Baby screaming during casting - is this normal?

I need some reassurance please. We had cast number 3 today and my little boy SCREAMED the entire time. Like full on purple face screaming. The nurses said its fine but I feel awful. The other mum in the waiting room looked at me like I was torturing him.

Please tell me it gets easier?? I can barely see through my tears writing this

Oh love I remember this feeling so well. My daughter screamed through every single casting appointment. Every. Single. One. But you know what? Within 10 minutes of leaving the hospital she was asleep and totally fine.

The casting itself doesn't hurt them - it's the handling and the unfamiliar sensation they don't like. You are NOT torturing your baby, you are FIXING his foot. Keep going mama 💙💙

Completely normal! Our consultant actually said babies who scream tend to do better because they're moving less during the crying (the body goes stiff) which makes it easier to cast properly 😂 silver lining?!

Cast 3 was the worst for us too. By cast 5 she barely fussed. Hang in there x

As a paediatric orthopaedic nurse, I can reassure you this is extremely common. The casting process involves manipulating the foot into a corrected position which can be uncomfortable, combined with a baby being held still by unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar environment.

The plaster itself is not painful once set. Most babies settle within minutes of the cast being applied.

Please don't feel judged by others in the waiting room. Every parent in that clinic understands exactly what you're going through. You're doing an amazing job 💙

THIS. I literally could have written this post word for word 3 months ago. My son screamed so loud during cast 3 that a nurse from another dept came to check everything was ok 🙈

He's now 9 months in boots and bar, foot looks perfect, and he doesn't remember any of it. One day this will be a distant memory for you too ❤️

sending you a massive hug. it DOES get easier i promise. my advice - bring their favourite toy, a bottle/breast ready for straight after, and give yourself permission to cry too. its hard but its worth it xx

One thing that helped us was having my partner hold the baby during casting while I waited outside. I know that sounds terrible but I was getting so upset that it was making the baby worse. When I wasn't there, my husband said she was actually calmer 🤷‍♀️

Sometimes our anxiety transfers to them. Just something to consider!