Cleft Palate Research Paper

Every one in 700 live births can occur in either a cleft lip and/or a cleft palate. Cleft lip and cleft palate occur when tissues in the baby's face and mouth don't form properly. Either of these clefts can be diagnosed early on in the pregnancy. Cleft lip consists primarily of the lip, whether it is the right side, left side or in the middle. Cleft palate consists of the roof of the mouth. Both of these conditions can be managed with several surgeries in the first few months after birth but can also be a struggle for most of the child’s life. Cleft lip forms between the fourth and seventh weeks of pregnancy. Normally, between these few weeks of pregnancy the lip will fuse together but with a cleft lip the fusion never happens, leaving an opening in the lip. The opening can be a small slit or it can be a large opening that goes through the lip into the nose. …show more content…
A cleft palate happens if the tissue of the roof of the mouth does not completely come together. For some children some babies are born with the front and back of the palate are open. Others will only have part of the palate open.
Children with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate or a cleft palate alone often have problems with feeding and speaking clearly, and can have ear infections. When a baby is born with either of these conditions they will have multiple surgeries within their life. The initial surgery for a cleft lip will take place between one and four months, this surgery is to help close and bind the lip together by taking a piece of skin flap from each side and stitching them together. The repair should help give normal function as well as look. The child may need more surgeries later on to help keep up a normal