Week 2...Oh, the pain!

So, it has been two weeks since we've had Kaylee's NAM in. And it has been two weeks of pure anguish for her. Imagine (anyone who has had braces will agree with this) that your upper jaw is being stretched in one direction and there is nothing you can do about it, the pain that would cause is immense. Now, imagine that you are barely two months old going through that. Talk about pain.

By doctor's orders we are only allowed to give her one does of infant Tylenol per day, so we have to give it to her wisely (or as wisely as we possibly can). As a result we have a grumpy baby most of the day. Yesterday she cried for about four hours solid - no breaks - before she finally fell asleep for 20 minutes; only to wake up again to be fed and then cry for another few hours solid. Some might say she is colicky, but take the NAM tape off of her and the tears, crying, and screaming stop dead in their tracks.

As much as my Monster is in pain, the benefits outweigh the discomfort. Fewer surgeries, more facial symmetry, and a healthy childhood are all more important in the long run and let's face it: She will not remember this. It is only because of that fact that I allow this to continue. It hurts me to get up every morning, remove the tape and the NAM to clean it and then shove it back in her mouth, then pull and tape her cheeks. Every morning she screams in pain, and yet it needs to be done.

In the end, it will be worth it. If you scroll down to one of her first pics you can see how wide her cleft was. It was so wide that the good shaped nostril on her nose (her right side) was smushed (which I know isn't a word, but it is the most appropriate here) and you couldn't see up into her nasal cavity like a normal person's; it was just a tiny little slit that no oxygen could get through and she had to breathe through her mouth exclusively. Now - the nostril has opened up just a bit and she can actually breathe through her nose! She is getting better oxygen while she sleeps, and she is eating better because she doesn't have to do everything through her mouth.

Without the tape, notice her right nostril is open!

Here, they had to pry open her nostril to put the feeding tube in.

If you look hard enough at the two pictures you can see the width of her cleft has been reduced a whole lot! I just noticed it myself after looking at the pics side by side. Obviously, what she has to go through is so worth it. And since she is growing steadily I am sure the doctor will allow us to give her just a bit more infant Tylenol. I will be sure to ask at our next visit.

So, there you have it. Week two complete; roughly 18 more to go (give or take a couple depending on what the dentist says). Tune in next week, we'll have a new picture up, and a new batch of experiences I am sure. Thanks for reading,

Jess, Grant and the Kaylee Monster.