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[bama fan in Tn]

I am scheduled to deliver my baby boy tomorrow 12/13. We noticed on an ultra sound about a month ago that he most likely has a clef lip. It appears to be unilateral and on a subsequent 3D ultra sound they seem to believe the palate is not involved. I guess we will know for sure tomorrow. I am very nervous and still not completely over the shock. I have discovered a doctor in Norfolk, Virginia that does repair surgery almost immediately after birth and we are already on the schedule for the end of December. Does anyone have experience with early surgery or Norfolk?

[gregory]

Hi and welcome,

We chose early intervention to correct my son's cleft palate, part of his Pierre Robin condition. We realized the benefits of early intervention very quickly,while my son recovered in record time given his condition.

You are not mentioning the name of the doctor, but I would like to mention that my son was operated at CHKD in Norfolk, Virginia by Dr. William P. Magee, DDS MD, Founder of Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org). Do note that Operation Smile is the parent organization of the Smiles Craniofacial Support Group.

For more details about the surgery and the results, please read our story (http://www.cleft.org/families/theodoros.htm).

Do not hesitate to contact us.

Gregory (9yoB, PRS)

[pkett2]

Good Luck tomorrow! My son was born with an incomplete Unilateral cleft lip. The palate was not involved. My Dr. at Children's memorial in Chicago has chosen to wait until he is 6 months old to do his surgery. Since his feedings are not affected and his is doing wonderful, she believes it not necessary to put him at more risk with the anesthesia if we don't have too. We were told the risks drop tremendously at 6 months. Actually, I'm not looking forward to the surgery anyway. The farther away the better. I don't want to have to hand my baby off & sit in a waiting room worrying.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m186 ... tti-12.jpg

[gc0447]

Hello. My name is Georgette Couvall (Dr. Salyer's patient: http://www.worldcf.org). How are you? Welcome to the group. Here are my Personal Story & Before and After Picture links:

http://www.craniofacial.net/hypertelorism.htm (Anopthalmus with Frontonasal Dysplasia)
http://www.craniofacial.net/testimonials.htm (Georgette, Patient)
http://www.worldcf.org/support_groups.cfm (Craniofacial anomalies)
http://extratv.warnerbros.com/cmp/spotl ... 06_09a.htm
http://www.cleftadvocate.org/ff0104Georgette.html

I wish the best for your soon-to-be-born baby boy.

Sincerely,

Georgette Couvall

[jacksmom]

Congratulations and good luck tommorrow! Baby boys are so sweet! Trust me, you will be absolutely amazed at how you instantly fall in in love with that tiny face, despite the imperfection! I think at times that the Lord just blinds the eyes of us Mommies, and you don't even notice after a while! You will have some tough days ahead, but don't let the problems overshadow the joys of having a precious new baby! Before you know it his surgery will be behind him and this will all be over! This website has been a great help to us, and everyone is so encouraging! Keep us posted on how everything goes, and be sure to post pictures!
Allison
(A Bama fan in AL! - Roll Tide!)

[heather]

Congratulations on your baby boy! I have two boys myself. I separated them by a little girl, though. My youngest was born November 8th of this year with an incomplete unilateral cleft lip and a complete bilateral cleft palate. We weren't lucky enough to be able to tell before he was born if the palate was affected. We just had to wait and see. He will be receiving his first surgery in February. I have to say that he is doing marvelous. The only real problems that he has is the reflux issue and being deaf in his right ear. Eventually the reflux will subside and the spit up will stop coming out his nose once his palate is repaired. His hearing will also be fixed with the palate repair. But if your little guy is only born with a cleft lip, especially if it's incomplete, you should have no problems at all. We are being seen by the doctors at St. Louis Children's Hospital and we were informed that surgery to repair a cleft lip only requires a one night stay in the hospital and the next day you are free to go home. Best of luck to you. Feel free to take a peak at my little guy. Heather

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r117 ... 0_0333.jpg

[heather]

Congratulations on your baby boy! I have two boys myself. I separated them by a little girl, though. My youngest was born November 8th of this year with an incomplete unilateral cleft lip and a complete bilateral cleft palate. We weren't lucky enough to be able to tell before he was born if the palate was affected. We just had to wait and see. He will be receiving his first surgery in February. I have to say that he is doing marvelous. The only real problems that he has is the reflux issue and being deaf in his right ear. Eventually the reflux will subside and the spit up will stop coming out his nose once his palate is repaired. His hearing will also be fixed with the palate repair. But if your little guy is only born with a cleft lip, especially if it's incomplete, you should have no problems at all. We are being seen by the doctors at St. Louis Children's Hospital and we were informed that surgery to repair a cleft lip only requires a one night stay in the hospital and the next day you are free to go home. Best of luck to you. Feel free to take a peak at my little guy. Heather

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r117 ... 0_0333.jpg

[bama fan in Tn]

Our baby boy was born on 12/13 and just as we suspected has a unilateral clef lip (Palate is fine). Thank you all for your quick replies to my first posting. Reading what you had to say has been very encouraging. I am still eager to hear from those of you who had early surgery done. Thank you all for all your encouraging words and for posting your pictures and stories. Reading about your experiences has really helped me face this and deal with all that is to come.