Diapering with Spica Cast

Hello everyone,

My daughter, Eva, just had the super hip surgery on January 16th at Mount Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. Dr. Paley performed the surgery and, though it was an agonizing 9 hour surgery, it was a success and her hip looks perfect. She has been in a spica cast for 11 days now and we have had no problems with soiling of the diaper (knock on wood). So, I thought I should share my diapering technique for those of you who are going to be going through this.

Supplies needed:
Poise pads (highest absorbancy)
Pampers #2 Diapers
Pampers #6 Diapers

I attach the pad to the #2 diaper and tuck it in the cast. Make sure it is tucked in everywhere. In the beginning, she had swelling so you have to be a little careful of the scar under the cast, etc. Now, the swelling is completely gone so it is much easier. After the #2 is securely tucked in, I put the #6 over the top and fasten it like you normally would any diaper. It is big enough that it fits over the cast. The #6 keeps everything secure and in place. The other key factor is CHANGE THE DIAPER OFTEN! That is very important. I change it every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4-5 at night. If it is a poopie diaper, you have to make sure you change it right away!

I hope this helps. The past 11 days have been very manageable. It is amazing how they just adapt. Eva is trying to roll over now so I am sure she will figure out how to move around soon. As far as entartainment, we have a "cast fairy" who brings her something new everyday to keep her entertained. Some examples: Play Dough, coloring books and crayons, Dora or Diego play sets (those keep her entertained for hours), puzzles (these are great b/c it forces them to stay on their belly for a while), Mr. potato head, any arts and crafts. We also bought a wagon to carry her around the house. She sits in the wagon while I make dinner and I can also take her outside in it. I also have a 6 month old so I can put them both in the wagon and go outside. Bean bags are also key as they are soft and comfy for them to lay in. It is important to keep as much normalcy as you can. So I try to still do things we did before -- I just adjust them to her needs now. I mover her around from room to room, take her outside, take her for car rides, have her friends over, hold her and dance to barney songs, etc.

Anyway, hope this helps. Any questions, feel free to ask!!!! Also, you can call us anytime at 610.688.4272. Last but not least, I want to say that I know this is VERY SCARY, but it is very manageable. It is much worse for us as parents than it is for them. Eva laughs and plays like she did before it is just that now she lays down instead of running around.

Maria