I get lots of press releases and campaigns that drop through my in box and whilst so many are worth highlighting I carefully select a few charities or campaigns that I totally support. I feel that this is the best approach. Obviously due to Erin’s DDH story anything that is educating others about Hip Dysplasia is going to featured. There are not many that focus on DDH and the risk factors involved.
This important campaign by Ergobaby and Nikki Khan will hopefully contribute to raising awareness and with that I throw my support fully behind them.
Midwife and Clinical Negligence Lawyer Nikki Khan calls for greater awareness of the condition after seeing an increase in misdiagnosed cases
Hip dysplasia (also known as Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip or DDH) affects up to 2-3 in every 1000 (approx. 2171 in UK) of all infants*.
The condition, which can affect babies from birth but which can also develop in childhood, means that the hip joint is completely or partially dislocated. Babies suffering the condition may have to have remedial treatment as a result.
Having seen more cases of misdiagnosed Hip Dysplasia come across her desk in recent months, Lawyer and Midwife Nikki Khan, along with Ergobaby, has launched an education drive to help inform and empower parents to look out for key symptoms of the condition that their baby might experience.
The “Is Your Baby Sitting Comfortably?” campaign aims to help educate parents, enabling them to make informed decisions and reduce any risks of DDH that are unrelated to genetics or birth and could be helped simply through a baby’s seating position.
Research has shown that there are a variety of contributory factors that parents should be aware of, which include over-swaddling, seating positions in car-seats, carriers and play equipment.
Nikki Khan commented:
“DDH is remarkably little reported and very little understood by a lot of parents. However, there are a series of steps they can take to dramatically reduce the risk, such as choosing a wider car seat, using an ergonomic baby carrier and avoiding forcing baby’s legs together.
“It’s also important for parents to keep an eye out for symptoms of Hip Dysplasia in their children. These include one longer leg, dragging a leg when crawling, hearing or feeling a click in the hip when changing the nappy, seeing a difference in the skin creases of the thighs and difficulty in moving a leg sideways when getting the baby dressed.
“I would counsel all parents, and those identified to be at risk in particular, to ensure that they are paying close attention to the position their infant is placed in while in a baby carrier, especially in the early days before the diagnosis is confirmed. It’s vital that they choose an ergonomic carrier, such as the Ergobaby carrier that enables the baby to sit in the best possible position, avoiding slings that force the babies legs together.”
For parents who want more information about Hip Dysplasia Nikki Khan and Ergobaby have created an educational guide to the condition and how to avoid it on the Ergobaby Facebook page. Videos and an information sheet for parents are to be found here: www.facebook.com/ergobabyuk.
* According to the International Hip Dysplasia Institute
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