Cleft Lip Thoughts
For those of you that don't know what a cleft lip is, it is as if someone took a knife or scissors and cut from the base of the lip to the nose on one or either side of the center of your mouth. What I never knew is part of your face under your nose is three separate pieces of skin that must form just right so they all come together at the right point and right time. I am amazed that anyones lips form properly after learning how they all need to come together.
There are several forms of cleft lips, where both sides don't come together, only one side does not come together, and more serious forms like a cleft pallete and lip. During the ultrasound examinations they normally can't tell 100% that the pallete has formed properly, but fortunately the doctor said it looked like only a small cleft lip on one side.
RESEARCH PROCESS
For me the internet is a blessing, its where we sell a majority of our wrestling gear. However, as a source for information, it can not be a blessing. We looked around on sites where there were photos of major cleft lips, before and after photos, photos of kids who did not have the surgery to correct their lips,etc. It was upsetting to look at these photos.
I was most concerned about the development of my unborn child. Often times there are hearing probelms, which lead to speech problems, and development issues.
Fortunately, when my son was born, it was only a minor one sided cleft lip and the inside of his mouth was intact. Everything with the surgery worked out perfectly. If you are a future parent of baby with a cleft lip, bookmark this blog, I will post more on this topic.
We will be doing some type of fundraiser to help kids whose parents can't afford the cleft repair. Look back to find out more information on how you can help...
