Cleft Lip Surgery on Infant/Questions

[PoetryLover]

My three week old son was born with a cleft lip. He does not have a cleft palate. My first concern was how he would do nursing, but he is a nursing pro. He was born at 9 pounds 14.5 ounces and as of last Thursday he is up to 11 pounds 11 ounces. He is a really sweet, beautiful angel baby and I am so blessed to have him in my life. But the stressful reality is that he will also need to have surgery. From what the medical professionals have told me, they like to perform the surgery around a couple months of age. I've also heard 10 weeks old and/or 10 pounds for surgery. My son was born 01/30/2010 and his surgery has been scheduled for 04/08/2010. He will be a couple days shy of 10 weeks at that point, but will be well above the 10 pound recommended minimum weight.

I'm looking for advice on the timing of the surgery and also personal experiences from people who have been there. Has anyone had cleft lip repair surgery performed on the 2 month old? Also, how old was your child when he/she had this surgery? Is there anything you would like to share that you wish someone had shared with you? Is there an "ideal" age for such a surgery? How do/did you get past the worrying stage of upcoming surgery on your little one?

Thanks so much in advance.

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by PoetryLover

I'm looking for advice on the timing of the surgery and also personal experiences from people who have been there. Has anyone had cleft lip repair surgery performed on the 2 month old? Also, how old was your child when he/she had this surgery? Is there anything you would like to share that you wish someone had shared with you? Is there an "ideal" age for such a surgery? How do/did you get past the worrying stage of upcoming surgery on your little one?

Thanks so much in advance.

Congratulations on your BIG boy!!

My son has somewhat different circumstances...he had a lip malformation, but it wasn't a "normal" cleft. He also has a cleft palate, but again it isn't a "normal" cleft palate either! He likes to be different

SO...what I have to say is only going to apply in general terms.

My son's lip repair was done at 11 months old. The reason it was done so late is because he had several other complicating medical issues that weren't stable until that age. At the hospital he was at, they don't allow parents back in the post-anesthesia ward (another hospital he goes to for other specialists does allow parents back there, but this one doesn't). Usually they wait until the child is fully awake before bringing them to the patient floor where the parents are waiting. BUT, in our case, I was adamant that I wanted to breastfeed him IMMEDIATELY, and didn't want him to be fully awake (basically I wanted him to latch on while still somewhat sedated, before he realized that he was scared, hurt, etc). So they agreed to bring him to his room sooner than what is "normal".

At the other chidlren's hospital that he frequents, parents are allowed back in the post-anesthesia ward, so the surgeries he's had there haven't required any particular considerations like that. Be sure to ask about that. There's no reason why your little guy can't breastfeed immediately after surgery, but it might take some arranging.

Ask about meds, both pre and post op. My son has had several orad and IV sedatives in preparation for tests or procedures, and we've learned which ones he can tolerate the best. In our experience, oral chloral hydrate was horrible for him, but versed (whether oral or IV) is wonderful. Find out which meds your surgeon prefers, and come back here and ask about our experiences with them. Post op, ask about whether they will be using antibiotics, and whether you can discuss the need for them. I chose not to use the antibiotics because my son has an underlying issue that makes him extremely prone to yeast overgrowth, and we are constantly fighting it back. He also has an immune deficiency, so we avoid the use of antibiotics whenever possible, since he requires them so frequently and we want to be careful about resistance.

The surgeon was very good about discussing these issues with me, as long as I knew to ask about them!

Will your little guy be staying overnight? If so, and if you cosleep, you'll need to mention that, too. Our local hospital gives crib beds automatically, and they have a "policy" against cosleeping, but you can get a regular bed and sleep with your baby if you just ask.

I'm sorry I can't help with more specifics to the actual surgery, my experience is just going to be too different since my son's issues were different.