Hmmm... The first blog is always a tricky one to write. I think I put the most pressure on myself when starting anything, especially when writing something anyone in the public can view! So, I will keep this first blog as simple and concise as possible.
I'm not new to the blogging world. I was writing a blog before when I was trying to make my way into the art world. I didn't exactly make waves with my paintings when I tried to sell my work in art shows. And then I got completely side tracked once I got married and then quickly became pregnant. I still dabble in some art, mainly sketching, but my life is mainly all about my family, especially my son Evan. Big shocker, huh?
What really prompted me to begin this blog was to help other parents, in particular parents who have a very young child in a Spica cast.
We are a week in to our one and only child being a prisoner in his first (and hopefully ONLY ever!) Spica cast. He broke his leg when we were sled riding with family last Sunday. It was a very traumatic and heart-wrenching day, to say the least. We visited the emergency room in Clarion, PA and then we were whisked off via ambulance to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh within a matter of 2 hours. Evan fractured his left femur and the x-rays looked scary. While the doctors at the Clarion medical center told us Evan was going to need surgery, the orthopedic surgeons at Children's Hospital explained he was only getting a cast. At first I was relieved. "Oh thank God, no surgery! We can hopefully go home after his cast gets put on!"
Um, yeah, no, I was way off. Casting a 16 month old boy still requires a decent amount of sedation, which also requires an overnight stay at Children's Hospital. All 3 of us had a very un-fun sleepover last Sunday, and thankfully we were free to go the following afternoon.
After getting over the shock, emotions, and exhaustion from the weekend events (Steve and I were crying off and on for a good 3 days, along with Evan :( ), we are now left with caring for our loving little boy and this cast. This cast is a completely separate entity from our little man. It requires much love and attention just like Evan. And even though we are caring for it in every way we can, it is still going sour on us.
Seriously, a cast on a 16 month old is high maintenance. Gross doesn't even begin to explain it. Think of all the major bodily functions a little one does throughout the day... and now think of a little one doing it in a body cast. And we still have 7 more weeks to go.
My first few posts are mainly going to be about caring for a baby in a Spica cast. Steve and I have come to rely heavily on other parents blogs on Spica cast maintenance, so I figured we would contribute too and hopefully help others in need. Nurses and doctors aren't much help with the day-to-day care. You can only get help from other parents and from your own experiments. Steve and I are still figuring this cast out through tricks and trials. My hope is to offer guidance to others to get a head start (which was what we desperately needed but didn't have!).
Thanks for reading and I'll be back to post soon!
~Nikki
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