A cleft lip is a condition that occurs when the lip did not merge completely before the birth of such a child. This can be treated through pediatric cleft lip surgery which closes the gap on the child’s lips. From the 4th up to the 7th week of pregnancy, this is the usual stage wherein the lips of the baby are formed, and when this development happens, the body tissues and the special cells will also be growing and move toward the entrance of the face thereby forming the face. So, when this fails to happen during the development of a child inside the mother’s womb, this results in an opening in the lip that looks like a small slit or it can even be a large opening that will go through the lip and into the nose, and this condition is called a cleft lip that may either be accompanied by a cleft palate or not, and this can also happen either on one side or on both sides of the lip. And although it’s rare, it can even happen in the middle of the lip.
While the child is still in his or her mother’s womb, everything is still developing in this stage, the mouth should also form completely. However, when this fails to happen, this can result in a cleft palate or a cleft lip, or both. Normally, the roof of the mouth starts to form during the sixth and the ninth weeks of pregnancy, but for some babies, their palates are not formed, and there are even some wherein the back and the front parts of their palate remain open.
Possible Complication for Children With a Cleft Lip or a Cleft Palate
For children who are born with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate, or those children who have a cleft palate only, the main problem that is always being encountered is when it comes to feeding and they will also be having problems with there speaking skills and they also have a high chance of getting ear infections. There can also be problems with the child’s teeth and even their hearing abilities if he or she is born with a cleft lip, or a cleft palate, or both.
Statistics on Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate
Statistics in the United States show that one in every 1,600 babies is being born with both a cleft lip and a cleft palate, while one in every 2,800 is being born with a cleft lip only. Furthermore, one in every 1,700 babies is being born with a cleft palate only.
Causes and Risk Factors When a Child Will Not Undergo Pediatric Cleft Lip Surgery
- Factors
The cause of why orofacial clefts occur among infants are still remaining to be a mystery. Another factor that was seen to cause either a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both in a baby is from changes in their genes while they are still developing in their mother’s womb. It is even though that cleft lip and cleft palate is a product of a combination of genes and other types of factors like the things that the mother has been in contact with, in her environment, including what the mother is drinking or eating during pregnancy. There are also some types of medications that are being suspected to be a factor when it is being used during pregnancy.
And just like the families of these children that are born with these types of birth defects, the CDC also wants to know the root cause of why these conditions occur. By being able to have an understanding with regards to the factors that are common among babies born with birth defects will help the CDC in determining the causes.
Right now, the CDC was able to provide a report as to the important findings on what factors aggravate the occurrence of a cleft lip in a baby. Here are some of the factors:
- When the baby’s mother is a smoker
There is a higher chance that a baby will have an orofacial cleft when the mother smokes as compared to those who do not.
- When the baby’s mother has pre-existing diabetes
When the pregnant woman has been diagnosed with a preexisting diabetes even before she was pregnant, there is also a high risk of bearing a child that has a cleft lip, or a cleft palate, or both, as compared to women who do not have diabetes.
- When the baby’s mother is using certain medications
There are medications like treatments to epilepsy that are used by women especially during the first trimester of pregnancy can result in an increased risk of having a baby with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate as compared to women who are not taking such kind of medications.
- Diagnosis
The cleft lip can be diagnosed even during pregnancy through routine ultrasound. The condition can also be diagnosed after the baby has been born especially when it comes to cleft palate. But there are other types of left palates that can only be diagnosed in the later part of life.
- Management of Treatment of a Cleft Lip, a Cleft Palate, or Both
The pediatric cleft lip surgery or cleft palate surgery that your child will need is going to be dependent on the severity of the cleft. Other factors that will be put into consideration will be the needs and the age of the child and if there are any associated syndromes or other birth defects or even both.
The pediatric left clip surgery is usually done during the early months of life and this recommended especially during the first 12 months of the child. However, if it’s a surgery that will repair the cleft palate, it is recommended to be done during the first 18 months of life or even earlier if possible.
Fact is, there are still a lot of children who are still going to need additional surgical procedures as they grow. These surgical procedures can help in the improvement of the child’s look and appearance and it can also help in the improvement of breathing, hearing, including speech and language development.
