Which Restraint Should Be Used For A Toddler After Cleft Palate Repair

After Cleft Lip or Palate Surgery

Toddler with arm restraints playing with teddy bear while sitting in woman's lap.

Your child recently had surgery to help repair his or her cleft lip, crack palate, or both. Equally your kid recovers, take these steps to help ensure that he or she heals properly.

Giving medicine

Requite your kid any prescribed pain medicine every bit directed. It's best not to await until pain gets bad to give the medicine. But you may non know when your child is feeling hurting. Your child may be in pain if he or she:
- Has a high fever
- Is irritable
- Refuses to eat or drink
- Cries a lot
Your child'due south healthcare provider will tell yous when to requite your child medicine. If the hurting medicine doesn't seem to be working, permit the healthcare provider know right away.
Your child'southward healthcare provider will prescribe antibiotics to forbid infection. Be certain to give your child the antibiotics exactly as instructed.

Protecting the wound

To protect your kid'southward skin and help incision sites heal properly:

Continue the incision sites as dry equally possible. Regular, gentle patting of the mouth with a clean cloth tin can help.
Don't put any cream or lotion on the incisions unless instructed to do so.
Keep your child'due south easily abroad from the incisions. To exercise and so, y'all'll need to use gentle restraints (see below) on his or her arms for 7 to 10 days subsequently surgery. Nursing staff will show you how to safely restrain your child.

Feeding your kid

Your kid'southward healthcare provider will determine the all-time fashion for your child to eat subsequently the surgery. Detailed instructions volition exist given to y'all and so that you can feed your child at abode. Follow these instructions closely. You lot may be told to:

Feed your kid past mouth, but merely soft or liquid foods for at to the lowest degree 10 days. Avoid straws and crunchy foods.
Requite special feedings with a rubber-tipped syringe if needed. This keeps the child from swallowing, which causes the palate muscles to pull autonomously and open the stitches.

Bug and concerns after surgery

Gentle restraint. After surgery, your child's arms will to exist gently restrained to go along him or her from touching the wound. These soft arm restraints may await odd at get-go, but they are needed to protect your baby's mouth.
Eating and drinking. Feeding tin can be difficult after surgery. Your kid's oral cavity will be sore and swollen. Likewise, information technology will take time for your child to get used to the new shape of his or her mouth. If your child has a cleft palate, he or she will need to relearn how to swallow. The voice communication pathologist will work with you and your child during this time to exist sure your kid is able to eat and drinkable.
Ear infections. A child with a fissure palate is more prone to ear infections, even after repair surgery. To prevent this, tiny ear tubes to help drain fluid from the ear may exist put into the child's eardrums. These tubes are oft inserted during repair of a cleft palate. Every bit your kid grows, the tubes will probable need to be replaced.

Long-term concerns

More surgery. Your kid may need a number of surgeries to repair the lip, olfactory organ, mucilage, or palate. Your child'southward healthcare team will piece of work with you to schedule any additional surgeries.
Emotional support. Your kid's healthcare squad will talk to y'all and your kid most any ongoing needs, issues, or concerns related to your kid's fissure. Be certain to ask any questions you may accept.

When to telephone call your child's healthcare provider

Call your child'southward healthcare provider if your child has any of the following:

Trouble breathing
Fever of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher, or as directed past your child's healthcare provider
Increased redness of incisions
Haemorrhage or drainage from incisions
Darkening or bluish lip or palate