Parents Patricia and Daniel are unable to bathe their baby girl, now seven weeks, and her movement is completely restricted by the Pavlik harness which aims to correct her hip dysplasia.

“The harness goes over her shoulders and chest and holds the hips up with the legs apart in the froggie position – which is the best position for the hip joint to be in,’’ Mrs Thomas said.

‘’We can’t take it off her at all; we have to take her to the physiotherapist at Wollongong Hospital once a week who takes it off to treat her, and bathe her.

‘’It’s a bit sad to have to miss out on that bath time and seeing her chubby little legs, but it doesn’t cause her any pain and will hopefully cure her of this condition.’’

Hip dysplasia or ‘clicky hips’ – which occurs when the ball and socket of the hip do not fit together in their normal position – affects one in 50 Australian babies. 

However new research by Healthy Hips Australia shows that more than half the parents surveyed had never heard of it prior to their child’s diagnosis. Eight per cent thought it only happened to dogs.

‘’We didn’t know anything about it so it was a complete surprise when it was picked up during the newborn screening test,’’ Mrs Thomas said. ‘’They say it’s more common in girls, in babies born breech, or where there’s a family history. We’re not aware of any history but Eden was in the breech position up until 34 weeks.

‘’We were just lucky that it was picked up early, because if it’s picked up later in life it can be harder to rectify.’’

Sarah Twomey, founder of Healthy Hips Australia, said many medical experts believe the trend of swaddling – or wrapping – newborns was a contributing factor to the rising rate of late diagnosed hip dysplasia in the country.

During Healthy Hips Week she’s working to raise awareness of the condition which can result in months, or even years, of treatment.

‘’It’s more common than many people realise, and if not picked up in infancy it can require surgery to correct,’’ Ms Twomey said. ‘’If left untreated it can lead to chronic pain, arthritis and even the need for total hip replacements.’’

Early intervention is proving successful for Eden, with scans showing one side of her hips was back in a normal position while the other should be righted in a month.

‘’We’re hoping the brace will come off then,’’ Mrs Thomas said. ‘’If not she’ll need a more rigid brace.

‘’However after that she should develop normally and meet all those regular childhood milestones.’’