Need Help with Feeding after Palate Surgery

Children and adults with cleft lip and/or palate issues

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Need Help with Feeding after Palate Surgery

Postby samjune79 » Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:08 pm

OMG, I'm going to go crazy if this keeps up. My son cries while he is being fed with the syringe. The PS said that he could not use a bottle until he has had a chance to see him on the 15th. He only eats 1 to 1 1/2 ounces at a time and he normally eats 4-5 ounces. I know he is hungry but he just cries and cries. I'm just at a loss on what to do. I have tried to make the formula taste like a treat by putting some banana baby food in it, but nothing works. Any advice?
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Postby 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. :)

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Postby jacksmom » Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:48 pm

Samantha, whew... it is tough, I know! After Jackson's surgery, I just force fed him for the first two weeks. Is Kyle eating baby food? Our PS told us that baby food at least has enough water in it to keep them from getting dehydrated. Or maybe you could try letting him drink out of a regular cup. Good luck, I know this was short, and maybe not much help, but just hang in there! Next month this will all be over! Let me know if you need anything!
Allison
Mom to:
Griffin- 6/22/04
Jackson- 6/29/06 (Bil cleft palate)
www.babysites.com/sites/astand/
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Tia

Postby mookie59 » Thu Aug 16, 2007 10:42 pm

A couple of questions for you please?

Where are you located in NC? I'm in western NC and I take Taylor (granddaughter we have custody of with uclbcp) to Wake Forest Univ.

Taylor is 9 months old and has been drinking from a sippy cup (Gerber soft sipp) since she was 4 months old. Immediately after her lip surgery she refused the Mead Johnson cleft nurser and I got her to drink from the sippy cup. It has no valve in it so it's pretty much gravity flow. She controls the flow with her tongue somehow.

My question is: do you think she will have a hard time after her palate surgery drinking from it since she's been using it so long? Her hard palate surgery is in October.

Thanks for your help!

Jennifer
Nanny to Taylor (uclbcp)
9 months old
Lenoir, NC
Jennifer
Nanny to Taylor (uclbcp)
11/1/06
lip repair - 4 months
soft palate repair - 6 months
hard palate repair - 10 months
fistula repair - scheduled March 14th
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