As with any child you are going to worry about their development, but especially so when your child is already facing challenges due to their being cleft affected. Your child’s hearing is going to be another ongoing aspect of care you are going to need to be diligent about, which is why an ENT is an integral part of your Cleft Palate Team. Our son showed signs of hearing loss as early as 2 mos. of age when we first…
Probiotics have been incorporated into my family’s daily regimen and defense of our immune systems. I first became seriously interested in probiotics after my cleft affected son suffered from chronic ear infections and was on antibiotics more than he was off of them in the first few years of his life. His pediatrician brought to our attention that our son might begin experiencing GI (gastrointestinal) issues due to his gut flora being wiped out time and time again. Again, I…
One of the things we have been struggling with is our son’s enlarged tonsils. Every time we go for our clinic evaluation (every 6 mos.) the ENT takes a look and comments on our son’s tonsils. Our son’s tonsils are pretty big and are not in the same place as a typical child’s would be due to the cleft palate and repair. It has been discussed that we should take the tonsils out and that they have a way to…
The first thing you must understand is that you are going to experience an ear infection with your cleft baby. There is a reason for this. Please click on the link and you will be redirected to the Cleft Palate Foundation’s booklet that explains in depth why cleft babies are more prone to ear infections. The first time I noticed something was not right with our little guy’s hearing he was approximately eight weeks old. I had finished feeding him…
My son has been suffering from ear infections since birth at this point and each year his body would force his PE tubes out and another ear infection would set in. We would go through the motions of making yet another appointment with his pediatrician, and get a prescription for antibiotics that initially would work. As the years went by though he continued to need a stronger antibiotic each time. The last time his ear infection became so bad…
Cleft affected children are prone to ear infections due to their anatomy and has been a battle for our family since our son was approximately 2 months old. Now, I will let you know what worked for us and what continues to work for us with regards to our son and preventing ear infections in the first place. We still put in silicone ear plugs and a neoprene headband by Ear Bandit Medium Blue EAR BAND-IT® Physician Developed Swimming Headband that we…
