Take Time to Enjoy Your Baby

One of the hardest parts of dealing with a baby with club feet is that you feel as if you’re on “emergency patrol” all the stinkin’ time.  Taking care of a baby is hard enough, but once you introduce a challenge (like club feet), it becomes so much more.  And while club feet isn’t as serious as cancer, down syndrome, or a thousand other things, don’t fool yourself into believing that it’s going to be “easy.”

It’s not.

Dealing with club feet is hard.  Whether it’s dealing with casts, clothing choices, lack of sleep, or sores from the braces, as a parent you feel as if you’re on the go all the time.  This is only increased by weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly) trips to the hospital or doctor’s office.  Just the logistical feat (ha!) of dealing with clubbed feet is enough to make you stress.

Somewhere, in the midst of this, you need to find a way to enjoy your baby.  For us, Eli wakes up two - three times a night.  Sometimes because he’s hungry.  Sometimes because he’s wet.  But usually because his feet are bothering him (whether it’s because he’s in pain or just in an “I-can’t-sleep” position, it can be hard to tell.)

I’ll be the first to admit I cringe when I hear him crying at night.  I hate getting up.  But what I’ve also learned is that those late night feedings / "comfortings" are my favorite times with him.  There’s nothing to distract me.  I can sit an listen to him breathe, or watch him eat.  And as a parent, there really is nothing better.
 
Trust me, I despise getting up every night - but I also love that time with him.  Yet, I don’t want to lose out on this time.  So I’ve decided to enjoy it the best I can, because in a few months it will be gone.  And I’ll never get the chance again.  And trust me, he’s already growing up too fast!

So take time to enjoy your kid.  Even if his (or her) health problems keep you up at night!