Babies With Cleft Lip Wants Pacifiers Too

A few months ago while pregnant at 36 weeks, I had an ultrasound-my first pregnancy; I would be expecting a baby boy.  I was very excited, this will be my first view of my baby since my 17th week. I will also get a view of my baby in 4d.

This ultrasound appointment was to determine the growth of baby and to check his organs. I enjoyed viewing images of my son and very amazed at how much growth there was since last U/S.  Later that evening I went home and looked over the image shots that I were given by the tech.  I was shocked, it looked as though my baby had a cleft lip.  Like most mothers concerned about the childs' well being, I began to worry and thought, "Why hadn't the tech caught it if it were a cleft lip?"  At this point I wanted to know what I would have to prepare myself for if my baby were diagnosed with cleft lip and/or palate so I started to Google pics and articles. 

There were so many thoughts that I had when I read about the diagnosis.  I wondered, "How will I deal with this?", "Who can I talk to?" and most of all, "What did I do to cause this?"  I thought maybe I was thinking about this too much.  I had asked a few relatives what they had thought and of course, I got the "don't worries", "just pray's", and "he wil be okays" but in my heart, I knew the truth.  I decided to just bring it up the next dr's. appointment which would be just the following week.

Week 37 prenatal visit, I bought the issue up to my dr.  She agreed, it did look a little like a cleft lip.  My doctor went a little into detail about what can be done for cleft lip and/or palate and asked if the tech mentioned it will preforming the sonogram, "NO!"  She also stated that maybe it was just the angle, the inside of me screamed, "BS!"  I went home with the thought on my mind yet again and a little more heavily, my doctor had just agreed with me that what I saw may be a cleft lip. 

Week 38 prenatal visit, my doctor informed me that she asked a couple techs, including the one who performed the sono.  I was told that the tech who did the ultrasound said she didn't catch anything when she performed the ultrasound and that both thech's said they doubted that my baby had either cleft lip or cleft palate, my doctor went on again saying that it was probably just the angle and the way my baby's arm and hand was under his chin.  I agreed, just to get my mind off of it for the remainder of my pregnancy, I could go into labor at any moment and didn't want any stress.

On June 15, 2012, I went into labor.  My labor last for almost 18 hours, my baby almost didnt survive due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck.  My baby's arm also had gotten stuck as he were coming out of my birth canal.  A few moments later after my baby boy was resuscitated, my doctor gave me the news, i was told what I already knew, my baby boy was diagnosed with a cleft lip.

I started breastfeeding my baby immediately after I was able to hold him but chose to do a combination of formula too.  After 5 weeks, my milk supply began to get low.  I wasn't able to pump but my baby still wanted breastmilk from time to time.  My baby boy would open his mouth and try to suck on anything that nearned his mouth.  After a while, I started to feel as though I failed at breastfeeding, I was not able to give my child what he wanted but then I noticed something, my baby would sometimes cry and I would think that he was hungry and I wondered why when he had just been fed just shortly before.  I would give him a bottle, he would suck milk out, but then let out a cry.  At my son's emergency doctor's appointment I was told that he overeats.  I had finally understood what was going on.

Later that day of my sons doctors appointment, my son did it again, he cried mments later after being fed and did the motion with his mouth like he wanted to be breastfed.  So, this time, I gave him a pacifier, I had always tought that he didn't like them because he would always slip them out of his mouth.  My son, stopped crying after I put it in his mouth but after a few seconds, it slipped out, he cried again.  It was then that I realized, my son had been getting over fed sometimes because he only had the urge to suck, me not knowing this I would give him a bottle, he would only deal with it because it satisfied his need to only suck, the same went with breastfeeding, only when he was being breastfed, it was more like a pacifier to him only because there was barely any milk coming out for him and with my breast, it wouldnt slip out of his mouth, what he really wanted was a pacifier.

When my son didn't take the pacifiers that were given to him, I went to Wal-mart to find him a bigger one, since the one he had was clearly to small for him causing him not to latch on it well enough.  While searching for a pacifier to fit my son's needs, I noticed that all the pacifiers were the same, I began to wonder, why weren't special pacifiers sold in stores.  I couldn't beileve that any such thing werent available, I left the store pretty upset and did research online and the only thing I found for children with cleft lips are a brand called "WubbaNub", I ordered the pacifier online but it takes 5-10 business days to recieve.  I can only hope that the "WubbaNub" would work as I heard it would until he has his surgery in another few months

As I wait for my order to come, I am going through a lot to satisfy my son's urge to suck.  I have to sit next to him in his swing or either hold him and put his pacifier in his mouth every moment it slips out.  I also had to keep my son in the bed with me and keep my hand to his mouth to keep it from pushing out.  Caring for a child with cleft lip and/or palate can truly be a lot of work and can sometimes become overwhelming,  I really wish that such pacifiers for children with special needs were sold in stores because babies who are born with cleft lip have an urge to suck too.