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When Makenna Gunter learned during her pregnancy that her unborn son had clubfoot, she became worried.

“Obviously, it’s scary to hear anything that could potentially be wrong,” says Makenna, of Boiling Springs, Pa. “I was immediately Googling and doing all the research I could.”

Soon after the diagnosis, however, she and her husband, Matt, connected with Melissa Meyer, DO.

Dr. Meyer, a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at UPMC in Central Pa., answered Makenna and Matt’s questions and calmed their concerns. After their son, Beckham, was born, Dr. Meyer treated his clubfoot with casting and the “boots and bar” process.

Today, Beckham is a happy and healthy 18-month-old.

“As a first-time parent, there are already so many things you’re learning and have questions about,” Makenna says. “I have my resources like my sisters and my friends who have had kids for the normal baby stuff I could ask, but I didn’t know anyone personally who has gone through (clubfoot).

“So, having that person like Dr. Meyer, who we felt so comfortable to reach out to with any questions, was super nice.”

A Mid-Pregnancy Diagnosis

Makenna was getting her 20-week anatomy scan when her care team noticed a potential clubfoot on the ultrasound. A referral sent her to UPMC Maternal Fetal Medicine in Central Pa., where they confirmed the diagnosis.

When a baby has clubfoot, the foot turns inward instead of remaining in its typical position. It can be mild or severe and affect one or both feet, but treatment can correct it.

“After I read a little bit more about it, I was honestly a little bit grateful it was only a clubfoot, and it was so treatable because I know there are so many more things that could happen,” Makenna says.

“Once the initial shock wore off, I was like, ‘OK, this is something we can handle, and he’ll be fine.’”

Makenna and Matt met with Dr. Meyer soon after the diagnosis. Dr. Meyer explained that they wouldn’t know the severity of Beckham’s condition until he was born. But she told them that there was a treatment course they could follow.

Talking to Dr. Meyer put Makenna even more at ease.

“It was a little bit of the unknown until he was born and they could get eyes on his foot to see the exact timeline,” Makenna says. “But talking to her before really helped answer questions for the time being.”

Although she developed preeclampsia late in pregnancy, Makenna delivered her healthy baby boy in November 2023.

Going Through Treatment

At Beckham’s birth, Makenna and Matt received good news: His clubfoot was mild and affected only his right foot.

“We got pretty lucky,” Makenna says.

The first stage of Beckham’s treatment came three weeks after his birth. Dr. Meyer fitted Beckham with a cast that covered much of his right leg. A week later, Dr. Meyer replaced that cast with another, and a week after that, replaced the cast again.

The casting process progressively turned Beckham’s foot to its rightful position.

Dr. Meyer told Makenna and Matt that Beckham might need a tenotomy after removing the third cast. A tenotomy is a surgical procedure that cuts the Achilles tendon, releasing tightness and helping to correct the clubfoot.

However, the three casts effectively adjusted Beckham’s foot to the correct position, so he didn’t need a tenotomy. Instead, he progressed to the next stage of treatment: the boots and bar process.

Beckham wore two boots connected with a bar at the heel as part of the boots and bar process. The device helps keep the feet in the proper position after casting.

Beckham first had to wear the boots and bar for 23 hours a day.

“He did not like it,” Makenna says with a laugh. “He’s very active. He wanted to move a lot, and that kind of constricted him.”

“We could tell he was a little more agitated by it because it is restricting, and it’s heavy, and he was still so young,” she adds.

Beckham also has sensitive skin and developed blisters from wearing the boots. Makenna messaged Dr. Meyer using her patient portal, and Dr. Meyer gave her remedies for the blisters.

“She’s very reassuring,” Makenna says of Dr. Meyer. “Any question that popped up, she would answer in a way that was easy for us to understand. She also did some troubleshooting with us, which we appreciated.

“There were certain times when he had a blister, and we messaged her on the portal to see if she had any recommendations on what to do. She gave us product recommendations that might help and different things we could do. I feel she’s gone above and beyond any question we have had to try to help us make sure everything could go as smoothly as it could go.”

When Beckham was 6 months old, Dr. Meyer told Makenna and Matt that he could progress to wearing the boots and bar only at night and during naptime.

“He liked that a lot better because when he was trying to play and crawl during the day, he had the freedom to do that,” Makenna says.

Beckham continues to see Dr. Meyer for regular follow-ups every three months to ensure his foot develops correctly and to monitor for any signs of recurrence.

A Healthy, Active Boy

Beckham turned 18 months old at the end of May 2025. He is still wearing the boots and bar at night and naptime. He’ll have to do so until he’s 2 or 3 years old to ensure his clubfoot doesn’t recur.

Makenna says her son is happy and energetic, always trying to run around and climb things. The clubfoot didn’t slow any of Beckham’s development, she adds.

“He’s actually early in everything,” Makenna says. “That was another concern: ‘Is this going to affect his development and ability in walking?’ But he was crawling by 6 months, he was walking by 9 months. He’s just a very active boy.”

Makenna says she’s thankful to Dr. Meyer for everything. She, Matt, and Beckham recently moved to Boiling Springs. However, they’re close enough to Dr. Meyer to keep her as Beckham’s doctor.

“We’re lucky we’re not far from the ortho office,” Makenna says. “That was a big deal — I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to leave Dr. Meyer.’”