by Z-Pup » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:19 am
Oh Samantha, *HUGS*
Zach had his palate surgery just last month on the 11th. He couldn't have a bottle for two weeks (he actually hasn't had a bottle since).
But on Wed. day of surgery he wouldn't take ANYTHING, but he did have IV fluids.
Thursday morning, still would not take a sippy cup, but we managed to get enough in him to bring him home.
From Thursday afternoon, until the following Tuesday,longest 5 days of my life, I fed him with a syringe, and he cried and screamed thru each and every feeding. But I refused to go back in the hospital for dehydration, so I just grinned and bared it...I made the milk, put him in his high chair, and sat down right in front of him, and I rather rudely put my hand around his chin and man handled him until he looked at me (No I never hurt the child but I wasn't a wuss either) and I shot it down his throat, 10 ml at the time for 8 ounces 3 times a day. It was by NO means the best times of the day, but it had to be done. It probably took about 20-25 minutes each time, and he was totally ticked at me for the entire time, but was soo over it when I took him out of the high chair. They won't hate you for long I promise. And I know we hate to hear our little ones cry, but I just was NOt going back to the hospital for IV fluids.
Well by the end of the weekend he was to the point that I didn't' have to hold him down he would open his mouth for the syringe cuz he knew he was hungry and this was food.
His mouth was still too sore for the sippy cup until Tuesday morning and I decided to wait him out, because I knew he wasn't in pain any more and he was being stubborn. Well the wait lasted about an hour and he started sucking it down. We used the Nuby cup, and for those first few feedings I had cut a top up so that it was pretty much pouring out, and then the next top just had the holes a lil bit bigger, and then finally a top that was straight from the store. So we are completely off the bottle now, and just this past week he has started to actually HOLD his sippy LOL, he NEVER held his bottle!!
So my advice I guess would be to do what you have to do for now, and KNOW it does get better!!! We are 4 weeks out and you would never know he had surgery last month. *HUGS* Hope I at least made you feel better that yours wasn't the only one that cried and cried over the syringe.
Lots of Love,
Tia
Zachary 9-21-06 Unilateral Cleft Lip & Palate lovingly called Z-Pup after Daddy, who btw is O-Dawg.