The Medical Condition Brooke Shields' Daughter Rowan Was Diagnosed With At A Young Age

Hip dysplasia, also known as Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) in infants, is defined by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute as "a general term for infantile hip instability, dislocation, or shallowness of the hip socket." While one in 10 newborns suffer from hip instability, about one in 100 require treatment for DDH.

In her book "Down Came the Rain," Brooke Shields talks about how her daughter Rowan was treated for DDH as a newborn. "Rowan had been put in a leg and body harness because the balls at the tops of her thighbones weren't fitting properly into the hip sockets," the model writes. "Evidently, when women are pregnant, they secrete a hormone that makes their hips widen for childbirth. Sometimes babies, especially girls, react to this hormone in utero and are born with their hip sockets not completely formed. Then the baby has to wear a harness to keep the tops of the thighbones in place until the hip sockets develop properly."

According to People, Shields was at least able to lean on her medical team for support. "When you're a new parent and you have a child that has any kind of special need you rely so much not only on the ability of your surgeon or your doctor but the compassion," Shields shared in an interview, adding that she'd ring her doctor at Children's Hospital Los Angeles when any issues came up.