is hard, but it is worth it. So

> cry a little (or

> >a lot) as often as needed. One day you will wake

> up and realize

> >that the casts are behind you and the FAB is just a

> fact of

> >life. One day you will say, hey I can do this, it

> isn't so bad.

> > I promise you that some day you will watch that

> little boy run

> > around the house and climb on the kitchen table to

> do a rain

> > dance. And you will kiss those feet every night

> because they are

> > just beautiful. And you will sigh and want to put

> your son back

> > into shoes just to keep him off of the table.

> Then comes the day

> > when the shoes don't keep him off of the table.

> And finally, one

> > day you will think of all the things and people

> you know just

> > because of a little club foot. You will realize

> how much better

> > you life is because of the club foot journey.

> (and for the

> > wonderful parents on this list who

> understand!!!!!!) And you will

> > look back and smile because it was all worth it.

> >

> >So hang in there, you can do this. Cameron is

> lucky to have such a

> >caring mommy. Here is a hug from a mommy who is

> still in the middle

> >of it all. Good luck.

> >

> > mom to

> >Tenny 7/15/04 rt cf. FAB 14/7

> >

> > Just joined this

> group...

> >

> > Hello Everyone!

> > I just joined this group on the recommendation

> from the other yahoo

> > website for clubfeet and I'm really glad I did.

> > My husband and I did not know our son Cam had

> clubfoot (right) until

> > after he was born. I had him by c-section and

> he sucked in some

> > amniotic fluid on the way out and had some

> problems breathing at

> > first. After the worst of the breathing

> problems were over my

> > husband told me he had a right clubfoot. I had

> heard of this

> > condition before, but never imagined that my

> baby would have this.

> > There are no known cases in any part of mine or

> my husband's family,

> > but people are good at keeping secrets so it's

> possible that someone

> > just never talked about it. In the beginning I

> was devistated and

> > thought I had done something wrong in my

> pregnancy to make this

> > happen. I can't say I'm totally over it yet,

> but I'm starting to be

> > able to accept that it wasn't the case. I think

> this ordeal has

> > been one of the most emotionally trying times of

> my life. I never

> > expected anything to be wrong since I had so

> many ultrasounds

> > throughout my pregnancy. I sometimes wish I had

> known before he was

> > born and that way we would have had everything

> researched, and

> > sorted out and I wouldn't have been such an

> emotional wreck. I was

> > so unprepared when we first met our Dr. and he

> said that the course

> > of treatment is 3 years long. I cried for 2

> days wondering how my

> > little boy was going to get through this, and

> selfishly, how I was

> > going to get through this. Cam is having his

> 3rd cast put on

> > tomorrow and only now am I starting to be less

> tense about it. He

> > doesn't understand what's happening to him and

> it crushes me

> > everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before

> the cast goes on. I

> > know he'll never remember this part of the

> treatment, but he's only

> > 3 1/2 weeks old and so little.

> > I'm sorry this is so long, but I really needed

> to get this out. I

> > feel so much better knowing that all of you have

> been through

> > similar experiences and that I'm not alone.

> > I look forward to meeting you all, and thanks

> for reading my story.

> > It just feels good to get it out.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> > Jen

> > Cameron 10/14/05 right CF 3rd cast out of 12

> tomorrow

> >

November 9, 2005

Oh my God - that was the sweetest post - it

made me cry! Thanks from others of us out there

trying to " deal " . Ultimately we know that we are

doing this so our children will be able to walk and

live full lives, but we are human and inherently

selfish too. One thing that always helps me is when

someone says " Yeah it sucks. But if you keep at it -

look at the rewards " and you said it! If there is

anything I don't llike, it's platitudes, like " he's

going to be fine " (how many times have I heard that

one?) Thanks again!

--- ph Grush wrote:

---------------------------------

Jen,

I think everyone else has said what needs to be said

but I think I will still take a minute to write my

feelings. Our fifth child was born with right club

foot and it was a surprise at birth. The orthopedic

we consulted with was sure it wasn't a club foot and

we spent five long months tryin to fix our non club

foot before we found our current doctor. And the rest

is history I guess.

I was just thinking today as I pulled Tenny down from

everything he climbed on that if I could just send

every new parent a video of my " disabled " child right

now, no one would worry a minute about club feet. You

will never be able to convice these babies that they

can't do something. They learn and develop and

surpass the expectations left and right.

Everytime I looked at Tenny's foot for the first few

hours it was a shock, but soon I just loved that foot.

My older kids just loved that casts. We colored

every one. They asked why they couldn't have casts

and why they didn't have them when they were

babies--life just ain't fair--Tenny gets all the fun.

I remember thinking the three months of full time FAB

wear would never end, but it does. Some days may be

hard. I think that is part of it, and part of being

mommy. Guess what, it is okay to have a hard time as

long as you don't give up. Just keep going a day at a

time. It is hard, but it is worth it. So cry a

little (or a lot) as often as needed. One day you

will wake up and realize that the casts are behind you

and the FAB is just a fact of life. One day you will

say, hey I can do this, it isn't so bad.

I promise you that some day you will watch that

little boy run around the house and climb on the

kitchen table to do a rain dance. And you will kiss

those feet every night because they are just

beautiful. And you will sigh and want to put your son

back into shoes just to keep him off of the table.

Then comes the day when the shoes don't keep him off

of the table. And finally, one day you will think of

all the things and people you know just because of a

little club foot. You will realize how much better

you life is because of the club foot journey. (and

for the wonderful parents on this list who

understand!!!!!!) And you will look back and smile

because it was all worth it.

So hang in there, you can do this. Cameron is lucky

to have such a caring mommy. Here is a hug from a

mommy who is still in the middle of it all. Good

luck.

mom to

Tenny 7/15/04 rt cf. FAB 14/7

Just joined this

group...

Hello Everyone!

I just joined this group on the recommendation from

the other yahoo

website for clubfeet and I'm really glad I did.

My husband and I did not know our son Cam had

clubfoot (right) until

after he was born. I had him by c-section and he

sucked in some

amniotic fluid on the way out and had some problems

breathing at

first. After the worst of the breathing problems

were over my

husband told me he had a right clubfoot. I had

heard of this

condition before, but never imagined that my baby

would have this.

There are no known cases in any part of mine or my

husband's family,

but people are good at keeping secrets so it's

possible that someone

just never talked about it. In the beginning I was

devistated and

thought I had done something wrong in my pregnancy

to make this

happen. I can't say I'm totally over it yet, but

I'm starting to be

able to accept that it wasn't the case. I think

this ordeal has

been one of the most emotionally trying times of my

life. I never

expected anything to be wrong since I had so many

ultrasounds

throughout my pregnancy. I sometimes wish I had

known before he was

born and that way we would have had everything

researched, and

sorted out and I wouldn't have been such an

emotional wreck. I was

so unprepared when we first met our Dr. and he said

that the course

of treatment is 3 years long. I cried for 2 days

wondering how my

little boy was going to get through this, and

selfishly, how I was

going to get through this. Cam is having his 3rd

cast put on

tomorrow and only now am I starting to be less tense

about it. He

doesn't understand what's happening to him and it

crushes me

everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before the

cast goes on. I

know he'll never remember this part of the

treatment, but he's only

3 1/2 weeks old and so little.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I really needed to

get this out. I

feel so much better knowing that all of you have

been through

similar experiences and that I'm not alone.

I look forward to meeting you all, and thanks for

reading my story.

It just feels good to get it out.

Sincerely,

Jen

Cameron 10/14/05 right CF 3rd cast out of 12

tomorrow

November 9, 2005

I too just cannot believe that more than one doc has suggested

this. Un-freakin-believable!!!

number23 wrote:

Um, I missed this original post but WHAT??????? Oh My God tell me some lame

brain didnt' suggest aborting a baby for club foot???? Oh man, I'd have come

un glued!

s.

-----

I know. I didn't even tell my husband because he would have gotten on

the phone and just yelled at her! But regardless of so much " unknown "

at that moment, her comment didn't even phase me. (I did kinda wonder

if its just something they say to every mother whose child has

something? I don't know.) I am a firm believer in " things happen for

a reason " so regardless of what my baby has, I am going to welcome this

baby on his birth day, clubfeet or no clubfeet.

Janice

P.S. CONGRATS on your GrandBaby!

>

> In a message dated 11/8/2005 2:06:26 PM Pacific Standard Time,

> joybelle15@y... writes:

> > I cannot believe she suggested termination for

> > clubfeet. How sad.

> That is soooooo unacceptible !

>

> DeeDee

> California

>

November 9, 2005

Beautifully written !! And so true, thank-you for writing this

truly inspirational post.

& Grace

>

> Jen,

>

> I think everyone else has said what needs to be said but I think I

will still take a minute to write my feelings. Our fifth child was

born with right club foot and it was a surprise at birth. The

orthopedic we consulted with was sure it wasn't a club foot and we

spent five long months tryin to fix our non club foot before we found

our current doctor. And the rest is history I guess.

> I was just thinking today as I pulled Tenny down from everything he

climbed on that if I could just send every new parent a video of

my " disabled " child right now, no one would worry a minute about club

feet. You will never be able to convice these babies that they can't

do something. They learn and develop and surpass the expectations

left and right.

> Everytime I looked at Tenny's foot for the first few hours it was a

shock, but soon I just loved that foot. My older kids just loved

that casts. We colored every one. They asked why they couldn't have

casts and why they didn't have them when they were babies--life just

ain't fair--Tenny gets all the fun.

> I remember thinking the three months of full time FAB wear would

never end, but it does. Some days may be hard. I think that is part

of it, and part of being mommy. Guess what, it is okay to have a

hard time as long as you don't give up. Just keep going a day at a

time. It is hard, but it is worth it. So cry a little (or a lot) as

often as needed. One day you will wake up and realize that the casts

are behind you and the FAB is just a fact of life. One day you will

say, hey I can do this, it isn't so bad.

> I promise you that some day you will watch that little boy run

around the house and climb on the kitchen table to do a rain dance.

And you will kiss those feet every night because they are just

beautiful. And you will sigh and want to put your son back into

shoes just to keep him off of the table. Then comes the day when the

shoes don't keep him off of the table. And finally, one day you will

think of all the things and people you know just because of a little

club foot. You will realize how much better you life is because of

the club foot journey. (and for the wonderful parents on this list

who understand!!!!!!) And you will look back and smile because it

was all worth it.

>

> So hang in there, you can do this. Cameron is lucky to have such a

caring mommy. Here is a hug from a mommy who is still in the middle

of it all. Good luck.

>

> mom to

> Tenny 7/15/04 rt cf. FAB 14/7

>

> Just joined this group...

>

> Hello Everyone!

> I just joined this group on the recommendation from the other

yahoo

> website for clubfeet and I'm really glad I did.

> My husband and I did not know our son Cam had clubfoot (right)

until

> after he was born. I had him by c-section and he sucked in some

> amniotic fluid on the way out and had some problems breathing at

> first. After the worst of the breathing problems were over my

> husband told me he had a right clubfoot. I had heard of this

> condition before, but never imagined that my baby would have

this.

> There are no known cases in any part of mine or my husband's

family,

> but people are good at keeping secrets so it's possible that

someone

> just never talked about it. In the beginning I was devistated

and

> thought I had done something wrong in my pregnancy to make this

> happen. I can't say I'm totally over it yet, but I'm starting to

be

> able to accept that it wasn't the case. I think this ordeal has

> been one of the most emotionally trying times of my life. I

never

> expected anything to be wrong since I had so many ultrasounds

> throughout my pregnancy. I sometimes wish I had known before he

was

> born and that way we would have had everything researched, and

> sorted out and I wouldn't have been such an emotional wreck. I

was

> so unprepared when we first met our Dr. and he said that the

course

> of treatment is 3 years long. I cried for 2 days wondering how

my

> little boy was going to get through this, and selfishly, how I

was

> going to get through this. Cam is having his 3rd cast put on

> tomorrow and only now am I starting to be less tense about it.

He

> doesn't understand what's happening to him and it crushes me

> everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before the cast goes on.

I

> know he'll never remember this part of the treatment, but he's

only

> 3 1/2 weeks old and so little.

> I'm sorry this is so long, but I really needed to get this out.

I

> feel so much better knowing that all of you have been through

> similar experiences and that I'm not alone.

> I look forward to meeting you all, and thanks for reading my

story.

> It just feels good to get it out.

>

> Sincerely,

> Jen

> Cameron 10/14/05 right CF 3rd cast out of 12 tomorrow

>

November 9, 2005

It was a great Father's Day present. (Though as everyone in the

delivery room congratulated my husband, he turned to me and

said, " let's do this for next Father's Day and have a girl. " I told

him I needed to recover from this one first!) Where is your little

one in his course of treatment?

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Hello Everyone!

> > I just joined this group on the recommendation from

> > the other yahoo

> > website for clubfeet and I'm really glad I did.

> > My husband and I did not know our son Cam had

> clubfoot

> > (right) until

> > after he was born. I had him by c-section and he

> > sucked in some

> > amniotic fluid on the way out and had some problems

> > breathing at

> > first. After the worst of the breathing problems

> were

> > over my

> > husband told me he had a right clubfoot. I had

> heard

> > of this

> > condition before, but never imagined that my baby

> > would have this.

> > There are no known cases in any part of mine or my

> > husband's family,

> > but people are good at keeping secrets so it's

> > possible that someone

> > just never talked about it. In the beginning I was

> > devistated and

> > thought I had done something wrong in my pregnancy

> to

> > make this

> > happen. I can't say I'm totally over it yet, but

> I'm

> > starting to be

> > able to accept that it wasn't the case. I think

> this

> > ordeal has

> > been one of the most emotionally trying times of my

> > life. I never

> > expected anything to be wrong since I had so many

> > ultrasounds

> > throughout my pregnancy. I sometimes wish I had

> known

> > before he was

> > born and that way we would have had everything

> > researched, and

> > sorted out and I wouldn't have been such an

> emotional

> > wreck. I was

> > so unprepared when we first met our Dr. and he said

> > that the course

> > of treatment is 3 years long. I cried for 2 days

> > wondering how my

> > little boy was going to get through this, and

> > selfishly, how I was

> > going to get through this. Cam is having his 3rd

> cast

> > put on

> > tomorrow and only now am I starting to be less tense

> > about it. He

> > doesn't understand what's happening to him and it

> > crushes me

> > everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before the

> cast

> > goes on. I

> > know he'll never remember this part of the

> treatment,

> > but he's only

> > 3 1/2 weeks old and so little.

> > I'm sorry this is so long, but I really needed to

> get

> > this out. I

> > feel so much better knowing that all of you have

> been

> > through

> > similar experiences and that I'm not alone.

> > I look forward to meeting you all, and thanks for

> > reading my story.

> > It just feels good to get it out.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> > Jen

> > Cameron 10/14/05 right CF 3rd cast out of 12

> tomorrow

> >

November 9, 2005

Hi Jen. Welcome!!!

How far is Wilmington from Charlotte? Dr. Frick, who is highly recommended and

on Dr. Ponseti's list of qualified physicians, is located in Charlotte. I just

moved to Charlotte from Washington DC. We were seeing Dr. Herzenberg in

Baltimore. We will probably switch to Dr. Frick, especially since we are down

to 6 month check-ups. My daughter, , is 20 months old now. As I look

back, the time flew by. The hardest time is the 23/7 brace wear. It is only 3

months, but feels much longer at the time. You will get through it.

Please let us know how your docter is working out.

Jen wrote:

Hi !

Thanks for responding to my email. To be honest with you I find out more and

more about this method of treatment from this site and I'm sure glad that you

are asking me these questions. I have nothing else to compare it to.

To answer the first question:

My Dr. pushes the foot outwards to straighten it (or more or less stretches his

foot) and Cam really does not like it. He doesn't cry much worse than when I

change him (poor little guy hates to be cold), so I just thought it was part of

the procedure. I asked the Dr. about pain and he said that he would be

uncomfortable and that was it.

The second question:

I really don't have an answer to this one. When we saw this Dr. for the first

time he explained the method to us and we didn't question it. This is how he

explained the treatment to me:

A new cast would be placed on his leg every week for 12 weeks. In the 5th or

6th week he would have his achilles tendon cut/poked and then the casts would

continue until the 12th week. Then he wears the " brace " 24/7 until he is 6

months and after that only at night until he is 3 years old. I was able to

speak with someone else who used this Dr. and her daughter was able to stop the

brace at 2 1/2 years. I will get back to you on what he says about this. I'm

very curious.

Your 3rd question:

We live in Wilmington, North Carolina and were lucky enough to be referred to a

Dr. that practices this method right here. His name is Dr. . Actually,

we didn't know there was any other method until I started searching on the web.

Thanks so much for telling me all of this. We were so blown away by Cam having

this condition that we just seemed to float with this and not question anything

too much.

Can you tell me more about how your daughter was treated?

Take care,

Jen

jennyandkelly wrote:

Welcome, Jen & Cam-

So glad you joined us! Also, welcome to all the other new families-

I've been extremely busy lately and haven't been able to respond to

many messages like I've wanted to.

I am on the " other side " of treatment now- my daughter will be 6 in

March- but wanted you to know that I can still imagine those raw

emotions from the first days and months of treatment if I just think

about it....that experience never leaves a mother's memory!

My daughter, though, doesn't remember any of it!

I am a bit concerned about 2 things in your note.

The first was that you wrote:

" it crushes me everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before the

cast goes on. "

I wanted to be sure that your doctor is not hurting him with

manipulations. The treatment should be gentle. No wrenching or

twisting of the foot is necessary. Some babies cry because they

don't like having their leg or foot held- but you should be able to

tell the difference between an " annoyed " cry and a " this hurts " cry

hopefully.

The second is this in your note:

" 3rd cast out of 12 tomorrow "

If your doctor is using the Ponseti method correctly- he shouldn't

need anywhere near 12 casts. Plus, the doctor shouldn't even know

that he needs 12 casts at this point. So this is kind of weird to

me. Do you mind telling us what doctor/hospital is treating him?

Hopefully I'm just reading too much into your note- but I wanted to

bring this to your attention just in case....

Here's a link to a website with a parents' checklist that might help

you to determine if your doctor is using the method correctly:

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil

We're glad you're here! Keep us posted on Cam's progress!

Here's a link to my daughter's site if you're interested.

http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/

Regards,

& (3-16-00, left clubfoot)

switched to Ponseti method at 4 months old

November 9, 2005

Hi Jen.

I'm reading all these posts a little late, so sorry if I am repeating. Ask your

doctor if he has ever heard of Troy Aikman? I'm sure he has jumped several

times during his career. I already sent you another post recommending Dr.

Frick. You may really want to consider him.

Jen wrote:

Thank you so much . That was such a touching story. I will remeber

everything you said. It is so encouraging and hopful. The Dr. said Cam

wouldn't be a jumper, but I put him in his place and said, " Have you ever known

anything to stop a child if he/she really wants it " ). He'll jump if he wants to

and he'll play basketball and volleyball if that what he wants to do and I'll

cheer him on every second!! I always thought this, but thank you for helping

truly believe it.

Take care,

Jen

ph Grush wrote:

Jen,

I think everyone else has said what needs to be said but I think I will still

take a minute to write my feelings. Our fifth child was born with right club

foot and it was a surprise at birth. The orthopedic we consulted with was sure

it wasn't a club foot and we spent five long months tryin to fix our non club

foot before we found our current doctor. And the rest is history I guess.

I was just thinking today as I pulled Tenny down from everything he climbed on

that if I could just send every new parent a video of my " disabled " child right

now, no one would worry a minute about club feet. You will never be able to

convice these babies that they can't do something. They learn and develop and

surpass the expectations left and right.

Everytime I looked at Tenny's foot for the first few hours it was a shock, but

soon I just loved that foot. My older kids just loved that casts. We colored

every one. They asked why they couldn't have casts and why they didn't have

them when they were babies--life just ain't fair--Tenny gets all the fun.

I remember thinking the three months of full time FAB wear would never end, but

it does. Some days may be hard. I think that is part of it, and part of being

mommy. Guess what, it is okay to have a hard time as long as you don't give

up. Just keep going a day at a time. It is hard, but it is worth it. So cry a

little (or a lot) as often as needed. One day you will wake up and realize that

the casts are behind you and the FAB is just a fact of life. One day you will

say, hey I can do this, it isn't so bad.

I promise you that some day you will watch that little boy run around the house

and climb on the kitchen table to do a rain dance. And you will kiss those feet

every night because they are just beautiful. And you will sigh and want to put

your son back into shoes just to keep him off of the table. Then comes the day

when the shoes don't keep him off of the table. And finally, one day you will

think of all the things and people you know just because of a little club foot.

You will realize how much better you life is because of the club foot journey.

(and for the wonderful parents on this list who understand!!!!!!) And you will

look back and smile because it was all worth it.

So hang in there, you can do this. Cameron is lucky to have such a caring

mommy. Here is a hug from a mommy who is still in the middle of it all. Good

luck.

mom to

Tenny 7/15/04 rt cf. FAB 14/7

Just joined this group...

Hello Everyone!

I just joined this group on the recommendation from the other yahoo

website for clubfeet and I'm really glad I did.

My husband and I did not know our son Cam had clubfoot (right) until

after he was born. I had him by c-section and he sucked in some

amniotic fluid on the way out and had some problems breathing at

first. After the worst of the breathing problems were over my

husband told me he had a right clubfoot. I had heard of this

condition before, but never imagined that my baby would have this.

There are no known cases in any part of mine or my husband's family,

but people are good at keeping secrets so it's possible that someone

just never talked about it. In the beginning I was devistated and

thought I had done something wrong in my pregnancy to make this

happen. I can't say I'm totally over it yet, but I'm starting to be

able to accept that it wasn't the case. I think this ordeal has

been one of the most emotionally trying times of my life. I never

expected anything to be wrong since I had so many ultrasounds

throughout my pregnancy. I sometimes wish I had known before he was

born and that way we would have had everything researched, and

sorted out and I wouldn't have been such an emotional wreck. I was

so unprepared when we first met our Dr. and he said that the course

of treatment is 3 years long. I cried for 2 days wondering how my

little boy was going to get through this, and selfishly, how I was

going to get through this. Cam is having his 3rd cast put on

tomorrow and only now am I starting to be less tense about it. He

doesn't understand what's happening to him and it crushes me

everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before the cast goes on. I

know he'll never remember this part of the treatment, but he's only

3 1/2 weeks old and so little.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I really needed to get this out. I

feel so much better knowing that all of you have been through

similar experiences and that I'm not alone.

I look forward to meeting you all, and thanks for reading my story.

It just feels good to get it out.

Sincerely,

Jen

Cameron 10/14/05 right CF 3rd cast out of 12 tomorrow

November 9, 2005

Hello,

I loved 's post too. I made me cry b/c I think I realized how worried

about this little one (due Dec 18) that I've been over the past few months

since the ultrasound. Thanks for helping me realize that this journey isn't

so bad and will teach us much along the way. I sometimes feel so bad when I

think of her little crooked foot and feel guilty too b/c I wonder what I

might have done to cause it.

For those of you who felt guilty about the clubfoot, how did you work

through that? I guess mainly b/c I am still pregnant and hormonal/emotional

I am not as objective as i might normally be...who knows. I just keep

thinking how ironic this is that out of my 4 babies, two have birth defects.

I am thankful that this one is so correctable and shouldn't cause her

problems later in life. Still, I try to eat organic, use natural cleaners,

avoid phthalates, pbdes and all the other chemicals in the things I buy and

yet here we are with another birth defect. Oh, well I guess there are no

rhymes or reasons to it and I'll never know why it happened but it's sort of

frustrating all the same.

On another tangent all together, when you mentioned someone saying that a

baby who had a clubfoot shouldn't jump, it made me think of one of our best

friends who was born with bilateral clubfeet. He is 34 now and was treated

non-surgically and he can run circles around anyone on the basketball court

and does lots of jumping! Oh, and Kristi Yamiguchi (the gold medal figure

skater) has been known to do a few jumps in her day despite the fact she had

clubfeet as a baby.

Take care,

Halley

>

>Reply-To: nosurgery4clubfoot

>To: nosurgery4clubfoot

>Subject: Re: Just joined this group...

>Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2005 03:52:45 -0800 (PST)

>

>Thank you so much . That was such a touching story. I will remeber

>everything you said. It is so encouraging and hopful. The Dr. said Cam

>wouldn't be a jumper, but I put him in his place and said, " Have you ever

>known anything to stop a child if he/she really wants it " ). He'll jump if

>he wants to and he'll play basketball and volleyball if that what he wants

>to do and I'll cheer him on every second!! I always thought this, but

>thank you for helping truly believe it.

>Take care,

>Jen

>

>ph Grush wrote:

>Jen,

>

>I think everyone else has said what needs to be said but I think I will

>still take a minute to write my feelings. Our fifth child was born with

>right club foot and it was a surprise at birth. The orthopedic we

>consulted with was sure it wasn't a club foot and we spent five long months

>tryin to fix our non club foot before we found our current doctor. And the

>rest is history I guess.

>I was just thinking today as I pulled Tenny down from everything he climbed

>on that if I could just send every new parent a video of my " disabled "

>child right now, no one would worry a minute about club feet. You will

>never be able to convice these babies that they can't do something. They

>learn and develop and surpass the expectations left and right.

>Everytime I looked at Tenny's foot for the first few hours it was a shock,

>but soon I just loved that foot. My older kids just loved that casts. We

>colored every one. They asked why they couldn't have casts and why they

>didn't have them when they were babies--life just ain't fair--Tenny gets

>all the fun.

>I remember thinking the three months of full time FAB wear would never end,

>but it does. Some days may be hard. I think that is part of it, and part

>of being mommy. Guess what, it is okay to have a hard time as long as you

>don't give up. Just keep going a day at a time. It is hard, but it is

>worth it. So cry a little (or a lot) as often as needed. One day you will

>wake up and realize that the casts are behind you and the FAB is just a

>fact of life. One day you will say, hey I can do this, it isn't so bad.

>I promise you that some day you will watch that little boy run around the

>house and climb on the kitchen table to do a rain dance. And you will kiss

>those feet every night because they are just beautiful. And you will sigh

>and want to put your son back into shoes just to keep him off of the table.

> Then comes the day when the shoes don't keep him off of the table. And

>finally, one day you will think of all the things and people you know just

>because of a little club foot. You will realize how much better you life

>is because of the club foot journey. (and for the wonderful parents on

>this list who understand!!!!!!) And you will look back and smile because

>it was all worth it.

>

>So hang in there, you can do this. Cameron is lucky to have such a caring

>mommy. Here is a hug from a mommy who is still in the middle of it all.

>Good luck.

>

> mom to

>Tenny 7/15/04 rt cf. FAB 14/7

>

> Just joined this group...

>

> Hello Everyone!

> I just joined this group on the recommendation from the other yahoo

> website for clubfeet and I'm really glad I did.

> My husband and I did not know our son Cam had clubfoot (right) until

> after he was born. I had him by c-section and he sucked in some

> amniotic fluid on the way out and had some problems breathing at

> first. After the worst of the breathing problems were over my

> husband told me he had a right clubfoot. I had heard of this

> condition before, but never imagined that my baby would have this.

> There are no known cases in any part of mine or my husband's family,

> but people are good at keeping secrets so it's possible that someone

> just never talked about it. In the beginning I was devistated and

> thought I had done something wrong in my pregnancy to make this

> happen. I can't say I'm totally over it yet, but I'm starting to be

> able to accept that it wasn't the case. I think this ordeal has

> been one of the most emotionally trying times of my life. I never

> expected anything to be wrong since I had so many ultrasounds

> throughout my pregnancy. I sometimes wish I had known before he was

> born and that way we would have had everything researched, and

> sorted out and I wouldn't have been such an emotional wreck. I was

> so unprepared when we first met our Dr. and he said that the course

> of treatment is 3 years long. I cried for 2 days wondering how my

> little boy was going to get through this, and selfishly, how I was

> going to get through this. Cam is having his 3rd cast put on

> tomorrow and only now am I starting to be less tense about it. He

> doesn't understand what's happening to him and it crushes me

> everytime the Dr. manipulates his foot before the cast goes on. I

> know he'll never remember this part of the treatment, but he's only

> 3 1/2 weeks old and so little.

> I'm sorry this is so long, but I really needed to get this out. I

> feel so much better knowing that all of you have been through

> similar experiences and that I'm not alone.

> I look forward to meeting you all, and thanks for reading my story.

> It just feels good to get it out.

>

> Sincerely,

> Jen

> Cameron 10/14/05 right CF 3rd cast out of 12 tomorrow

>

November 9, 2005

Thanks for that beautiful post . I read it to

my husband and it made him cry too. We are expecting

our little guy in early March and still working

through our feelings since learning he will have right

clubfoot. You have helped us both to realise he will

be a regular, mischievous little boy in no time at

all!

Kath and Shaun

__________________________________

Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.

http://farechase.yahoo.com

November 9, 2005

Just what everyone else has been saying, what a beautiful way to put the

clubfoot journey, (BTW--beautiful name, that is what I named my 3 month

old). I was one of the lucky parents who knew about my daughter's clubfeet by

ultrasound. I was shocked at first, I mean I had heard of clubfoot, but knew

nothing about it. Then I became angry at God. Then blamed myself, was it

something I did. I was looking for the answer to " why us? " . Then it wasn't

until my husband (who is not religious at all)--who said to me, " you know God

only gives people what they can handle and he picked us. " Right then, I

understood, I needed to find out what to do. Again, I am one of the lucky

parents who was able to use the power of technology~ I jumped on the

Internet-found out all I could about clubfeet. Then I found this support group.

It has given me so much education!! I look back on my experience in my

pregnancy and realized that there is not strong education for parents/people out

there

for clubfoot and the Ponseti method. I did not go through my insurance because

they did not have a doctor who followed the method. I went to Shriners on my

own requesting two doctors trained for the method. And Shriners is cost free!!!

I realize the method may be a controversial issue with orthopedic doctors, but

if parents only knew about it, I think more would take the road. I think the

plan for all of us here is to spread the word of Ponseti. So I just want to

take a second to say thank you to all of you for answering questions and

educating me! And for those of you just joining, you are in the right place!

Remember to relax/laugh and enjoy the journey because you will look back and

think it was indeed a tough road, but worth every minute.

just feeling good about life~

Krishna