Two Sets of Casts and Counting

Peter's first casting appointment was October 10, 2013, when he was 3 days old. I asked Dr. Segal if we could start the casting as soon as possible, so that we could hopefully be done with the casting phase of his treatment before I have to go back to work.

I was apprehensive about the appointment because my milk hadn't come in yet, so pumping enough for a bottle to give him while the casting was going on wasn't an option. I'd intended to bring a pacifier to help soothe him, but forgot it at home. I nursed him immediately before the casting began but it wasn't enough; he was very unhappy and screamed the whole time. :( I felt awful and cried the whole way home.

As I'd been warned, he was very fussy that night and the next day, but he was his normal mellow self again within two days. After nearly a week in the casts they didn't seem to phase him a bit. I found diaper changes a challenge, though; poop gets on the casts no matter how careful I am, so the tops were stained yellow. Thankfully no poop has gotten in the casts. A few other clubfoot moms have recommended putting Saran Wrap over the tops of the casts to protect them; I may try that.

Peter's first set of casts

We had round two of casting earlier today (October 18, 2013) and it went MUCH better. I was able to pump 4oz of milk this morning, so I had the bottle in addition to a pacifier. I also played soothing music on my iPhone and that seemed to help as well. He didn't make a peep while they did his left leg. He fussed a little bit while his right leg was being done but then fell asleep during the process! It was a welcome change from the first casting experience.

Dr. Segal was away from the office this week, so Peter's casting was done by Dr. Belthur, who just started at Phoenix Children's Hospital in August (I met him at my initial consultation appointment; at that time, he was just shadowing Dr. Segal and hadn't started seeing any patients yet). Dr. Belthur told me that he studied with Dr. Ponseti himself in the early 2000s. He told me that he and Dr. Segal were competing to see who could make the best casts, so I need to keep an eye on Peter's and compare their work.

I took this picture of Peter's feet the day he was born:

 

Here's a picture of his feet today, after the first casts were taken off:

We're making progress!!