Betsy MillerCritiques

Interesting Read!!!

My son Had developmental dysplasia of the hip that was noticed at around 6 months. At first I was concerned that there could be long term problems that would follow him around forever. After reading this book I had a new found understanding of what was going on and a new confidence in myself while talking to the doctors. I would recommend this book to someone needing a better understanding of hip Dysplasia

Miller has provided an excellent introduction to clubfoot for the concerned parent. It will also serve as an introduction to anyone who is simply curious about the condition.
The most important point for the parents of the newly-diagnosed is that clubfoot can usually be corrected with only minor surgery. Braces must be worn for years, however, although often only at night. Full recovery is the usual result; Miller lists several famous athletes who were born with clubfoot.
Don’t panic! A diagnosis of clubfoot does not mean that your child will be a “cripple”. Read this book for the facts.

I previously read the author's other book, "The Parents' Guide to Hip Dysplasia," so I was also very interested to read this one. As I mentioned in my other review, I am a nursing student and enjoy reading these types of books so that I can have a deeper understanding of the causes and treatments. This one interested me a great deal because I myself had to wear casts when I was younger, though I have no recollection of it. I think that this book will prove to be an extremely valuable resource for parents who have a child with clubfoot. The author goes to great lengths to explain everything in a way that is easy to understand. I also like the resources that she provides so that parents will have a plethora of information already found for them; all they have to do is go to whatever website that they find interesting from the list. A must read for anyone who has a child with clubfoot.

I do not have a child with hip dysplasia, but I am a nursing student and I was interested in this book because I want to be able to relate to both the parents and children who have to face this every day. This book was very informative and I feel as though, after reading it, I can understand the plight of those who suffer from hip dysplasia. I also think that if I ever come into contact with a child who has hip dysplasia, I will be able to implement more tactics that may help them.

This book will give you peace of mind and help you feel at ease as you and your child go through this journey together. There are many steps and tips and tons of advice to guide you. It includes many pictures and examples of how to slowly but gradually stabilize your child once again.

What a great resource for parent's of children with hip dysplasia. Awesome tools, information, tips regarding treatments and diagnosis, communication with medical professions, and simply support and advice from those who have been there. This book has earned a solid 4 stars from me!!

My rating system is as follows:

5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic. Passing on for others as a must read & encourage to review.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written with few errors. Passing on to community library for others to enjoy.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria, too many typo's, lack of character development, or simply unreliable story-line for me.
1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or didn't finish. Wouldn't recommend purchasing or reading.

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book I review was provided to me by the publisher, media group or the author for free and no financial payments were received, unless specified otherwise.

If your child has hip dysplasia (developmental dysplasia of the hip, or DDH), this book is a must-read. My daughter did have DDH and I had already purchased the 2008 edition of this book. I was delighted to receive the 2013 edition through the LT Early Reviewer program.

The newer book calls itself the "first edition," and I don't see all that much change between the two editions, beyond updates. The first book was already very good.

Both editions offer detailed information about what DDH is, how doctors check for it, how DDH is treated, how to communicate with health care providers (including getting a second opinion), and how to cope with the various treatments from Pavlik harness to surgery + spica cast. The writing is enriched with quotes from parents whose children have been treated for DDH.

Explanations that I found particularly helpful: What are those "angles" that doctors look for on ultrasounds and x-rays? What are the different types of braces that might be used? What kinds of baby carriers are safe? What are good questions to ask your doctor if your baby needs surgery? What are the different types of surgery that might be needed? Miller also includes information that crops up frequently on DDH discussion boards such as "what if DDH isn't the only problem your baby has" and "what should you expect when your baby is casted" (e.g., one tip--to try a diaper change before leaving the hospital to make sure you can manage it with through the hole in the cast--will save parents a lot of grief).

Things I missed, either removed in this new edition or never there: advice about nursing a baby in a Pavlik harness, an image of a Hewson brace, an image of what "petaling" on a cast looks like, a reassurance from the first book that normal swaddling with a receiving baby does not cause dysplasia (is that reassurance not true?), information about the "clamshell" cast and the hip abduction pillow that is used instead of a cast (maybe these treatments are too new).

The index in the new book seems more thorough. The additional resources section is updated.

I see that other reviewers have commented that the book could scare parents by giving information about treatments that they won't need. To me, that drawback is outweighed by the wealth of information that parents do need. Spend any time on a DDH discussion board and you'll realize that many parents wind up with doctors who don't have the right training to deal with this condition (e.g. regular orthopedists or regular pediatricians rather than pediatric orthopedists). It's hard to assess your doc when you don't know the first thing about DDH either. This book obviously doesn't sub for a medical degree, but if your doctor is unfamiliar with the basic info in this book, that's a sign that you should consider a new doctor, even if you need to travel to see one. The window of opportunity for treating DDH without surgery is very small. Plus, even when you have a fabulous doctor, you may not absorb everything you need to know, such as signs of femoral nerve palsy (a rare side effect of the harness), from an office visit. When my daughter was being treated, I read only those chapters that applied to us so as to not get freaked out by the more dire possibilities, but I'm glad I had the book to help me understand and carry out our doctor's recommendations.

Overall, this book is an excellent resource. I've already recommended it numerous times to parents online, and I'll continue to do so.

This is an informative and easy to understand book on hip dysplsia. The author also gives the reader a useful glossery, bibliography, and index at the back of the book. This would be a useful text for any parent of a child with hip dysplasia.

I really got a lot of good info from this book. My friend's infant was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and I wanted to be able to read this to give her some info on things that could help him since he seemed to be in pain. I ended up feeling this book was so helpful, I gave it to her when I was done reading. She loved it, and between this info and info from her doctor, her son is doing much better.

I received this book through the library thing program at no cost....this book is very informative straight to the point easy to follow and read . I would recommend this book to anyone in need of the information enclosed in the book

I personally do not know anyone with hip dysplasia, however after reading this book I understand the disease as well as I am sure that I could treat someone with it better. Also interesting because I treat dogs with hip dysplasia in the veterinary field.

This book is written for a very specific audience, so obviously it won't be a good choice for everyone. Those who are parents of children with hip dysplasia, however, will find it helpful.

The book focuses most on infants with hip dysplasia and the treatments and procedures that follow when hip dysplasia is diagnosed at birth or soon thereafter. It makes sense that the book would focus on this scenario, because that is what happens most often. Some cases, however, are not diagnosed until the child is older, sometimes not until the child is a teenager. The book has one chapter on "Recovery for Older Children and Adolescents" that should prove useful.

I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when I was five years old and underwent three surgeries, missing most of my kindergarten year at school. This was twenty-some years ago, so it was interesting to read about the casts and other recovery methods being used now compared to my experience. I'm not sure of the specifics with my case, but the book mentions that even "older children" usually only need to stay in the hospital for up to a week after surgery, but I feel like I was in the hospital for months (might not have been, but that's how I remember it - I did miss much of the school year).

One section hit home for me when it talks about "when the cast comes off" after surgery: "If the child is wearing a plaster cast, the doctor uses a saw to cut apart the cast and remove it. The saw is loud and makes the cast vibrate, which tends to scare young children." Um, yeah! I don't have too many concrete memories from this time in my life, but I vividly remember being scared to death that the doctor was going to cut my entire leg off when he removed my cast. I could feel the saw vibrations on my leg and could not understand (still can't) how a saw that cuts through plaster doesn't also cut through skin.

I hope that this is not something my own children will have to deal with, though I know that there is a 1 in 8 chance of it (according to the family history stats on page 5). I know I will be diligent about making sure that if there is a problem, it is caught and treated early so that surgery and casts are unnecessary.

All in all, a good book for parents of children with hip dysplasia. It explains things in layman's terms and lets parents know what to expect.½

[The Parents’ Guide to Hip Dysplasia] by [[Betsy Miller]]

The hip is a ball and socket joint. If the ball (femoral head) doesn’t fit into the hip socket correctly, that’s dysplasia. In the US, about 1.5 % of babies are found to have hip dysplasia. Newborns are routinely tested for this, and the most common treatment is a Pavlick harness. The harness holds the babies hips in a frog-like position, which allows the ball and socket joint to correct itself. The Pavlick harness is successful in treating hip dysplasia about 90% of the time.

Sixteen years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. We had a very nice orthopedist, who first saw her before she was 24 hours old. He (and everyone else in the treatment team) let us know that this was very treatable, and she’d be fine. In fact, that’s what happened. She wore the harness, which really wasn’t bad, for about 6 months. Her hip moved into place, she grew normally, and is now a healthy, athletic teenager.

I picked this book from the early reviewers, because I thought my experience as a parent might be helpful in reviewing this book. To be honest, I am just glad we didn’t have the book when my daughter was a baby. It would have freaked us out. We did better just putting our trust into a confident orthopedist.

It turns out, now that I have read the book, that some babies aren’t cured with the Pavlick harness; and they can need braces, casts, and even surgery. Sometimes the dysplasia isn’t diagnosed right away, and that makes it even trickier. I guess I vaguely knew this at the time, but I focused on the most likely, positive outcome. As a new parent, that’s what I needed.

For parents’ of babies who need more extensive treatment, this book could be helpful. It has lots of personal stories, and tips for caring for babies and young children in casts.½

This book contains explanations and suggestions that are practical and easy to understand. The experiences and knowledge of the authors is evident, along with her desire to ease the burden for others who have this common condition. She has given a true gift to anyone with hip dysplasia.

Author Betsy Miller was treated for hip dysplasia as a child, and she was inspired to write this book to provide support and information to parents in an accessible, reader-friendly format.

This book is wonderful! It is very easy-to-read and the pictures and diagrams truly help the reader understand exactly what the author is explaining. The personal stories and photos of families and children affected by clubfoot throughout the book was a very nice touch and, I think, would help calm down a parent who was recently told that their child had a clubfoot because they could see that they were not alone and that the problem could be solved.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about clubfoot or who has a child who has it.

This is a great guide for parents. It explains the Ponseti method of treatment and goes through each step in the process. The book describes the health care personell whom are invoved in the treatment process, and clearly explains what each person does.

Throughout the book, there are anecdotes from parents who have had a child with clubfoot. It is reassuring to read what other parents have done and their suggestions and supportive comments.

The book gives lots of helpful hints on all aspects of caring for a child being treated for clubfoot: from diaper changes to playing. It gives a good description of the braces that are used and how they work, as well as information about the types available and where to get them.

There are also support groups listed. It is a very complete resource for parents of children being treated with the Ponseti method for clubfoot.

Easy to read and understand guide for parents. Gives details without being overly technical. Quick guide that can be read in a short span of time but gives references for further information. Great book about a topic I have personal experience with.

“All the information a parent of a child with [hip dysplasia] needs is concisely dealt with in this fact-laden book. A must-read to make it through the days of dealing with hip dysplasia.”
- Nancy Sanders, owner of www.hip-baby.org, an online resource about hip dysplasia