A Clubfoot Mom
Feeling overwhelmed with your cutie’s clubfoot diagnosis? Is the BnB transition harder than you thought? Need some basic clubfoot treatment information? This is the podcast for you! I have been there, am still there, and discuss all topics clubfoot related. A mixture of short and sweet episodes and conversations with other clubfoot parents, medical professionals, and members of the clubfoot community, this is the only podcast dedicated to clubfoot available. My goal is to provide resources and information for everyone on the treatment journey.
I love the opportunity to talk with other clubfoot people, although it can be difficult to find a quiet time and place to record in the chaos of my household. Shout out to my talented brother, Conor Murphy, for all the high-tech editing I could never dream of doing.
Please reach out if you are interested in sharing your story or have a particular topic you would like hear about!
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Listener Favorites
Conversation with Dr. Bouchard, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon in Toronto Canada.
This is an exciting episode to share as it features a conversation with my first Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Maryse Bouchard at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. After I give a very brief overview of the Ponseti Method for clubfoot treatment is and the role the surgeon plays in treatment, Dr. Bouchard and I dive in to discuss all things clubfoot. Dr. Bouchard talks about what drew her to pediatrics and why she loves working with clubfoot families. I appreciate Dr. Bouchard's willingness to be a guest on the podcast and listeners will learn so much from her about how she views the role of the surgeon in clubfoot treatment, where she sees clubfoot treatment heading in the future, and how important it is to create well-rounded resources for parents. We talk about what Dr. Bouchard wishes every parent knew about clubfoot treatment and one of her most memorable and special experiences she has had treating a clubfoot kiddo. I am thrilled that I get to share this conversation with you all and a huge shout out to Dr. Bouchard for her willingness to be a guest. Show notes: You can reach Dr. Bouchard through her assistant's email at Bonnie.louie@sickkids.ca
Conversation with Dawn Anderson, CEO and Founder of Canadian Clubfoot Support Society
This episode features a conversation with Dawn Anderson, the CEO and Founder of the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society, and fellow clubfoot mom. Dawn and I connected awhile back about our mutual passion for spreading clubfoot awareness, and her story is so inspiring that I had to share it with all of you listening. Dawn has a wealth of medical knowledge, as she has been a nurse for many years, and personal experience dealing with mistreatment during casting and making the decision to change doctors for her son. In our conversation Dawn talks candidly about the red flags she noticed during her son's casting and when she ultimately knew it was time to make the switch. Dawn also talks about what motivated her to start her non-profit Canadian Clubfoot Support Society and the project she is currently working on to help clubfoot parents everywhere. Dawn is an absolute joy to talk with and I really think you will benefit from hearing her story and certainly from everything she is working on with CCSS. Visit https://clubfoot.ca/ for more information.
Trying My Hand at Casting with Dr. John Herzenberg
I am excited to share this episode because I talk about the incredibly surreal experience of trying my hand at casting a baby foot mold with Dr. John Herzenberg. I was attending the IPOS (International Pediatric Orthopedic Symposium) with MD Orthopaedics, and connected with Dr. Herzenberg, who offered to let me try casting. I give a little background about my relationship with Dr. Herzenberg prior to the event, and why I was attending with MDO. I talk about what it felt like to actually feel the plaster and the different wrapping techniques. I am very grateful to the great Dr. Herzenberg for giving me this opportunity and I hope that I was a good student.
Conversation with Scott Reichenbach with Hope Walks
We are beginning the new year with a new season of "A Clubfoot Mom" podcast and the first episode features a conversation with Scott Reichenbach, President and Co-Founder of Hope Walks, a non-profit organization focused on providing clubfoot treatment in low-income countries around the world. We talk about everything from how the organization got started to their unique brace painting project. Scott also talks about the challenges clubfoot treatment faces in the global landscape and how the clubfoot community can address these issues on a larger scale. We talk about how one the key hurdles of clubfoot treatment is simply awareness both in the US and globally. Bringing awareness to what clubfoot is and that it can be treated is one of the first steps to helping every child born with clubfoot have the ability to receive treatment. I truly enjoyed speaking with Scott about all things clubfoot and am inspired by the work Hope Walks is doing to help clubfoot families around the world. I hope you enjoy the conversation and if you are interested in getting involved or want more information about the brace painting go to hopewalks.org
Pity
In this episode I open up about the one word that triggers me the most about my daughter's clubfoot treatment and diagnosis: pity. I read from the section of Clubfoot Chronicles that is all about this topic and I delve into why this particular word was so difficult for me. I talk about how I learned to deal with other's peoples pity and not take it on personally, while still acknowledging it as a trigger for me and allowing myself to process it accordingly. I hope you find this episode helpful on your journey with your cutie!
Conversation with Clubfoot Mom Rocky Berger
In this episode I have the opportunity to talk with a fellow clubfoot mom Rocky Berger about her journey with clubfoot treatment with her cutie. Rocky opens up about the challenges she faced during treatment and how they have coped with it all. We also discuss how Rocky learning about her son's clubfoot at birth, rather than in utero, impacted the way she processed the diagnosis and also approached treatment. Rocky wants to spread clubfoot awareness and talks about the different ways she is doing this within her community. I loved talking everything clubfoot with Rocky and really appreciated her openness about her experience. We are releasing this podcast in celebration of Rocky's cutie's 2nd birthday, so I hope you all enjoy listening to Rocky's story. Happy Birthday to a special clubfoot cutie!!
Feeling Overwhelmed as a Clubfoot Mom
In this episode I talk all about how overwhelming the clubfoot treatment journey was for me at times and how much it impacted my emotional landscape. I talk about how much responsibility I felt as I transitioned to being a stay at home mom to care for my cutie and my older kids full time, and how the clubfoot treatment also added to my feelings of being overwhelmed. I talk about how important it is to acknowledge your experience and how writing the book became a way to process my emotions about clubfoot and motherhood in general. This episode is full of a range of topics about the emotions I experienced as a clubfoot mom and while I may not have specific answers for your questions, my hope is that by sharing my experience it will help you explore yours a little deeper.
Conversation with Betsy Miller, Author of "The Parents' Guide to Clubfoot"
In this episode I get the chance to speak with Betsy Miller, Author of The Parents' Guide to Clubfoot and co-author of Hip, Hop, Hooray for Brooklyn. Betsy shares how she became involved in the clubfoot world and her unique perspective about clubfoot treatment as author and not a direct clubfoot parent. We talk about her upcoming project, Beyond Boots and Bar, a guided journal for clubfoot parents to capture their clubfoot treatment journey experiences and memories. My opportunity to talk with Betsy was a big deal for me as her book was the first clubfoot resource I used to research my own cutie's treatment, and was a seminal resource when writing my own book. It was an absolute joy speaking with her and I hope you all love listening to this as much as I loved recording it.
BnB Schedule Challenges
In this episode I talk all about the unexpected challenges we faced the gradually decreasing BnB schedule. While we were so excited for our cutie to be out of 23-hour wear, we struggled with trying to figure out when she needed to have her BnB on. I searched and searched for information or examples of how other parents managed it, but didnt come up with very much. Which lead me to dedicating a whole chapter of my book to this topic alone. So if you are like me and struggled to figure out the new schedule while managing all other moving parts of your life, this episode is dedicated to you. I hope you find some helpful information or solace in the knowing that you are not alone.
Conversation with Nicole Bytnerowicz, Co-Founder of Clubfoot C.A.R.E.S.
In this episode I get the chance to talk with co-founder of the non-profit organization Clubfoot C.A.R.E.S., Nicole Byternowicz. Her organization is a US based advocacy group that is focused on promoting clubfoot awareness and the Ponseti method of treatment, through education and empowerment. I was personally so excited to meet with her because their website was one of the main resources I used as a clubfoot parent and one of the places I frequently referenced in my book. Nicole is the mom of a clubfoot cutie and we talk all about her son's treatment and how its outcome lead to the beginning of the organization. We talk all about our experiences as clubfoot moms, and also about advocacy and spreading awareness about clubfoot. Nicole was a joy to talk to and is a real leader in this clubfoot community. I can't wait for you to hear this episode!
Conversation with Damaris Gibson Clubfoot Author and Mom
I am thrilled to share this episode with you because it features another clubfoot mom and clubfoot children’s book author, Damaris Gibson. She is the author of Pete's Neat Feet, a children's book about her son and his clubfoot treatment. I really loved this conversation because Damaris speaks authentically about not just the logistical aspects of clubfoot treatment but the emotional impacts as well. You all know how much I enjoy talking about the emotional process of clubfoot treatment. I really appreciate her willingness to tell her story and her encouragement for other clubfoot parents to share their stories too. We also talk about our writing processes and how we walked similar publication paths. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did having it. Thanks again Damaris.
Walking!!
In this short and sweet episode, I talk all about our clubfoot cutie's walking. This is such a special and complicated topic for clubfoot parents. It is so exciting to see start to walk, but it also can be a constant examination of how they are moving in the world. I recorded this podcast in part because of the looming question that clubfoot parents tend to have about whether or not their child will walk normally. I talk about our experience with our cutie and what we have see in her clubfoot walking journey.