Worst Fear Realized

So apparently the odds weren't in our favor.  Dr. Morrissey said that there was a 20% chance the lip adhesion wouldn't hold and it looks like we are in that 20%.  Everyday it looked like her cleft was reappearing just a little bit more, but I was holding out hope that the part under the tape was still intact.  Well this morning when we gave her a bath her tape came loose and when we took it off, there was her gum, just like before.  I know that there is nothing we could have done and that the tension on the lip is just so strong because the cleft is wide, but I feel horrible.  I am going to give the surgeon a call on Monday but I know there is nothing we can do at this point but wait for it to heal and try again.  

On a positive note, Rylan is certainly back to herself during the day.  Nighttime is a whole different story.  She is still frequently waking up and the only time she really seems to get much sleep is in her car seat.  This is a completely different picture from the little girl who would sleep through the night just a week ago.  

She is currently taking a nap in her car seat, since she is probably still exhausted.  She is wearing her "Tough Cookie" onesie from her Aunt Kim and Grandmom and I think that phrase says it all.

Recovery Day 3

Rylan is getting closer towards being her old self.  She is playing with toys (she really likes the Glow worm!) and even giving half-smiles once in awhile.  Last night she slept for 3 hours at a time, but only in her car seat.  She still doesn't seem to want to be in her crib, but we're going to continue to try.  She hasn't been on pain medication all day and her lip doesn't seem to be bothering her much.  It looks to me like the bottom of the lip has split a little bit, but Dr. Morrissey said that there was a good chance that could happen.  As long as a majority of it holds in place, the surgery has done its job.  

Making Progress

Yesterday and last night have definitely been an improvement from my last post.  She was acting a little bit more like herself yesterday, playing on her tummy time mat and sitting in my lap staring at the TV.   Eating is still the biggest issue but her fever has gone away.  A few times yesterday she feel asleep sitting in her car seat and she took a long nap when Mason drove her around the neighborhood in the afternoon.  

Grandmom and Grandpop came over to give some help yesterday and Grandmom spent the night.  Rylan slept in her lap from 9 - 12:30, then ate a little and slept in her car seat from 1-3.  She woke up at 3 and ate a little more, then slept in my lap for an hour then back to her car seat for an hour.  At 5 she woke up fussy and she has been sleeping in Grandmom's lap ever since.  Not quite back to her normal sleeping patterns, but at least we all got some sleep.

Here is a picture from this morning.  Everything is still bloody (I can't seem to get it cleaned up and I don't want to hurt her) but the swelling has gone down. 

Restless Night

Poor Miss Rylan had a bit of a rough night last night.  We put her down around 8:30 and she slept for maybe an hour in her crib.  After that there was very little sleep for any of us.  She did not want to be put down at all and would go between crying and sleeping.  Once we were able to get her to sleep in her car seat for about 30 minutes and once again in her crib for another 30 minutes.  She has had a slight fever all night and just seems very unhappy (I would be too!).  At 6:30 I put her in the car and drove around for awhile so she could get some sleep.  Fingers crossed she is currently laying on her tummy time mat swatting at the animals so hopefully she is starting to feel a little bit better now. 

Surgery Success

It is 3 p.m. and we are officially home from the hospital.  Rylan did really well and it turns out that we did not need to stay overnight, unless we felt uncomfortable bringing her home.  

Last night went pretty well.  I woke her up and fed her at 11:30 while she was half asleep and she stayed down until 4:45 this morning.  Mason and I both rocked her and gave her a pacifier and she ended up falling back asleep around 5:30 and staying asleep until we made it to the hospital.  We checked in at 6:30 and mostly did a lot of sitting and waiting until they got her down at 8:00.  She had a little meltdown during our down time but fell asleep sucking on a bottle nipple and was actually asleep when we handed her over to the anesthesiologist.  

The surgery took about 2 hours and my mom and Kim did a great job keeping us occupied.  We played Yatzee, which I did not win, and ate a ton of Dunkin Donuts munchkins.  Around 10:00, Dr. Morrissey came out and told us that everything went well, even better than he expected.  Unfortunately, only one parent was allowed to go into the recovery room so I went in by myself.  Although the surgery was best for her, it was certainly a little sad to see her "new" face for the first time.  She was whimpering a lot and a bit squirmy.  After they took out her IV and got her paperwork ready, we were able to go up to her room where everyone could be with her.

So far she has cried, slept, and eaten (a lot more than I thought she would eat!).  She hasn't seemed to mind her arm restraints too much and we can take them off as long as we are watching her.  Obviously she is going to be sore, but she seems to be recovering well.  I guess we have to see how tonight goes before I can be sure.  

Here is one picture from before the surgery and three from after:

No Turning Back Now

I got the official call from the hospital this morning for Rylan's surgery tomorrow.  No food after midnight and a 6:30 a.m. arrival time for the hospital. Yesterday we got our family portraits taken and a few shots of just our little girl.  Rylan did so well and we have some great pictures to remember her beautiful cleft lip.  Keep her in your thoughts tomorrow!  She is a strong little girl and I know she'll be okay. 

Surgery Information

I called Dr. Morrissey's office this morning to see if he was back from his "trip" yet and to ask a few questions about the surgery. He won't be back till the middle of next week, but his very helpful secretary was there.  I found out that Rylan's surgery will last about 90 minutes, not including the prep hour before hand.  She will not be considered an overnight patient, but will be staying at the hospital for 23 hours so she will be there overnight. I wasn't sure if that would be the case or not, but it makes me feel good to know that the doctors will be there to keep an eye on her progress after the surgery. I also asked about when she has to stop eating the night before the surgery. The secretary said it is typically midnight but she would call the anesthesia department and get a definite answer since I've read that breast milk digests faster and can be consumed up to 4 hours before surgery. I feel a little bit more prepared and a little bit more nervous now that I have this information. The surgery will be here before I know it. :(