Preparing for our first hurdle: Feeding

The first hurdle we will face with the cleft is feeding. We know the baby has a cleft lip and probably palate. If it is just the lip there is still a chance he could nurse. If the palate is involved like the doctor suspects this would be a lot more difficult because the baby isn't able to get suction. It was described to us like trying to drink through a straw with a hole in it.

I was able to nurse Bella and it was very hard for me to adjust to the idea this probably won't work with the new baby. I am sad to miss out on this part of the bonding experience. The nutritional benefits of breast milk are also really important to me. The reality is that some of this is out of my control. I am going to have to be open and flexible to make sure I am doing what is best for the baby and myself. The plan is to pump so the baby can still benefit from the nutritional value of breast milk. This is going to be hard work and time consuming! If it works out, it will be worth it.

The bonding part should take care of itself because there will be plenty of love and cuddling going on and it won't just be from Mommy. :)

So now it is time to invest in a really nice pump. Luckily, insurance will pay for the majority of the cost but did I mention the really expensive bottles that insurance doesn't help with? The recommended bottle is made by Madela and is called the Haberman. They are $25 each!!! There are other less expensive options of course. Our cleft team coordinator has said she will come to the hospital when the baby is born to help us get off to as normal a start as possible with feeding. She said we will try some cheaper bottles first and just see what works. Here is what the Haberman looks like:

Haberman Bottle

It has a one way valve and a long nipple that will allow us to squeeze the milk into the baby's mouth. 

Also, because the palate wouldn't be fixed until the baby is a year old we could be looking at a lot of milk and food out the nose! Get ready to hear about these adventures in the future...