Cleft Lip
Causes and How the Child Gets It
There are multiple things that can cause the clef. It can be genetic, not enough folic acid before pregnancy, taking certain medicines, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, and having certain infections while pregnant can cause the clef lip.
Symptoms and Characteristics
Babies who have a clef lip have a small notch on the upper lip or in more serious cases, a hole that goes through the upper gum and to the bottom of the nose. This can happen on one or both sides of the mouth. It can also cause problems such as feeding, hearing loss, speech and dental.
Treatment
In most cases, babies who are 10 to 12 weeks old can have it surgically fixed. Also they can get treated by specialist:
Plastic Surgeon
Pediatrician
Speech Specialist and many more.
Life Expectancy
This disorder does not effect the childs life expectancy. It is only a physical disorder.
More Important Information
About 6,800 babies are born with the clef lip in the US each year.
The clef lip and palate so not always happen at the same time.
If you have a family history of clefs, your child will have a greater chance of getting it.