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
Clubfoot Anthology Submissions
This episode is a call for submissions from clubfoot parents for the Clubfoot Anthology Betsy Miller and I are working on. I give the background for inception of the project, how Betsy Miller came up with the idea for the Clubfoot Anthology, how I got looped in, and what our goals are for the project. We want your voices to be heard. Submissions are accepted through September 2022 click this link for the submission https://www.thinkinginkpress.com/clubfoot-anthology-submission-guidelines/
Lindsay Loring: Treatment Update
In the first return visit to the podcast, Lindsay Loring gives us an update about her daughter and her current treatment plan. Lindsay was one of the very first guests on the podcast, where we talked about sleep tips for clubfoot cuties, and she shared her daughter's clubfoot story. A lot has happened since that episode was published, and Lindsay has so graciously offered to share the story of her daughter's continuing clubfoot treatment today. To say I am grateful for Lindsay sharing is an understatement, and when you listen, I know you will understand why.
Keeping your Cutie in their BnB
When your cutie enters BnB it can be hard to imagine the next 4/5 years of brace wear. Thinking about keeping your toddler from trying to remove their boots while you are sleeping can be overwhelming. In this episode I talk about what we have done to try and keep our Cutie from messing around and removing her boots at night. I won't pretend to know all the answers, but will tell you what I think has worked for us in hopes that it will work for you too! This is a follow up episode to the Importance of a Bedtime Routine as I talk about how the bedtime routine is the foundation of our Cutie's BnB wear.
Bernie Landels: Certified Infant Massage Instructor and Author
Bernie Landels is a certified infant massage instructor and author of the book, "Finding Their Feet" and in this episode we discuss how important feet are in to the developing infant brain. I am thrilled to bring you this episode because Bernie is so passionate about feet. Bernie talks about ways that parents can help stimulate the feet for continued development during casting and BnB phases of treatment. Bernie has so many insightful tips for parents and has dedicated time to creating resources just for the clubfoot community, This episode is worth the listen and I am so grateful to Bernie for being a guest!
Importance of a Bedtime Routine
In this episode I talk about why establishing a bedtime routine early on in your cutie's treatment can have long term benefits. I give details about how we established our own cutie's bedtime routine from the onset of her 23 hour BnB wear and how we have adapted it as she grew. I credit a lot of our cutie's compliance with the BnB to the routine we have created because she knows what to expect every time. I encourage you to help create your own routine with your cutie in the hopes that it aid to successful compliance as well. I will post some content correlating with this topic on IG throughout the week, and if you are listening this well after I posted, hopefully you can go back to find the information.
Julie Rose: Family Centered Care and Clubfoot
This episode features a conversation with Julie Rose is the Co-Chair for the Family Centered Care Advisory Council at The Hospital for Sick Children. When I heard Julie on a different podcast telling her personal story and talking about her experience with Family Centered Care, I knew I had to hear more. Thankfully, Julie agreed to talk to us about the importance of including the parents in any pediatric care, including clubfoot, and how that can be achieved through education, confidence, mental health check ins and care, and advocacy. We talk about how these concepts can be adapted into clubfoot care. A huge thank you to Julie for being a guest and I am so excited for you hear this episode.
Potty Training Tips for BnB
In this episode I talk about how we handled the nighttime challenges of potty training with the BnB. This wasn't a huge challenge for us with our daughter, so I talk about the things I thought made in successful in the hopes that it will help you find your own path to success with your cutie.
Dr. Steven Frick: Managing Parent Expectations and Providing Education
Dr. Steven Frick, Chief of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital/Stanford, Professor and Vice Chair of Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, talks about his personal experience of having a child born with clubfoot and how that lead to a passion for treating clubfoot as an surgeon. Dr. Frick discusses how he manages parent's expectations of clubfoot treatment from the very first visit and the common misconceptions that parents can have about clubfoot. He also discusses common signs of relapse (residual deformity) and how they can be treated. A huge thank you to Dr. Frick for being a guest and I know you will learn a lot from this episode.
Addie: A Clubfoot Sister
In this extra special episode, I talk with my oldest daughter, Addie, about her experience having a little sister with clubfoot. Addie is a very special kid, who is supremely kind, and has an incredible ability to speak about her experience at the young age of 9. Addie loves to perform and speak in front of others and is super excited to share her story with you. We talk about what it is like to have a sister with clubfoot the positives, like being able to help with treatment, and negatives, mom and dad having to give so much attention to the her sister. I am certain you will fall in love with Addie and what we call her "magic" when you listen to this episode.
Thank You to the Clubfoot Community
In honor of World Clubfoot Day on June 3rd, this episode is dedicated to all the clubfoot moms past, present, and future. I feel so strongly about the vital role clubfoot parents played in the rise of the Ponseti Method that the afterword of Clubfoot Chronicles is all about them. I am eternally grateful to the clubfoot moms who came before me, for the clubfoot moms I have found community in, and for the all the clubfoot moms who will continue to advocate in the future. There isn't a day that goes by that I do not think of all the people who made clubfoot treatment what it is today. So this one is for all of you. Everyone who is part of the clubfoot community this episode if for you.
Lori Howard: A Clubfoot Mom and Therapist
Lori Howard is not only a clubfoot mom and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist but she is the mother of the incomparable, and previous guest, Chloe Howard. If you listened to Chole's episode, you know that I just had to meet the mom behind this amazing clubfoot advocate and speaker. Lori and I discuss the grief and loss parents can feel when hearing a diagnosis that changes the expectations of having an "idealized child". Lori also dives into the impact having a child with special needs can have on the family unit and gives up some advice on how to manage our needs as parents. This episode is full of insightful information that really goes deep into the emotional impacts of being a medical caregiver and a parent simultaneously. A big thank you to Lori for sharing her story and expertise with us!
Dr. Mitzi Williams: Importance of Building Relationships and Creating Resources for Clubfoot Parents
Dr. Mitzi Williams is a Pediatric Foot and Lower Extremity Surgeon and Co-director of the Pediatric and Infant Foot Deformity Clinic at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, and the author of two children's books about clubfoot, My Boots and the to be released, My Big Boots. Dr. Williams and I have a great conversation about how important the relationship between the clubfoot treatment provider and parent is to create successful outcomes. She talks about how becoming a parent impacted her approach to caring for patients and their families, and why she wanted to create a educational resource for parents with her children's books. I found so much value in what Dr. Williams shared on this episode and can not wait for you to hear it. Enjoy listening and learning!