Rylan's First Christmas

Although this has nothing to do with her cleft journey, I just had to share some pictures from Christmas.  Even though she didn't have any idea what was going on, it was memorable for me!

Call from Dr. Morrissey

Yesterday I heard back from the surgeon's office.  Instead of coming in a few days later to see him, we now have an appointment with the dentist on January 4 to get the impression of her mouth done for the mold.  I'm a little nervous about how this will go.  I know adults who hate having things done at the dentist (myself included) so I can only imagine how an infant is going to react to it.

Nasoalveolar Mold

On December 8, we went back to Dr. Morrissey for the third time.  Once again he was pleased with the progress of the tape and told me to keep pulling her lips as tight as possible.  Because of Rylan's cleft, the base of her nose is also crooked and this was the next thing he wanted to focus on.  He explained a procedure that would force her to wear a retainer-like device in her mouth, with stints that would go up into her nostrils.  A dentist would make an impression of her mouth and then an orthodontist would create the mold.  Every week or so, the orthodontist would need to tighten the mold.  He told me that he would speak with the dentist and orthodontist he works with and get back to me with a more definite plan for appointments.  Meanwhile, we set-up an appointment to come see him again two weeks later.

Of course as soon as I got home, I went online to research the nasoalveolar mold.  It looks like a promising step in her treatment and many families had great results.  Although it will be uncomfortable for her at first, she will quickly get used to it.  Now I just need to wait to hear back from the surgeon.