The Incredible Pink Hulk

Meagan's arm braces arrived a few weeks ago - but I decided we wouldn't get her fitted yet because she was just about to go in for her surgeries.  Now that we are finally post op, we were able to get to Meagan's Ortho and pick up her arm braces.

When we got there, Terry (our ortho guy) tried the braces on Maura first to help Meagan see they wouldn't hurt.  It helped a little but Meagan still cried when he put them on her.  She just does not like any sort of equipment! She did well though and got used to them quickly.  They are actually really cool - almost like arm reinforcements.  They aren't stiff like a traditional brace, but they couldn't be too loose either because it wouldn't help stabilize her elbow ligaments.  The braces are almost a perfect "in between" support for Meagan.  They are stiff enough to support those elbows and prevent any more hyper extension... but they are loose enough where she can still fully bend her elbows if she wants to for crawling, sitting, eating, or playing with toys.  The hinges inside are custom made and very cool! Of course Meagan chose pink, so they are very bright.  Her body is still so tiny that the first time she put them on, she reminded me of the Hulk.

Trying on Maura first 

Meagan's turn!

At first Megs didn't move as much with them - I think just getting used to something on her arms was a bit of a challenge for her.  But she didn't fuss that badly either.  She just did a lot of sitting and some scooching forward.  We enjoyed watching her explore Terry's office the day we picked them up.

Liking her new arms

Later she got much more mobile with them on.  It helps her avoid a lot of face-plants when trying to crawl and her scooching is much stronger.  With her "Hulk" braces on, she is so much stronger and can use her arms much more effectively.  I'm excited to see how this helps facilitate more crawling in the near future.  Either way, she sure is cute as the Incredible Pink Hulk.  Little tough girl!