Juliet was around sixteen months old when her physical therapist at the time mentioned the way her legs were shaped — a definite bent out pattern that the therapist was concerned about.

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Juliet was close to being dismissed from physical therapy at the time, so the therapist suggested I take her to a pediatric orthopedic to have them looked at before the discharge. I had never really paid attention to the way Juliet’s legs looked, and I never noticed them impacting her walking or running, but I made the appointment. At the appointment the doctor said that the shape of her legs was due to the position she laid in womb. He said judging by the looks of her legs, she mostly stayed crossed legged while inside. I was relieved to find out that most children’s bodies correct themselves on their own, and that there was no need for braces or special shoes. If she had not improved by the age of 3, I should bring her in then. Armed with that knowledge I felt relieved, as did her therapist, and Juliet graduated from physical therapy a few short months later.

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As Juliet grew I tried to pay more attention to her leg structure. She preferred sitting in a W formation which I was told exaggerated the stance of her legs more, so I tried to make a conscious effort to correct that by making her adjust when I saw sitting in a W. In truth I never really worried about it after the initial doctor appointment because Juliet could climb, jump, run, and all together was way more active physically than Drake was, and his legs were fine. Sometimes people would comment about how her legs were bent when she was standing or running, but I always told them it would correct itself naturally.

Around two and a half I happened to be at the mall shopping with Juliet during the holiday season when we bumped into her old physical therapist again. It was an unexpected coincidence and her therapist marveled at how far along she had come in the year she last saw her. Juliet didn’t remember her, but she got into an fun chasing game with the therapist’s daughter. Juliet’s therapist asked me again if I had her legs checked out. I reminded her that I did, and she was still 6 months from turning 3. Her therapist said while it had definitely improved, it might not hurt to get them looked at again to see if anything had changed or if the doctor had any new suggestions since it was clear that they splayed outward,especially when she ran.

It took me a few more months before I decided to try to take Juliet in. I had watched her movements more and while I didn’t feel like they were a hindrance to her abilities, I was worried that perhaps as she grew older it would become more of an issue.

We met with the same doctor who saw her a year earlier. When he saw her he noted right away how improved and different her legs were, which was true — they had changed a lot — and gave me the same information. She was simply built like that. Her hips were naturally more splayed in some ways, due to the way she laid in womb and developed, and the actual bones and structure of her body were fine in a way that braces wouldn’t make an impact in changing them. Instead he said as she grew she might become more conscious and aware of her leg placement and start to try to turn them out consciously or adjust the way she moves if it bothers her. He noted that her leg placements were naturally looser going outward, like sitting in the W position, and tighter going inward, thus possibly making it more difficult for her to sit Indian style.

After the appointment I brought it up with her Early Intervention case worker. She also noted the way Juliet moved, which was most noticeable when she ran, but since she could run and jump and climb uninhibited, she wouldn’t qualify for services again. She gave me some suggestions for trying to make Juliet work to turn her hips through pushing weighted things, encouraging her to sit Indian style and as she grows possibly trying to make her conscious of physically turning her legs out so her body would slowly adjust to the new position.

One of my friends suggested starting her in ballet class, since many of the movements and stances in ballet require turning your legs outward. I am considering the option since Juliet loves dance and music and while I’m sure a class for a 3 year old won’t involve a lot on proper stances, it couldn’t hurt to give her some kind of body awareness.

As a parent I am less concerned about the shape of Juliet’s legs, but more worried about her own self consciousness as she gets older. Nothing about her movements stand out to me, but I do admit I find myself studying how everyone walks and runs now!  If Juliet becomes bothered by this issue and it isn’t corrected through ballet, letting her push heavier objects in her stroller, etc., we might persue private physical therapy later down the road. I’m hoping right now if we are conscious and slowly work at it through these simpler methods that she will probably like anyway, it will slowly correct itself.