Devon was born with a bilateral cleft
lip, palate and gumline. He had a protruding and rotated premaxilla. He
weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces. We knew of Devon's cleft before he was born so
we kind of knew what to expect. I didn't realize how GORGEOUS he would be!!
 
Since Devon's
premaxilla was protruded and rotated his PS decided to try and push it back
into place using this bonnet with a retainer type contraption connected. Devon
HATED this thing. After two days he had very bad sores in his nose from the
stents that were attached. He cried constantly when this was on. Steven and I
took it off and called the PS. She let us use just tape and soft nose stents
while his sores healed and his orthodontist tried to modify the stents so they
wouldn't give him sores. Next time we went in, our PS said that the tape was
doing trick and he didn't need to wear the bonnet. HIP HIP HOORAY!!!
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This was our first attempt
at the taping and the soft nose stents. We had a very difficult time keeping the
stents in until Grandma figured it out. The next picture will show you how she
did it. This is Devon the first time he rolled over! What a sweetie.
Grandma figured out how
to keep the stents in by sewing bands on the sides and putting tape through the
holes. It worked great and they stayed in perfectly. This is what we stuck with
for the remainder of the time before surgery. Our PS was very happy with the
progress of his premaxilla. It was centered nicely for surgery. Way
to go, Devon!
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We decided to get Devon's pictures done
professionally before his surgery. We are so glad we did! Who can resist that
sweet angel face! I strongly recommend getting LOTS of before pictures done. I
still look at these and it warms my heart!
 
Here's another pose. Honestly,
isn't that the cutest wide smile you've ever seen?! That smile is
extremely contagious!
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This is just a few days
before surgery. Here you can really see how well the tape moved his premaxilla
to the center of his mouth. It remained centered after removing the tape, as you
can see here. Devon was able to fit both fists completely into his mouth. Quite
a talent! This was Devon's favorite toy before surgery. Unfortunately, he wasn't
able to put it in his mouth afterward. Since everything ended up in Devon's
mouth we were concerned about this being a frustration for him with the arm
restraints, but it turned out to be no big deal at
all.
Here's Devon and daddy in
pre-op. I think Devon knows something's up here.
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(Left) Here's Devon in
recovery just minutes after surgery. He's pretty swollen and groggy. I was
anticipating more blood and bruising. He didn't bruise at all. I was still
shocked at the difference. He looks like a completely different but still
beautiful baby.
 
(Right) About 10 hours
after surgery Devon was ready to play! He was actually laughing here in his
hospital room. He handled this much better than mommy did! He's enjoying his
new lip as he is now able to make bubbles! What fun. Steven and I were allowed
to stay in the room with him. They made us very comfortable and we were
extremely happy with his care in the hospital. Look at those huge eyes!
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This is about 4 days
post-op. He's doing great and is back to normal in almost every aspect. He
acts like nothing ever happened. Which makes it much easier for mommy and
daddy! What a great kid!
 
Here's our little
family. Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma, Auntie Linda, Mommy and Devon. We feel
very lucky to have this little guy added to the family. He has already
touched so many lives and will continue to do so with his charming
personality and handsome new face. Lucky us!
Devon (7 months old)
is doing great 3 months after his lip repair. His healing went very smoothly
and his scarring is minimal. During Devon's palate repair, he will have some
revision work done on his nose to bring the nostrils in and the tip up.
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