If your baby was born with cleft lip, treatment is available, and surgery is generally performed in the first few months. Until then, however, your baby will likely have a more difficult time with feeding. To help you, below are some tips on feeding your baby, as well as information about the surgery they will have by a pediatric plastic surgeon.

Tips for Feeding

You will quickly see that your baby will have a hard time sucking. This will make it almost impossible to feed them. To help with this, there are special bottles you can purchase that are known as soft bottles. You can purchase these bottles at most pharmacies. If you need help, ask the pharmacist to help you choose a bottle for your baby. Your baby's pediatrician can also help you find a soft bottle and show you how to properly use it to feed your baby.

If you would like to breastfeed your baby, they should be able to feed well. When you are still in the hospital there will be nursing staff that can help you breastfeed. You should ask if there is someone that is experienced with helping babies that have cleft lips, however.

When breastfeeding you will place one or more fingers over the cleft area to block it. This will allow your baby to get the appropriate suction, so they can feed well.

Cleft Lift Surgery

To repair the cleft lip, your baby will have to have surgery, which is generally done by a pediatric plastic surgeon. Once the surgery is finished, your child may still have to have a few follow-up surgeries to help improve their speech, as well as improve the lip appearance. This surgery generally takes place in the first few months of your baby's life.

Your baby will have to be put to sleep during the surgery, so it is done in a hospital. The doctor will make a few incisions on each side of the cleft. This creates a flap of tissue on each side. The flaps are then placed over the cleft area, and the doctor will make incisions to close the flap. The flap is also connected to the lip muscles. After the surgery is finished and your baby goes through the recovery period, their lip will appear much more normal.

The pediatric plastic surgeon can go over this information with you in much more detail. They will help you understand exactly what will take place during and after the surgery your baby receives.