Harvick . The Broken Leg

Yesterday did not go as planned . . .

After Harvick and Jarrett had woken at 5:00am and been fed, Harvick was quite upset.  In an attempt to help Ryder sleep, Patrick took Harvick in the bedroom to calm him down.  After trying several different positions, Patrick repositioned Harvick one more time, but when doing so, heard a pop in his leg, and Harvick became even more upset (about 6:00am).

Patrick; however, noticed that Harvick's right leg went limp. 

We were able to console him, and he even fell asleep.  We thought maybe he had just hurt it, and wasn't moving it, so we layed him down to look at it again . . . and Harvick started screaming.

We immediately got Ryder up and dressed, packed up essential milk, and left our house headed for the ER.  Patrick dropped Harvick and me off to check in, while he took Ryder and Jarrett to my parent's house nearby.

We checked in about 6:50am, and the nurse checking us in stated she felt that it was a hip issue, based on my explanation of events and symptoms.  Harvick was calm during the process, and didn't really show any indication of pain unless his leg wasn't supported.  Thankfully, the check-in process went relatively quickly, and we were taken back to a room.  Patrick joined us there.  The doctor examined Harvick, and stated he thought it was just a sprain, but decided to x-ray both hips just to be sure.  After an x-ray of the right hip/leg, it was evident the femur was broken.

Unfortunately, the hospital we were at does not treat infant broken bones, so we had to be taken by ambulance to Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC).  Because of the break, the doctor at the ER put a temporary splint on Harvick's leg, which made it not possible to put him in his car seat.

I rode in the ambulance with Harvick while Patrick followed behind.  It was scary, even though we knew the issue was treatable.  Riding in an ambulance was hard.

Once at PCMC, Harvick was evaluated further by several doctors.  The Orthopedic Surgeon stated the break was "very clean", and not near growth plates.  There would be no long-term effect of the broken leg.  The decision was made to put Harvick in a Pavlik Harness, rather than a hard cast.  Due to the location of the break, a cast would have been "full-body" - extending from his torso to his toes.  The break was not severe enough to warrant this type of cast.  The Pavlik Harness is used to treat hip issues, but by holding his right hip in place, it will suspend the leg in a "zero-gravity" type position, allowing the bone to heal.

Once fitted for the harness (waiting to find an available harness took the longest time), Harvick was monitored to ensure the pain management plan the doctors had prescribed would be effective for him.

We finally returned home just after 3:00pm . . . about 8.5 hours after leaving the house.

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Harvick seems to be doing well, all things considered.  Already this morning he is acting more like himself.  The biggest challenges we face with him are how I will nurse him (hopefully, I will still find a way that I can do it in tandem with Jarrett), and how to position him.  Fortunately, he is comfortable on his back (even though he has previously often preferred being on his stomach); and, he can sit in both the swing and the Nap Nanny.

Sleeping in the swing.

In the Nap Nanny.

After dinner, we all went outside to enjoy a little fresh air while Patrick dug holes for our new trees.

Harvick laying on his back - a good shot of the whole harness - the left leg is in the harness to help him keep his hips aligned; however, it is quite loose, so that he still has the ability to move his leg freely.

Ryder, enjoying the sunshine!

Jarrett, hanging out on the blanket with Harvick and me.

We were worried about how sleeping would go, considering Harvick likes to be swaddled.  Thankfully, he was a sleeping champ (only getting up once for pain medication and a little milk)!

Harvick with baby legs and mittens on his arms and hands to help him stay warm, and his legs propped up slightly.
(Harvick on the left (it's even more obvious now, given the harness), Jarrett on the right)