I have the best job in the world ...I give children their smiles
Meet the surgeon who changes young lives in new series of Scotland’s Superhospital
BEAMING for the camera, l i ttle Fynn Brands is the baby whose smile is set to melt the nation’s heart.
And its all thanks to the Scottish surgeon who says: “I have the best job in the world – I give children smiles.”
Fynn was born with a cleft lip and palate – a condition which affects around 100 Scots babies every year.
It occurs when structures joining the upper lip and roof of the mouth don’t develop properly in the womb, leaving gaps.
After a couple of operations – one when he was just four months old, another two weeks ago – Fynn’s condition has now been corrected.
It was spotted during a scan, which meant parents Louise and Craig were well prepared for his birth.
Louise said: “When I saw my baby for the first time I thought he was perfect and looked just like his sister, I didn’t focus on the cleft.
“I just saw my beautiful baby boy.”
The adorable baby, now eight months old, can be seen tomorrow night in the second ser i es of Sc o t l a n d ’s Superhospital.
Cameras go behind the scenes at Gl a s g o w ’s Q u e e n Elizabeth University Ho sp i t a l to meett patientstit andd ththe stafftff who care for them.
Dr Craig Russell, the consultant plastic surgeon who operated on Fynn, said: “I feel very grateful to do what I do.”
Louise, 34, and electrician Craig, 36, of Gourock, Inverclyde, had wo n d e re d wh y their unborn baby seemed to be so camera-shy. Louise explained: “I had an ultrasound scan at 12 weeks to assess my risk of having a Down’s Syndrome baby.
“The result showedh there was a one in 69 chance, so I went on to have an amniocentesis test, where they take some of the fluid surrounding the foetus in the womb.
“The results showed that my baby was fine.
“But, at a 28- week scan, I told the doctor that, despite this being my third scan, I had never seen my baby’s face.
“So he persevered until Fynn moved his head and we could see quite clearly that his mouth hadn’t developed properly.”
The doctor explained he had a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate.
The couple, who have two other children – Jack, three, and 19- months- old Olivia – were immediately put in touch with cleft specialists, who visited their house to explain the condition.
“I had a planned caesarean delivery, so I knew my date, and a cleft specialist nurse came with me to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra where I had Fynn,” said Louise.
“I was given special bottles to feed him because babies with cleft lips and palates can’t suckle as easily. They need a bit of help, and these bottles have an easier milk flow.”
Louise and Craig also then