Hip Hip Hooray!

Another possible hurdle crushed at the Moore household. On Friday we took Miss Norah to the pediatric orthopedic in St. Louis to have a hip ultrasound. Thanks to genetics and the fact that both Eric and Josie were treated for hip dysplasia as infants/children, all the doctors were in agreement that even though Norah's hips looked ok upon an initial check, an ultrasound would be the best way to be sure. So we tromped off to St. Louis to see the doc that worked with Josie for her 12 weeks of treatment. What we learned:
1. Norah is WAY more mellow than Josie. Josie would scream bloody murder during all the hip ultrasounds and xrays... needing to be held down by both Eric and I while they ran their tests. Norah on the other hand... she slept through it all. I am sorry... a correction... she complained a brief moment with the cold ultrasound goo (who could blame her?!).
2. In the world of children's hips, the sockets are measured in degrees. Anything 60 degrees or greater is normal and healthy. Anything 50 degrees and less is abnormal and will likely need treatment. Josie's hips were way under 50 when we did this... I don't remember the actual numbers, but it was a severe case of hip dysplasia on both hips that required a pavlik harness . For Norah, her right hip measured 62 degrees (YAY!) and her left hip measured 56 degrees (still not bad!!) The doc explained that 56 really requires no treatment. It will likely fix itself relatively quickly and could be simply because she was born early. This is a normal measurement and likely goes unnoticed in many children because the hips feel stable upon an initial hip manipulation exam. So, we are well pleased with the results. We will go back in 5 weeks for a second ultrasound just to make sure that all corrected itself. I think that is just code for "hey... bring that cute baby of yours back when she is more awake so I can enjoy her!"

So we at the Moore Manse have lifted up a big Hip Hip Hooray for healthy hips... for turning the corner on jaundice... and for an increasingly healthy little girl who is growing into our family quite well. We are a house full of Hope and Joy indeed.