Surgeries - Palate & Ear Tube Replacement

A quick update on Ryder's upcoming palate surgery. We met with Ryder's plastic surgeon a few weeks ago and he'd like to wait until Ryder's closer to 14 months of age to schedule the surgery. Which pushes the date back to late August/early Septemeber as opposed to sometime in July. His doctor wants Ryder to be a little bit older because his missing palate gaps are quite large and the recovery will be pretty intense. As of now, we will be in the hospital for 2-3 nights and recovery is 8-12 weeks with 1-2 weeks of syringe feeding. A fellow cleft mom's son just had his palate repaired and here are some recovery photos she gave me permission to share. This is 5 days post surgery and the white stuff is a part of the healing. This particular baby had a unilateral cleft (one side of his palate) and Ryder has a bilateral cleft (both sides of his palate). 

I am not looking forward to this upcoming surgery and it hangs over my head like a dark cloud but I have to remind myself of how far we've come over this past year! 

With regards to ear concerns, Ryder needs to have his ear tubes replaced pretty soon because of continuous ear infections and blood drainage - which isn't fun for anyone! Our hearts hurt to see him in so much pain and discomfort, he hardly sleeps or eats and is super-fussy when his ears are acting up. We met with Ryder's ENT on Thursday and since Ryder's ears seem to be clear, for the time being, we are going to wait another couple of weeks (basically until his next ear infection) and then schedule a surgery date.  As always, asking for continued prayers, patience and strength as we continue on this journey. 

"Before you were in your mother's womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."  Jeremiah 1:5