I'd like to introduce you to Jasmine. She has a cleft palette & hair lip (not to mention big surprised eyes & a mass of black hair that usually looks like she has stuck her finger in a power point). On Friday three of us each took a cleft baby to the dentist. I had Joseph from upstairs so I don't have a photo of him but he has the most beautiful big brown eyes & long black lashes.
If these babies were at home in Australia they would get an operation to fix the palette & lip much sooner than here. There are many reasons why but while they wait for surgery they can have a plate. It's made of plastic & helps the opening in the roof of their mouth close up - they will still need surgery but this helps in the meantime. Three weeks ago the dentist could put his little finger in the front of the opening of Joseph's palette. Now the front part has barely a gap & he doesn't need it anymore.
Jasmine hates hers (they all do as I imagine it is quite uncomfortable) & has learned how to hook her tongue around the back of it & flick it out. No matter how many times the dentist adjusted it & put it back in she popped it right out. So she won the battle as we can't keep it in.
Tina was the other baby we took & she is very small & young so has not worked out how to get it out. But she certainly lets us know she does not like it!
The dentist's office was certainly interesting. All the patients get worked on in one big room & are only separated by low partitions. Elise told me when she was there the week before there were not even any partitions. There was also an argument going on in another cubicle. Apparently the patient wanted their money back for work done 5 years ago (Belle that's something you should think about). If you have ever listened to Chinese people just talking normally they often sound they like are arguing or shouting - it is just the way their language sounds. Well you should hear it when they actually are having an argument. I had no idea what they were saying but I couldn't miss the tone of the conversation.
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