Toddler whose feet turned out at right angles takes her first steps Sophie Parker was born with dislocated hips and her feet began sticking out Diagnosed with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip when 12 months old Could not hold her own body weight, straighten her legs or walk Had both her legs broken and metal bolts inserted into her hips Now two, she has now taken her first steps and is on road to recovery A toddler born with a rare condition that made her feet run out at right angles has taken her first steps. Sophie Parker was born with dislocated hips due to a rare condition called Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH). This meant she couldn't straighten her legs, stand on her own, or walk. The toddler, from Redhill, Surrey, had to have both of her legs broken and metal bolts inserted to rebuild her hips. Sophie Parker (with parents Lee and Laura) was born with a rare condition that made her feet turn out at right angles Diagnosis: Sophie was suffering dislocated hips due to a rare condition called Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) Recovery: Sophie can now walk properly for the first time thanks to surgery Without the surgery, it is likely that Sophie, now two, would not have been able to walk properly, and she would have had further hip problems in the future. Her mother Laura picked up on her condition when she noticed her feet were sticking outwards. Mrs Parker, 31, said: 'Her feet were pointing at right angles, from the age of just eight weeks old. 'I was a first time mum and I didn't know if Sophie was developing correctly. 'Doctors reassured me there was nothing wrong, but it just didn't look normal.' She said: 'Had her condition been picked up earlier, it could have potentially been rectified with a less invasive procedure, involving what is known as a Pavlik Harness where the hips are held in place to encourage them to grow around the socket. 'We're relieved that we pushed to have further scans or we may still not know about Sophie's DDH today. I think it was a mum's instinct.' As Sophie began to crawl, Laura and her husband Lee noticed Sophie was dragging her legs along the floor. It looked as if she had wonky hips. It was clear that she had a problem with her stability.' said Mr Parker, 36. A further scan revealed that Sophie didn't have fully formed hip joints and both were severely dislocated. This meant she couldn't straighten her legs or stand on her own. During surgery, both of Sophie's legs were broken and metal bolts were inserted to rebuild her hips Recovering: Without the surgery, it is likely that Sophie, now two, would not have been able to walk properly, and she would have had further hip problems in the future At 14 months old, Sophie went through the first of two procedures to try and reposition her hips. This involved breaking one of her femurs each time and reducing the hip socket around the top of her leg, before bolting them back into the correct position. 'Just hearing what they were going to do to her was terrifying,' said Mrs Parker. It sounded frightening but we we told by the surgeon that it was the only option. Following the surgery, Sophie had to wear a full body cast, which stretched from her chest to her ankles, to allow her hip sockets to grow back around the bones. She was strapped into the cast for 24-hours a day, to hold her hips in place. This meant Laura and Lee had to re-learn how to change nappies and buy her a range of specialist medical kit, including a customised £250 car seat. Lee, a TV reporter, said: 'It was a bit of a struggle because we couldn't look after her in the ways we were used to. But we just had to do what was necessary. If it meant Sophie would be able to walk properly, it was worth it. Just weeks after the second operation, her cast was removed and Sophie began to try and pull herself up on furniture, and move around the house in her walker. She can now walk, but tires easily Road to recovery: Sophie will have more surgery later in the year when she will have the metal pins removed from her hips 'She had very little balance and her confidence was badly knocked, so we had to keep encouraging her to keep going,' Mrs Parker, a finance assistant said. But she slowly began to get the hang of it. She was very scared at first and so were we but we had to do what was best for our little girl. She can now walk, but she gets tired quite quickly and then tries to revert back to crawling. She's getting there though. 'The operation took a lot out of her and it's amazing that I'm finally getting my little girl back.' Sophie will have more surgery later in the year when she will have the metal pins removed from her hips. Had Sophie's condition been picked up earlier, it could have potentially been rectified with a less invasive procedure, say her parents For the first six weeks, she will have holes in her femurs, leaving her at risk to breaks while she heals. Her father said: 'A lot of adults would complain if they had to go through this, but she's been fantastic throughout all of her treatment. We are so proud of her, she's a superstar. 'Providing everything stays where it should, there is nothing to say Sophie won't live a fully mobile life.' Sophie's parents are now battling to raise awareness of the rare condition, which affects one to three per cent of newborns but which often isn't picked up until later in life. Sophie's parents are now battling to raise awareness of the rare condition, which often isn't picked up until later in life Laura has since organised a walk for Sophie and other children with DDH to raise awareness of the condition. All of the children who took part in the "little steps" event were 2-3 year-olds who have had surgery because of DDH or are children who wanted to support their friends. We just wanted to make DDH a condition that all new parents are aware of, as early diagnosis is key. The walk, which was held yesterday, was for the charity "STEPS" which has helped the family through their tough time. STEPS support families who are affected by lower limb conditions, helping them to make confident and informed decisions about treatment and guide them through what is often a confusing and difficult time.