SMILES

I am expecting a baby any day now with a cleft lip and probable cleft palate. From my research there appears to be two schools of thought on time of surgery- the old school, 10wks or the new school, right after birth. Does anyone know of any advantages or disadvantages to either school? Our surgeon waits 10 wks but I don't know if I should have it done earlier ??? Would love info from someone who has researched this.

Vicki,


Congrats to you on your upcoming birth! My surgeon also decided to repair the lip at 10 weeks. I don't think there are many benefits to having it done earlier vs. later other than feeding. It is my understanding that at around 10 weeks the baby is best able to handle the surgery itself. Also...there are not too many surgeons out there who perform this earlier.... Put your faith in your surgeon and enjoy the first 10 weeks. That little smile will grow on you and before you know it...so will the new one!


God bless and congrats!!!!!!!!

I would like to invite you to Cleft, Chat and Smile mailing list. CCS is a cleft lip and palate support group for parents, teens and adults. To subscribe: <a href="mailto:cleftchat-subscribe@topica.com">mailto:cleftchat-subscribe@topica.com</a>

The issue is the anesthesia. The smaller the child the riskier it is for anesthesia. If a child is feeding regularly then it is usually preferable to wait until the child is a little older (10 weeks - 3 months) so that anesthesia is not so traumatic to their system.