"I just don't understand why this happened to him."
As the consultation was coming to an end, the mother finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
The child's right foot did not have the usual five toes. There was an extra toe next to the little toe, and some of the toes were also fused together.
"When he was born, I was extremely anxious. I felt like everything had collapsed."
No one expected the baby to be born with this condition. Along with anxiety, the mother also had many questions and found it difficult to believe.
Why?
Why did her perfectly healthy baby develop an extra toe?
Did the parents do something wrong?
I completely understand the mother's feelings. However, the exact cause of polydactyly is still not fully understood. It is generally believed that it may be related to gene expression or abnormalities that occur during cell division and development.
From the parents' perspective, it is very difficult to trace a specific cause during pregnancy. Some possible influencing factors include exposure to secondhand smoke, formaldehyde, and other hidden physical or chemical factors.
Therefore, parents do not need to be overly anxious in this situation. Although identifying the exact cause can be difficult, there are still effective ways to solve the child's problem.
During the consultation, the child was already 7 months old.
Apart from the appearance, the mother had also noticed that the child's foot was becoming wider. When wearing shoes, the toes were being squeezed, so she could only buy larger-sized shoes.
There was another important concern: the child was about to start learning how to walk!
The mother worried that if treatment was delayed, it might affect the child's walking ability in the future.
Her observation and concern were reasonable. For cases like this involving polydactyly combined with syndactyly, surgery can usually be considered when the child is around 6 months old.
At this age, the child's heart and lung functions are relatively mature. If the child's weight has reached around 6 kilograms and there are no other health problems, surgery can generally be performed safely.
Another reason is the walking issue that the mother was concerned about. At this stage, the child has not yet started walking. After recovery from surgery, the child can quickly adapt and will not be affected when learning to walk.
Of course, older children can also undergo surgical treatment.
However, parents need to pay more attention during the child's postoperative weight-bearing period. There is usually a period of adjustment, and encouragement and guidance from parents are very important.
This is also why early intervention around 6 months of age is preferred. Early treatment allows parents to have more energy and time to focus on the child's rehabilitation.
The child's condition was actually not particularly complicated. Generally, the extra toe on the inner side can be removed, and the fused toes can be separated. After recovery, the child can stand and walk normally.
For parents of newborns, facing conditions such as extra toes or extra fingers can naturally cause anxiety and worry. These emotions are very common.