SMILES

hey there- mia's surgery is on may 6th. I can't believe its almost here. I'm so nervous about it and mostly sad although sometimes I am happy because she'll finally get some help with her issues. I just have a couple of questions- should we give her tylenol or motrin when we bring her home? The PS said either one but then he was saying something about motrin that I didn't get. Also, we have her drinking out of a cup for her meals, but she wakes up twice a night and likes to go back to sleep by having a bottle. She wants nothing to do with the cup at night. What did you all do right after the surgery if your child woke up at night? My PS absolutely does not want her on a bottle or sippy cup. Just a regular cup. I guess that's it for now. Thanks guys. Sandy

Hi Sandy,

Hope all goes well with surgery and recovery for baby mia!
I know they say to go to a sippy cup after surgery but my Kylie wasn't having it. I just used the haberman feeder for the first week because her mouth was so sore and her haberman was the only thing she would take. The doctor said it was fine. My daughter doesn't quite have the coordination to take a sippy so she is using the Vent Air bottle & we widen the nipple. It seems to work out great. When she's a year old we'll start using the sippy cups. (She's 11 mths right now, like Mia) Kylie had her soft palate repaired when she was 9-1/2 mths old.

As far as pain relief, we used Tylenol infant drops and also Tylenol suppositories. I know...no fun for baby, but it relieved the pain quicker and was recommended by the oral surgeon.

The first 24 hours are most definitely the hardest but if she's like Kylie, you'll see a big difference after the second day.

I will your family all the best!
Warm regards,
Michelle

I'm sure Mia will do great! (I think the babies do much better than the Mom's! ) Some docs don't let you use Motrin for the first 24 hours after surgery, because it can increase bleeding. After that it should be fine. I prefer Motrin just because it has an anti-inflammatory that helps with swelling, which is a big cause of pain. Also if you alternate between Tylenol and Motrin you can give them more frequently. (Every 4 hours instead of 6) It will probably be a matter of seeing which works best for Mia. They are all so different! Good luck and you will definitely be in our prayers!
Allison