Deadlines

“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” - Douglas Adams

I like a deadline. They give me something to work towards, something to aim for. When I have a deadline I can plan accordingly. I like counting down to things so that I can quantify the time I have left to prepare.

For example I can tell you that its 19 days until I go away with Mr CD. 41 days until I turn 30, 107 days until I go with L to see Harry Potter accompanied by a live orchestra and that its 10 days until H's next appointment at BCH. 

Baby Led Weaning

The appointment itself holds no fear for me - its just a standard Cleft Clinic appointment. We will see the nurse and H's consultant and see how we are getting on. It is then we will get the date for H's palate op. This is what is bothering me. I am trying to wean H to an indeterminate deadline. 

Over the last week I have posted some videos to the Facebook page showing me feeding H, and from them I think you can guess the constant swings and roundabouts this had become.

Last weekend went something like this:

Friday: Ate masses of broccoli. Loads of it. Couldn't get enough.

Post Raspberry:
A cute little ball of fuzz & a rabbit.

Saturday: Wouldn't eat broccoli. Or Sweet Potato. It was like I was trying to poison him.

Sunday: Carrots. The old faithful.  Not now though - not interested then tried a bit and choked on them.

Monday: Carrots again. Screamed. Apples: 5 spoons then screamed. Then proceeded to sneeze most of those 5 spoonfuls out of his nose.

Since then, he has been eating the purees a lot better. He does seem to prefer the pouches but, at the moment, I am just pleased he is eating. As the purees have been going down better I have been trying him on other things, whole raspberries in a weaning net and porridge for him to play with in a nod to *shudder* baby led weaning. Not too much went on the dog so I'm calling that a win.


No, the puree thing is going okay now. What we are still struggling with is the whole 'milk in a sippy cup' thing. He just isn't interested beyond a few sips. I think our record is 10ml. I can't say I blame him if I'm honest, just the feel of the mouth piece bouncing against his gum notch gives me the shivers - its like grinding teeth.

So, you see my problem. We will go to this appointment and they will ask how the weaning is going and I will shrug my shoulders and say "I have no idea." And as the weaning is integral to his next operation, it makes me nervous. They could turn around and ask to operate within a couple of weeks - I doubt they will but I am an inveterate planner, and not having a fixed deadline is concerning me.

First thing on Monday I will call the cleft team for some advice. We should be further on with the cup than we are for 4 weeks in.

So, that's where we are. I would be interested to hear what free-flow cups you use for weaning and if you are having any more luck.

Octopus

Happy New Year!

I have tried to write an update several times over the last few weeks, but have always come to a stuttering halt around the second paragraph. Not being a writer, I can hardly call it writers block so I've gone with bloggers block - although that does have the disadvantage of sounding like a drainage issue.

I think the main reason I have been struggling to write anything is that I have been, to put it mildly, fecking knackered. I don't know what they put in anaesthetics these days but whatever it is did something to H's sleep pattern that I am only now breaking him out of. I'm not a superstitious person, but I did go hug a tree on typing that. Please God let me not have put the clappers on it!

Christmas is always a busy time in our house. Aside from the general merriment of the season it is my elder son's birthday just before new year so he has been doubly excited and Mr CD and I have been doubly busy.

H is now completely healed - a little red but it just looks like he has a cold. His lip has now started to hitch up slightly so we are trying to massage his lip daily to break down the scar tissue. This has turned out to be a lot trickier than I had expected. You need to make small circular motions rubbing down the scar line, pressing firmly. This is all well and good in theory, but the scar is smaller than the finger you are using to rub it so you find your finger falling off the lip before you've done much rubbing at all. Add to that a baby who does NOT want to have his face touched in that way and it's like trying to put a wetsuit on an octopus.

The other big change is that we have started weaning. This is not going so well. We have been trying twice a day and used various food and textures but he still isn't keen. I think he quite likes the food but doesn't like the spoon. I know that sounds mad, but once the food is in his mouth hes quite happy, but when that spoon gets near him its like trying to force a snorkel into the wetsuited octopus's mouth. It doesn't matter what spoon I use, he isn't having any of it. A couple of other parents have suggested 'baby led weaning'. I'll be honest I'm not entirely sure what that is, but the look of horror on my friend's face when she mentioned it means that I know I'm not going to like it. I am seeing our Cleft Nurse next week so I'll talk it through with her.

I am trying not to get too disheartened with the weaning. We've only been trying for a few days and H is only 21 weeks. As much as I believe you shouldn't compare your children, my elder child was so ready to go onto solids at 6 months that he picked it up fairly quickly. I am also aware of time looming. I had aimed to get him pretty much weaned by February half term as his next operation is due around March. I think the 'deadline' is weighing on my mind, even though its a self imposed. Its as much about managing my own expectations as anything else.

Keep an eye on facebook and twitter for weaning updates. I am also now on instagram @Cleft_Diary.