Clubfoot is a relatively common condition affecting about one in a thousand babies. The lower leg, ankle and foot is twisted inwards and the Ponseti method of treatment to correct the condition generally begins soon after birth. This is likely to involve slowly manipulating the limb back into a normal position using a series of casts, gentle movements, stretching and a brace.
Jade Markovanovic lives in South Australia with her husband and three children. Like her older brother who is three, nine-week-old Mahlia was born with clubfoot.
“My son had both feet clubbed and will continue wearing braces until he’s five,” said Jade. “Mahlia’s treatment started when she was three weeks old. She’s having tenotomy surgery to lengthen the tendon and will then have another 2-3 weeks of casting before moving on to a brace.”
When a baby is wearing a plaster cast, bathing can present a huge challenge. Fortunately, Jade’s previous experience with her son meant she knew exactly where to turn.
“I came across Bloccs waterproof protectors after seeing a comment from another mum on an Australian Facebook page about clubfoot. I did some Googling and ordered them online.”
Messaging Bloccs direct, she said: “The protectors are fantastic! We bought the smallest size children’s short leg one for Mahlia and it’s worked perfectly over the last few weeks. Thank you for such an amazing product.
“It’s meant more than you can imagine to be able to still bathe our little clubfoot cutie.”