Chances of an SB baby having clubbed feet

[lrllnd1]

Hi, I am having a baby with SB in April and am just wondering if most babies born with SB have clubbed feet or other foot deformities. I had an ultrasound at 22 weeks and the baby's feet still look fine and we are having another ultrasound this friday, I will be almost at the 27 weeks along. Are clubbed feet a really big deal should it make me more concerned if her feet are starting to deform.
Thanks

[janjanwhit]

I am having a baby boy with SB in February. he has one clubbed foot and the other is slightly rotated. Clubbed feet are a very minor problem. My specialists told me its not something that concerns them at all. Easily fixed with casts unless its quite severe and then an op. It doesnt cause the babies pain or anything. It would make it impossible for them to walk on though and wear shoes. My babies feet havent gotten any worse over my various scans. Mildly rotated feet can sometimes fix themselves.

[Dodger67]

I had clubbed feet too. Its definitely not worth worrying about - really is a trivial "sideshow".

[ZoesMom]

I am having a baby boy with SB in February. he has one clubbed foot and the other is slightly rotated. Clubbed feet are a very minor problem. My specialists told me its not something that concerns them at all. Easily fixed with casts unless its quite severe and then an op. It doesnt cause the babies pain or anything. It would make it impossible for them to walk on though and wear shoes. My babies feet havent gotten any worse over my various scans. Mildly rotated feet can sometimes fix themselves.
:fyi:
It does NOT make it impossible to walk. Both of Zoe's feet where clubbed. While she was getting them casted there was never ANY talk of it being impossible for her to walk. Actually I've been told a couple of times that she will probably be a walker. And even if they babies feet are tighter than usual and the casts dont fix them all the way most of the time they just do what is called a heel cord release, which Zoe had done on one foot and it was no big deal she slept right through it.

[LisaJoy]

I think Jannah meant it would be difficult to walk or wear shoes if the clubbed feet went unrepaired.

Random bit of history -- surgical repair of club feet was one of the first orthopedic surgeries to be performed routinely on children (1860s-ish -- right after anesthesia was first used for surgery). I've seen lots and lots of "before and after" photos from the late 1800s. Many did walk on club feet, but it was very difficult and the "before" photos are terrible, because these were usually older children who'd been walking on their deformed feet for their whole lives.

Anyway, club foot is a "no biggie" today. Nothing to worry about!

[angel]

I had one clubbed foot and i was able to wear shoes. I had it repaired at 6 years old and you can't tell it was ever clubbed at all. I actually looked to the other day to see how much the small scars had faded (there were 3) and i can't even find them now. Club foot is such an easy fix either way it will be fine.

Angel

[Gymp]

Yes,both my feet were clubbed too.My first surgery to fix them was at 13 years old for the left foot and after that had healed the next foot was done.I walked with the clubbed feet just fine before the surgeries,albeit with a big bounce in my stride.My toes still point up instead of straight out sort of small "r" shaped toes,if you can imagine it from a side view,they go up and then straight out were the knuckle in the toe is.Instead of using my toes for balance and support when walking I use the balls of my feet.They offered to fix my toes too but I declined as I was walking fine and the prior surgeries had taken the big bounce out of my gait so to me that was enough.

As a side note,I have the same problem with my baby fingers (the pinkys).The tendons are way to short and they're like hooks instead of fingers,I can't straighten them out and they've been like that since birth.Nothing was ever mentioned about fixing those while growing up,I don't ever remember the doctors even looking at them at all.

Gymp

[lrllnd1]

Thanks for the info. I guess I won't really worry about that for now.

[smoop]

I was told Analise would have clubbed feet during ultrasound but they were wrong. I'm not sure how often that happens but something to keep in mind. Also, from my understanding, it's just another obstacle to overcome but not a big one.

[angel]

my cousin just had a son dec 30th and his feet are clubbed. Nothing else wrong he is a perfectly healthy baby boy but his feet are very turned in the bottoms are facing each other. They are taking him in to have them treated in the next few months.

Angel

[janjanwhit]

I meant if left untreated.

[angel]

I don't know anything about if they are left untreated. It is so easy to fix everyone i have ever known did have them treated.

Sorry i couldn't be of more help.

Angel

[janjanwhit]

I got told by my specialist that it is caused by nerves that arent working properly. They become more pessimistic about sb babies with clubbed feet being able to walk. However i have learnt that every baby is different. Two babies with sb in the same place can be completely different. Some babies with sb high up do better then those with lower lesions that thereoetically should do better.
It kind of sucks in a way. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Sb is so complex that the doctors are constantly being surprised. They can only give very broad estimates of function. I dont think they know as much about sb as they claim to.

[angel]

I got told by my specialist that it is caused by nerves that arent working properly. They become more pessimistic about sb babies with clubbed feet being able to walk. However i have learnt that every baby is different. Two babies with sb in the same place can be completely different. Some babies with sb high up do better then those with lower lesions that thereoetically should do better.
It kind of sucks in a way. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Sb is so complex that the doctors are constantly being surprised. They can only give very broad estimates of function. I dont think they know as much about sb as they claim to.

I grew up with SB and i know first hand that they don't always know what they are talking about. They try but you pointed out the number one fact that is true of all of us. We are ALL different!! With a condition that varries so much how could one possibly know the answers to fit every child? It is impossible. It is a wait and see game it always has been.

Case in point when i found out i was pregnant with my son i was told by a doctor that i should abort. He said and i quote " If you feel it is your life's purpose to be a mom and you wouldn't be able to be complete without having a baby then go for it otherwise i wouldn't try it." I knew enough by then to know that everything was an educated guess so i told him well i guess we are gonna go for it and just see what happens.

Everything was fine!

My son's neuro always said the phrase "by definition he shouldn't do this or that" but he was the first to point out that not everyone fit the definitions. He told me he would walk with crutches like me (he doesn't he walks without aid) they told me he couldn't be potty trained (it was a very very long and difficult road but he is) You have to watch your child and see what they are capable of. Don't hold them back let them try anything they want to try. You will be very very surprised at what your child will be able to do!

Angel

[lisawalker23]

Hi, I am having a baby with SB in April and am just wondering if most babies born with SB have clubbed feet or other foot deformities. I had an ultrasound at 22 weeks and the baby's feet still look fine and we are having another ultrasound this friday, I will be almost at the 27 weeks along. Are clubbed feet a really big deal should it make me more concerned if her feet are starting to deform.
Thanks
i dont think sb babies have other abnormalities other than the water on the brain i cant really remember the name for that
what has ur neuro surgeon told you??
there is a women call ann gillard she would be a great contact for you where are you based as im in bristol but i found her a great help. hope all goes well

[Dodger67]

i dont think sb babies have other abnormalities other than the water on the brain i cant really remember the name for that

Hi Lisa

I don't want to "bite the newbie" (as it is called on Wikipedia) BUT the word "Hydrocephalus" appears hundreds of times all over this forum.

Also it is blatantly obvious (in this thread, as well as others) that babies with SB often do have related conditions such as clubbed feet.

[lrllnd1]

Hi, I had another ultrasound firday. Big is growing well just under 2 pounds. Her feet are still not clubbed and the size of the ventricles are larger that they should be so but not extreme and she does have chari malformation but it does not seem severe. the Doctor actually believes the Lesion is lower than L3 maybe L5, but he is still saying L3 because he wants to be conservative. I go for another ultrasound in 3 weeks. It is amazing how much difference 4 weeks makes when you look at the ultrasound. The doctor says he will schedule a c section at 39 weeks. He suspects they will install the shunt when they close the sac at the lesion.

[lrllnd1]

Just wondering how often the Neurosurgeon install the shunt the same time as the close the lesion site?

[ZoesMom]

Zoe's Nuerosurgeon NEVER did them together because he said if they are done at the same time and one of the sites gets infected ALL of them will get infected. Plus most docs want to wait and see if the hydro goes down by itself after back closure.

[janjanwhit]

my doctors want to do it at the same time. sometimes the babies arent big enough to have them done at the same time though apparently.

[Dodger67]

Only do it at the same time if it is blatantly obvious that the baby definitely needs a shunt. Sometimes the hydrocephalus dissapears by itself within a few days or weeks.

[janjanwhit]

well i shall pray that they wait and see and he doesnt need one then. it would be great not having to worry about the shunts performance all the time. it sounds like shunts are the most likely things to go wrong, or that people have problems with.