Still keeping everyone in the loop..

At our first ultrasound (20 weeks), the tech suspected bilateral clubfeet on our little boy. Although I was born with a left clubfoot, we did not expect this diagnosis. However, after reading up about current treatments/outcomes, we are very optimistic.

Yesterday we had our follow-up appointment with the maternal-fetal specialist. The intent was to determine if the club feet were diagnosed correctly, and to look for any other issues. It was a great appointment; we got about 1½ hours of ultrasound time with our little one (referred to as “The Hulk” from here on out)…he was quite active with the ultrasound tech, and very uncooperative when she was trying to get measurements (imagine that!!). We got to see everything: spine, legs, arms, head, feet, hands, even his face! After about 45 minutes the doctor/specialist came in and looked over the tech’s work and then performed her own ultrasound for another 30-40 minutes. By this time my stomach was quite tired of the constant probing, but at least The Hulk had settled down so the doc could get all follow up measurements she needed. The clubfeet are still there (honestly now… where would they have gone?), but everything else looked fine. The spine was very straight of a normal length and the legs and arms are measuring fine, so there is no evidence at this time that any genetic disorder is causing the club feet. Lehr and I will be seeing a pediatric orthopedist (hopefully) in the next month, to start discussing treatment once The Hulk makes his appearance. Another positive note, the specialist wants to have an ultrasound every 4-weeks to make sure growth is on-track, so we will be able to spend a lot more time with our little one before the rest of the world meets him. This is great news for me because I keep telling Lehr how anxious I get after the ultrasounds – I just want this kid to get here already!

We got an updated ultrasound photo of The Hulk; it’s another profile shot, but this time he has his hands in front of his face, and his knee is close to touching his nose (he’s already practicing yoga!).

Also, below are a few links to a few web sites Lehr and I have found useful – they explain the doctor’s method we hope to follow (Dr. Ponseti), and the condition itself. (Some of you have had some specific questions for us – thought this might help.)
Ponseti Treatment

Heads Up

Just to keep everyone in the loop, Lehr and I have been pretty busy researching this last week – the initial ultrasound showed that our little guy has bilateral (2) club feet. That is something I obviously plagued him with because I was born with one (I believe Lehr calls it my ‘freak’ leg?). We're not too concerned with long-term effects – if something has to be ‘wrong’, we're thankful it’s this because I turned out just fine. It will mean a lot of leg casting and braces on his feet the first few years though, so I’m glad we know now and can research our options. We go to a prenatal specialist in 10 days to do a more in-depth ultrasound and determine if there is anything they’re missing or misdiagnosing. We will have to wait until he gets out to start any treatments/correction; he’ll mostly likely be casted that first week. It’s not genetic, but it can be hereditary (kinda contradictory, I think). But we didn’t’ know it could be hereditary till after we found out about our little man…no one else in my family has it, and when I was born they said it was just because of the way my mom carried me inside of her (a little too cramped) that caused it – not biology. Anyway, we’ve been doing a lot of research, and the outlook is really good for long term. They use the same kind of treatment (basically) that they did when I was born, and it is really effective in correcting the problem within a year or so. He should still walk at a ‘normal’ age, and he probably won’t remember a thing. So not only are we glad we know now so that we can research and prepare, but also it saves us from buying clothes/socks/shoes he won’t be able to use. (Pants will have to be bigger (to fit over the full-leg casts) and shoes are not an option since he’ll wear a brace (with shoes attached) once he’s out of the casts.) Every little bit of preparing helps!! Be prepared for the red and blue casts when he comes home (it’ll be close to post-season Cubs baseball at that time).

Now You're All In BIG Trouble!

That’s right…we have another Lehr on the way….look out world!!!

All joking aside, we went for our first ultrasound today (20weeks) and the first shot the tech got was the money-shot; she said there was no doubt that it was a boy. As you all know, we would have been happy with either a boy or a girl (human, that is…Lehr really thought it might have been a horse for some reason), but I was secretly holding out for a little man (not sure how I’d deal with the whole ‘pink’ thing). All of the measurements were on track for me to keep the mid-August due date, so from here it’s just a countdown!