SMILES

My son was born today with cleft palate. I was wondering what
is a good age to get the surgery. Any other information would
also be greatly appreciated.

Congratulations on the birth of your son. Happy birthday
Little One! You must be very proud, Papa. Allow me to introduce
myself. My name is Christal. My daughter, Jamie, was born on
10/3/99. She has cleft lip and palate on the left side. Her
entire appearance was affected. We were fortunate to find a
plastic surgeon who does early repairs. Her lip was repaired at 5
days old. You can read our story. It is here in discussion under
the heading "Cleft story to share". Your hospital will
probably recommend a cleft team for you. Be sure to ask for the
names of more than one surgeon. Our surgeon was actually
recommended to us by another plastic surgeon. He told us that he
could do the surgeries himself, but this other guy was the best
in our area. Thankfully, he was right. If you have any questions
at all, please e-mail me at cullymor@bitstorm.net. There is also
another website you should check out. www.widesmiles.org This
group has been my salvation! Again, congratulations!!! Christal -
mom to Jamie 6mo uclp and Alex 6yr nca