Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

We had our appointment at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (http://www.tsrhc.org/) yesterday afternoon to check Gwendoline's hip alignment and sockets. Sometimes babies that are in the "frank breech" position in utero for an extended period of time, like our Gwendoline, have some level of hip dysplasia that needs to be treated before the hip cartilage starts firming up. Although he was fairly confident that Gwendoline's hips were normal, our pediatrician did feel some "clicks" he wanted to get a second opinion on, so he referred us to the experts at Scottish Rite for further evaluation out of an "overabundance of caution."

At Scottish Rite, we learned that Gwendoline meets three of the four risk factors for hip dysplasia: female, firstborn, and breech; the fourth factor would be a family history of hip problems, but we don't have that. After being checked by two physicians at the hospital, including the head of the orthopedic department, we were happy to learn that Gwendoline's hips seem to be just fine! They did feel the clicks our pediatrician felt but said that is fairly common in newborns who still have more cartilage than firm bone. We are taking Gwendoline back in one month for a follow-up hip ultrasound just to be sure, but the doctors think that should come back normal as well. 

While we were very happy and relieved to learn that Gwendoline doesn't have any hip dysplasia, our joy was a little tempered by what we saw at Scottish Rite. It reminded us in big ways how incredibly blessed we are to have a healthy, whole child. There are so many precious children who are not as fortunate to have all of their limbs, and have them in good working order. So many families are blessed to have the Scottish Rite Hospital, its doctors, and volunteers available free of charge to provide excellent and much needed care for their little ones. The hospital relies completely on donations from individuals and corporations to operate; they receive no federal or state funding. And I'll say it again because it still blows my mind- all of their services for children are free of charge, therefore a huge blessing to those families who may not be able to afford care for their children otherwise. If you are interested, there are several ways to give to Scottish Rite: http://community.tsrhc.org/.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full. -Psalm 139:14