SMILES

My new born son (12/04/1999) was born with a slight cleft lip
much to the shock of my family. We have been tpld that the
operation will be in about three to four months. My family are
very much in the dark regarding this and any support would be
much appreciated any support would be even better.







Yours,



Alan

I am a mom of a son who was born with a cleft lip and palate.
I have to tell you the first thing that really helped us was our
faith in God. When we thought that we couldn't make it any more
God made us make it. This was my first child so like any parent
you want that perfect baby. Well guess what you did get that
perfect baby. You need to be thankful that this birth defect can
be fixed unlike some. It is hard to learn how to care for a child
with this birth defect, but in time you will become an expert at
it. We feed our son from a dixie cup at about 8 weeks old. We
would have to hold him in almost a sitting position and hold the
dixie cup and slowly pour it into his mouth. He caught on really
quick on how to feed this way. At first we would put a towel over
him because we made such a mess. We learned that you have to burp
a little more often with a baby with this defect. My son is now 8
and he plays sports and does anything and everything an 8 year
old can do. It is hard at times but the good out way the bad
alot. By the way 5 years ago we had our second child and he
didn't have the birth defect. If you would like to e mail me you
can at queensheets@netzero.net I would be happy to answer any
questions you have or share some of the things we did with our
son

My son was born on 12/29/99. He was also born with a mild
cleft lip. Our family had no knowledge either. His surgery was on
March 17,1999. I have pictures of before and after. I can also
answer any questions you might have. You can email me at
BridgetSS@aol.com