What is Cleft Lip & Palate?
Cleft means 'split' or 'separation'. During early pregnancy separate areas of the face develop individually and then join together. If some parts do not join properly the result is a cleft, the type and severity of which can vary.
Cleft Lip
A cleft lip is a condition that creates an opening in the upper lip
between the mouth and nose. It looks as though there is a split in the
lip. It can range from a slight notch in the coloured portion of the
lip to complete separation in one or both sides of the lip extending up
and into the nose.
A cleft on one side is called a unilateral cleft. If a cleft occurs on both sides it is called a bilateral cleft.
Cleft Palate
A cleft palate can range from just an opening at the back of the soft palate to a nearly complete separation of the roof of the mouth (soft and hard palate).
Surgery
The palate is usually repaired by the time a baby is a year old. The tissues of the palate are re-arranged but no extra tissue from other parts of the body is used. The operation is, like the lip repair, carried out under general anaesthetic and takes approximately one and a half hours.
Before and after surgery repair for a Bilateral Cleft Palate and Lip.
For more information, visit the Cleft Lip And Palate Associasion website. (the information above was sourced from this website)
Our precious little angel,
wasn't with us on Earth long enough to benefit from the expert surgery
that was awaiting her. However, as you can see from this picture, it
didn't stop her from smiling!!
