After being told at our 20 week baby scan that our child had a cleft lip, and a potential cleft palate, we were told the cleft team at the Children’s hospital in Glasgow would be in touch with us. During a time of shock and emotional stress for my husband and I, we were pleasantly surprised to find Shirley, our soon to be permanent cleft nurse, called the next day.
From the minute we first spoke with Shirley, the care, information, communication and support was phenomenal.
From regular phone calls to a home visit, my husband and I felt incredibly lucky to have such an amazing resource and team on hand to answer our many questions and guide us through what the surgery would be like once our baby was born.
The day our child was born, Shirley visited that afternoon to confirm our cleft lip diagnosis. Having Shirley attend was special because she has been with us throughout the majority of our pregnancy and she had been so reassuring when we felt like our world has been turned upside down.
Our child had their cleft lip operation at the start of December 2021 and again, the cleft team were present throughout to say hello when arriving, check on us during the operation. They were available before we left hospital to help clean our child's wound for the first time, give us guidance on how best to provide care at home and ensure my husband and I were coping with the emotional and mental stress of the situation.
The support of the cleft team, and Shirley specifically, made our pregnancy and parenthood journey much less stressful than would have the case without such an amazing resource.
"Phenomenal support"
About: Royal Hospital for Children (Glasgow) / Cleft Lip and palate Service Royal Hospital for Children (Glasgow) Cleft Lip and palate Service Glasgow G51 4TF
Posted by barney86 (as ),
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