Oh baby...Ruby finds her feet after plaster ordeal

A baby is rediscovering her legs after having them in plaster for half her life due to a hip problem.

Seven-month-old Ruby Davies, of Treboeth in Swansea, was diagnosed with hip dysplasia after staff at Singleton Hospital, where she was born, noticed an unusual click in her left hip.

An ultrasound confirmed the condition and she was put in a plaster cast reaching from her chest to her knees, stretching out her legs at right-angles, for more than three months.

Ruby's mother, Tara, who was preparing to start IVF treatment when she discovered she was pregnant with Ruby, said dealing with her daughter's condition was a challenge she hadn't been prepared for.

She said: "It was hard in the beginning. She couldn't wear any of the baby clothes we'd bought and it all had to be put away.

"We had to change her pram because it wasn't suitable and although we had three car seats we ended up having to hire one from a charity for hip dysplasia.

"It was very upsetting because when you find out you're having your first child you don't prepare for things like that."

Ms Davies said Ruby started making the most of her new-found freedom straight away, thanks to staff at Swansea's Morriston Hospital.

She added: "She's finding her legs, managing to roll over on to her belly and back and trying to eat her feet.

"She is coming along well. Nothing is holding her back. There won't be any development delay because of it - they caught it early so hopefully there won't be any long-term effects."

According to Neil Price, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Morriston, hip dysplasia can lead to a limp, hip pain and painful joints in later life if left untreated. It affects about one in every 500 children and his department deals with about 20 similar cases every year.

But Ms Davies wants to raise further awareness and plans to sell wristbands in aid of Steps, a charity that supports children and families with the condition.