Fused palate

I'm not sure if that's the technical term for a cleft palate that is closing without medical intervention, but according to Bryce's ENT, that's the direction things are moving in. When Bryce's cleft was first discovered, the neonatologist speculated that it was caused by the breathing tube rubbing against a developing palate, as opposed to a genetic abnormality. They didn't tell us this at the time, but it seems logical to conclude that if Bryce's cleft was caused by the tube, then his palate ought to resume developing normally once the tube is removed. On Thursday, Bryce's ENT said that the cleft is definitely shrinking, which means future surgery for Bryce has become an 'if' rather than a 'when.'

As long as we're on the topic of mouths, Bryce certainly is not averse to using his to eat solid food. The boy who started two weeks ago with a few tentative swallows of rice cereal now eagerly kicks his feet and opens his mouth as soon as he spies the first spoonful of his nightly snack. He'll gulp down both rice cereal and avocado, and he's sleeping a lot better on solids. However, it has significantly slowed his digestion, and we're both sensitive to GI issues, so we've been very cautious about increasing his volumes.



Finally, Christie has been gradually re-introducing dairy to her diet over the past month, and Bryce hasn't had any problems, despite the fact that she's been eating all the cheese pizza and ice cream that her heart desires. Given his history, we won't be switching Bryce to a dairy-based milk fortifier any time soon, but the fact that he can tolerate it secondhand makes life a lot easier for everyone. Print this post