Although clubfoot can be detected during a prenatal ultrasound (as early as the 18th week), there are cases when it’s not revealed during the prenatal examinations.
In such cases the parents will only realise that their baby has clubfoot when they are born.
I wrote about our story earlier here, we are in the group of parents who found out already at the week 18 prenatal ultrasound that our baby will be arriving with clubfoot. This gave us an opportunity to get prepared both emotionally and from a treatment perspective as well. Looking back I really do think we were lucky to learn about it in advance, but of course at that time we didn’t feel that way, we were also shocked by the news.
Imagine how much more difficult it is for those who find out only at birth. They have to be very clear headed and cool at such an emotional moment to handle this situation.
If they are lucky the doctors around them will direct them to the right place, but still with the best of intentions it might happen that the orthopedist they visit doesn’t have the necessary experience or knowledge about clubfoot treatment. It’s always important for the baby to get the best possible treatment, even more so if it’s a complex clubfoot case (atypical clubfoot).
So what happens if you only find out about it at birth? The good news is that it’s not too late yet, nothing is lost. Treatment usually begins when the baby is a few weeks old already. During the first couple of weeks the most important is that the baby can get used to its new surroundings in a calm and safe environment.
During this period the parents have an opportunity to get some much needed information about clubfoot and to make the necessary decisions. The most important being who their doctor will be and in which hospital. You may find more about choosing the doctor at this link.
It’s really important that the parents find a supportive and helping environment, so the role of the support groups is key (not only at the start, but throughout the whole treatment). We highly encourage all parents to join such a group! You may find some links below!
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