When my daughter was just thirteen months old, she broke her leg. It was the first night in our new home, and we were exhausted. She, of course, was over-stimulated and wouldn’t sleep in her new room, so we brought her to bed with us. I got up to use the bathroom, and evidently she tried to follow. Her dismount was a bit rough.
At first, we didn’t know it was broken. There was no bruising, no swelling, and she didn’t seem very upset. She had just learned to walk a few days before, and was now crawling again. We weren’t sure what to think. I believed she had a twisted ankle, but after a few days of not walking, we decided to take her to Urgent Care.
The doctor even seemed surprised that her leg was broken. A buckle fracture bought her a splint over the weekend, and then a cast for two weeks. She absolutely hated that cast. That cast, and her preferred sleep position, just didn’t jive. Nap-times and bedtime were a nightmare. We, as parents, felt just awful. We felt guilty and exhausted from sleep deprivation.
When the two weeks were up, she must have known. Her muscles had atrophied enough that she was able to slip the cast right off her leg! She did so the night before she was to have it removed.
I’m so thankful babies’ bones heal quickly!
She is doing well, and hasn’t had a problem with the leg since that time. Luckily, the few days that lapsed between the fall and the Urgent Care visit didn’t cause any more damage. She instinctively knew to protect that leg. Unfortunately, our broken-bone-radar wasn’t so keen, and I’m so grateful that we followed our gut and took her for x-rays later than never.
Moral of the story? Broken bones happen. Parents aren’t perfect. And it’s always better get things checked out, even if you think everything’s OK.
Has your little one suffered a broken bone? Did he or she show the classic signs of a break?
