The Basics

Here is a bullet list of the things that I wish I had found just on that first day of frantic internet searching.

• Cleft lips and/or palates are not open wounds.

• Most Children will have little to no sign that they ever had one by the age of two

• The biggest concern for these babies is getting them to eat. Typically they can not nurse or form suction on a normal bottle. It is possible with an Isolated cleft lip but not if a cleft palate is present as well.

• The statistics that you see on television commercials , such as the one stating that one in ten of these children will die, is taken from primarily third world countries or areas where they would not have access to many, (if any) resources or healthcare.

• You will hear different statistics everywhere, but the one I have heard the most often is that 1 in 600 babies will be born with some form of a cleft.

• The type of surgeon who will most likely make the repairs is called a plastic surgeon but will specialize in craniofacial procedures ( ideally pediatric craniofacial).

• Looking at pictures on the internet to try to find one that will show you what you can expect your baby to look like is not possible. Each type can range greatly in severity.

• Life is so fragile and a pregnancy so delicate, of all the things that can go wrong...a baby with a cleft lip and a palate is a blessing.