Preparing for Baby’s Cleft Palate Repair

Posted by Kate

In my next post I will give a detailed account of our baby’s cleft palate repair, but first, I want to write about what we did to prepare.

The first step was to transition him from a bottle to a sippy cup.  We spread this out over a few months.  For more information about how we did it, take a look at this post here.

Transitioning From a Bottle to a Cup to Prepare for Cleft Palate Repair

We made plans for who would take care of our other children.  We got in touch with the school to let them know what would be happening and who would be caring for our kids.  This involved some paper work.  We sent in a letter giving our helpers permission to pick the kids up from school, get them off the bus, and check them out of school if needed.  We provided our helpers with authorization to seek medical attention for our kids if necessary, and gave them copies of our insurance cards too. And, I typed up our daily routine and taped it on the fridge- not that I expected the kids and our helpers to adhere to it strictly, but it can be a helpful guideline.

Not only did I find someone to take care of the kids while we were at the hospital, but I also made arrangements for our preschooler during the first few days after surgery.  I knew that our little man would need lots of extra attention.

I made lots of freezer meals so I wouldn’t have to cook for the few weeks after his surgery.  This was a beautiful thing and helped a lot!  You don’t want to cook while you are helping your sweet little one recover from surgery!

And finally, we packed.

• We chose a blanket that we didn’t mind getting a little bloody, but that was also familiar to our little guy.
• We brought a bear for him to snuggle and a toy car for him to hold.
• A change of clothes for him.
• A change of clothes for mom and dad.
• Toothbrushes for mom and dad.
• A pair of slippers for mom.
• A sweater for mom to wear in the wee small hours of the night.
• We didn’t pack a lunch to eat during his surgery because we planned to buy lunch, but they called us back just before lunch time and we didn’t find a chance to buy food until late afternoon!  We were starving.  We did pack snacks though, and that was helpful.  I would recommend packing lunch too.
• A book to read, although I found it difficult to concentrate while we were in the waiting room.
• We brought his favorite cup.
• We didn’t bring extra blankets or burp cloths.  The hospital has those things.  It was nice to use theirs and not worry about our things getting bloody. It’s probably a good idea to check with your hospital to see if they provide burp cloths and blankets or if you need to bring your own.

I hope this helps you prepare for your baby’s palate repair!  When it’s all over, come back and share what you did to prepare or what you wish you had done.

 

Read more of our story here:

Our Baby Will be Born With a Cleft Lip and Palate

Our Newborn’s Cleft Lip and Palate

Our Baby’s Cleft Lip Repair

Transitioning From a Bottle to a Cup to Prepare for Cleft Palate Repair

Cleft Palate Repair