120 chapter 12
CLEFT LIP AND CLEFT PALATE
A cleft lip (or ‘hare lip’) is an
opening or gap in the upper
lip, often connecting to the
nostril.
A ‘cleft palate’ is an opening
in the roof of the mouth
connecting with the canal of
the nose.
simple cleft lip
double cleft lip
cleft palate
Usually 1 in about 800 children is born with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both.
Babies with these conditions often have trouble sucking, and may choke or gag on
food that gets into their nose. Usually breast feeding is the best way to feed these
children.
Put the breast
deep into the
mouth so that
the milk comes
out on the back
of the baby’s
tongue.
Occasionally the
mother may need
to get milk from
her breasts by
squeezing them,
and then feed the
milk to her baby
with a spoon.
To prevent
choking, feed
the baby while
he is sitting
up with
his head tilted
forward a little.
Make every effort to have the defects corrected by surgery since this can greatly
improve the child’s looks, eating ability, and speech. The best age for surgery is usually
at 4 to 6 months for the lip and about 18 months for the palate.
To prepare for surgery, parents should frequently stretch the
deformed lip, so that the 2 sides meet in the middle.
Even after the cleft lip and palate have been successfully repaired, speech
problems often occur. The family should gently encourage the child to speak as clearly
as she can. Lip and tongue exercises may help (see p. 314). The child who cannot get
surgery may need to learn sign language, using her hands to help people understand
her (see p. 266).
JOINED FINGERS AND EXTRA OR
DEFORMED FINGERS OR TOES
Some children are born with 2 or more fingers joined
together. This does not cause much difficulty in use of
the hand. However, special surgery can often separate
the joined fingers.
When a child is born with a small extra finger or toe
that has no bone in it, you can tie a string tightly
around it, like this. In a few days the finger will dry out
and fall off.
Larger extra fingers or toes, if they get in the way,
can be removed by a surgeon.
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