# 20 week scan shows cleft lip..



## helloeveryone

hi went to my 20 week scan, they said our baby has a cleft lip on the left hand side,we are having another scan next thursday to see how bad it is,and also to try and see if it has got a cleft palate,
Is ther any one out there who can help me understand it a bit more,i've looked it up on google but it is a bit scary, i breastfeed my other 5 children so i am i bit sad that breastfeeding might not work or be hard work.


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## Odd Socks

Hi,

There's a girl on here (username amygwen) who has a little boy who had a cleft lip / palate & breastfeeds. You might be worth pming her :)

xx


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## amygwen

*Thanks for mentioning me hun ^^^*

Congrats on your new baby! My son was born with a cleft lip on the left side, although they could never tell me if he had cleft palate or not. They kept saying that they couldn't tell because the ultrasound could not pick up the soft or hard palate. My son wasn't born with a cleft palate, but was born with a cleft lip and it's been easier than I'd ever imagined breastfeeding him, even though a lot of doctors/nurses said it would be nearly impossible. I completely understand how you're feeling though, I was absolutely mortified and surprised when I found out my son would be born with a cleft lip and maybe a cleft palate, it came out of no where because neither myself or his father (or any one else in our families that we can think of) have EVER been born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. And when you look up on google pictures of child with this complication, it's so sad because you can't imagine your LO being born with it too! I'll tell you something though, when he was born and when he had his cleft lip, I thought he was still the most beautiful baby ever and thankfully I never had any rude or mean comments from people, even strangers. His surgery and watching him recover was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through in my life. I would've done anything to switch spots with him so he didn't have to suffer. But now he's 98% fixed. His gum still needs a surgery when he's 5 years old and if he chooses to, he can have a surgery to fix his nose when he's like 16 years old.. but other than that I'd consider us very lucky! Breastfeeding thankfully was quite easy for us too, I pumped at the beginning because he had a bit of a problem suctioning in the first few days of life and supplemented with formula until my milk came in, but we're still breastfeeding and it's going great.

Here are a few links for you, that I found extremely helpful when I was pregnant and still do now that I've had Kenneth: 

https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a56125/cleft_lipcleft_palate?
(This is a forum for people who have/had cleft lip and also for parents who have children with cleft lip, I joined when I was pregnant and it was lovely to hear from other people who were in my position once).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QX2QXH3GY79M11VDZNY
(This is a link to a book to help other children understand cleft lip.. this might be useful for your other children)

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Cleft-A...=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296916254&sr=1-5
(This book is designed for a parent of a cleft-affected child, I read it and it's very interesting, gives you a lot of information/pictures)

Lastly, here's a link to my son's pictures.. I put pictures of him before and after the surgery so people could see the change. Honestly, you can see his little scar, but it's honestly nothing.. I hope he realizes one day how lucky he really is.. 

https://www.babyandbump.com/photo-g...lip-surgery-updated-november-10th-2010-a.html

Pleaseeeeeeee let me know how your ultrasound goes next Thursday and if you ever need anything, please PM me. I love talking to other cleft mommies :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:


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## zippy4

helloeveryone said:


> hi went to my 20 week scan, they said our baby has a cleft lip on the left hand side,we are having another scan next thursday to see how bad it is,and also to try and see if it has got a cleft palate,
> Is ther any one out there who can help me understand it a bit more,i've looked it up on google but it is a bit scary, i breastfeed my other 5 children so i am i bit sad that breastfeeding might not work or be hard work.

Hello hun, how are you? My baby was diagnosed with a cleft lip at our 20 week scan also (we found out nearly 4 weeks ago). We have since seen a specialist who thinks his palate is affected also. So he confirmed the diagnosis as a left sided unilateral cleft lip (and probably palate) but thinks it's reasonably narrow and he is otherwise healthy. At first I cried my eyes out. It's our first baby (following 2 losses) and we were devastated and terrified. But now I couldn't care less, he is my gorgeous, special little man. Seeing his cleft in 3d made it a lot less scary! You can see the 3d pic on my ticker but his cleft isn't really noticable. In terms of feeding we have been told breastfeeding is unlikely so I plan to pump and use the special bottles. I have another appointment with the specialist (fetal med team) in 2 weeks and also get to meet with surgeons so I will know more then. It is such a shock at first. I found the site faceforward very good for all my questions and I feel pretty clued up now so if you have any questions ask away. I'm lucky that my hospital have been fabulous and very supportive. Sorry that was a bit of a ramble but we are in a very similar position xxxx


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## helloeveryone

amygwen said:


> *Thanks for mentioning me hun ^^^*
> 
> Congrats on your new baby! My son was born with a cleft lip on the left side, although they could never tell me if he had cleft palate or not. They kept saying that they couldn't tell because the ultrasound could not pick up the soft or hard palate. My son wasn't born with a cleft palate, but was born with a cleft lip and it's been easier than I'd ever imagined breastfeeding him, even though a lot of doctors/nurses said it would be nearly impossible. I completely understand how you're feeling though, I was absolutely mortified and surprised when I found out my son would be born with a cleft lip and maybe a cleft palate, it came out of no where because neither myself or his father (or any one else in our families that we can think of) have EVER been born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. And when you look up on google pictures of child with this complication, it's so sad because you can't imagine your LO being born with it too! I'll tell you something though, when he was born and when he had his cleft lip, I thought he was still the most beautiful baby ever and thankfully I never had any rude or mean comments from people, even strangers. His surgery and watching him recover was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through in my life. I would've done anything to switch spots with him so he didn't have to suffer. But now he's 98% fixed. His gum still needs a surgery when he's 5 years old and if he chooses to, he can have a surgery to fix his nose when he's like 16 years old.. but other than that I'd consider us very lucky! Breastfeeding thankfully was quite easy for us too, I pumped at the beginning because he had a bit of a problem suctioning in the first few days of life and supplemented with formula until my milk came in, but we're still breastfeeding and it's going great.
> 
> Here are a few links for you, that I found extremely helpful when I was pregnant and still do now that I've had Kenneth:
> 
> https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a56125/cleft_lipcleft_palate?
> (This is a forum for people who have/had cleft lip and also for parents who have children with cleft lip, I joined when I was pregnant and it was lovely to hear from other people who were in my position once).
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QX2QXH3GY79M11VDZNY
> (This is a link to a book to help other children understand cleft lip.. this might be useful for your other children)
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Your-Cleft-A...=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296916254&sr=1-5
> (This book is designed for a parent of a cleft-affected child, I read it and it's very interesting, gives you a lot of information/pictures)
> 
> Lastly, here's a link to my son's pictures.. I put pictures of him before and after the surgery so people could see the change. Honestly, you can see his little scar, but it's honestly nothing.. I hope he realizes one day how lucky he really is..
> 
> https://www.babyandbump.com/photo-g...lip-surgery-updated-november-10th-2010-a.html
> 
> Pleaseeeeeeee let me know how your ultrasound goes next Thursday and if you ever need anything, please PM me. I love talking to other cleft mommies :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

Hi thanks for all the links,your son is gorgous...sorry haven't got time to talk but as soon as i can i will pm you if thats alright.( kids need feeding.):hugs:


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## helloeveryone

zippy4 said:


> helloeveryone said:
> 
> 
> hi went to my 20 week scan, they said our baby has a cleft lip on the left hand side,we are having another scan next thursday to see how bad it is,and also to try and see if it has got a cleft palate,
> Is ther any one out there who can help me understand it a bit more,i've looked it up on google but it is a bit scary, i breastfeed my other 5 children so i am i bit sad that breastfeeding might not work or be hard work.
> 
> Hello hun, how are you? My baby was diagnosed with a cleft lip at our 20 week scan also (we found out nearly 4 weeks ago). We have since seen a specialist who thinks his palate is affected also. So he confirmed the diagnosis as a left sided unilateral cleft lip (and probably palate) but thinks it's reasonably narrow and he is otherwise healthy. At first I cried my eyes out. It's our first baby (following 2 losses) and we were devastated and terrified. But now I couldn't care less, he is my gorgeous, special little man. Seeing his cleft in 3d made it a lot less scary! You can see the 3d pic on my ticker but his cleft isn't really noticable. In terms of feeding we have been told breastfeeding is unlikely so I plan to pump and use the special bottles. I have another appointment with the specialist (fetal med team) in 2 weeks and also get to meet with surgeons so I will know more then. It is such a shock at first. I found the site faceforward very good for all my questions and I feel pretty clued up now so if you have any questions ask away. I'm lucky that my hospital have been fabulous and very supportive. Sorry that was a bit of a ramble but we are in a very similar position xxxxClick to expand...

Hi just wanted to say hi and thanks for messaging me,i would love to talk to you soon if thats alright but kids need feeding so i will write soon...:hugs:


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## amygwen

helloeveryone said:


> amygwen said:
> 
> 
> *Thanks for mentioning me hun ^^^*
> 
> Congrats on your new baby! My son was born with a cleft lip on the left side, although they could never tell me if he had cleft palate or not. They kept saying that they couldn't tell because the ultrasound could not pick up the soft or hard palate. My son wasn't born with a cleft palate, but was born with a cleft lip and it's been easier than I'd ever imagined breastfeeding him, even though a lot of doctors/nurses said it would be nearly impossible. I completely understand how you're feeling though, I was absolutely mortified and surprised when I found out my son would be born with a cleft lip and maybe a cleft palate, it came out of no where because neither myself or his father (or any one else in our families that we can think of) have EVER been born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. And when you look up on google pictures of child with this complication, it's so sad because you can't imagine your LO being born with it too! I'll tell you something though, when he was born and when he had his cleft lip, I thought he was still the most beautiful baby ever and thankfully I never had any rude or mean comments from people, even strangers. His surgery and watching him recover was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through in my life. I would've done anything to switch spots with him so he didn't have to suffer. But now he's 98% fixed. His gum still needs a surgery when he's 5 years old and if he chooses to, he can have a surgery to fix his nose when he's like 16 years old.. but other than that I'd consider us very lucky! Breastfeeding thankfully was quite easy for us too, I pumped at the beginning because he had a bit of a problem suctioning in the first few days of life and supplemented with formula until my milk came in, but we're still breastfeeding and it's going great.
> 
> Here are a few links for you, that I found extremely helpful when I was pregnant and still do now that I've had Kenneth:
> 
> https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a56125/cleft_lipcleft_palate?
> (This is a forum for people who have/had cleft lip and also for parents who have children with cleft lip, I joined when I was pregnant and it was lovely to hear from other people who were in my position once).
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QX2QXH3GY79M11VDZNY
> (This is a link to a book to help other children understand cleft lip.. this might be useful for your other children)
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Your-Cleft-A...=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296916254&sr=1-5
> (This book is designed for a parent of a cleft-affected child, I read it and it's very interesting, gives you a lot of information/pictures)
> 
> Lastly, here's a link to my son's pictures.. I put pictures of him before and after the surgery so people could see the change. Honestly, you can see his little scar, but it's honestly nothing.. I hope he realizes one day how lucky he really is..
> 
> https://www.babyandbump.com/photo-g...lip-surgery-updated-november-10th-2010-a.html
> 
> Pleaseeeeeeee let me know how your ultrasound goes next Thursday and if you ever need anything, please PM me. I love talking to other cleft mommies :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
> 
> Hi thanks for all the links,your son is gorgous...sorry haven't got time to talk but as soon as i can i will pm you if thats alright.( kids need feeding.):hugs:Click to expand...

Thanks hun, yes! Please do PM me, I'd love to hear from you :hugs:


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## helloeveryone

Amygwen and zippy4 i have just pm you both and thanks for getting back to me, just wanted to update following my second scan my baby does have both a cleft lip and palate, i am still so confuzed some people are telling me that i might be able to breadfeed and some people are telling me breastfeeding will be nearly in possible. There are so many different story on the internet and people trying to breastfeed.
i am rearly keen still to breast feed so if anyone can help me or give me any tips to that would be lovely...
Any sad or happy story about people who has tryed to breastfeed that would be great too...
Also does anyone know if there is anything i can put on my breast that would be good to help with feeding as i have heard different things....
Anyone please help if you can,,,Thanks...


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## zippy4

Hi hun, what I was told was because the palate is involved that baby won't be able to suck as there is no vacuum and it would actually cause baby to burn more calories than it would get from the milk. Thanks for the pm, i will have a wee read lol xx


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## helloeveryone

Quick update......feeling much better lately, i think i am getting used to the idea, that there will be alot of problem with breastfeeding after birth, but i am planing to breastfeed after the palate is fixed,,..I have also got a supplemental nursing system to help with feeding hopfully,
Does any one know if they work well with cleft lip and palate babys...


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## helloeveryone

Hi just a quick up date......
had a 3rd scan that showed cleft lip and gum but they are quite sure that the palate is fine...
Feeling happy but they have also told me to be prepared in case palate is effected...
so trying to to get to pleased about things but it is so hard not to...
If baby has only cleft lip and gum then breastfeeding will be possible ....
But if cleft lip gum and palate is effected then breastfeeding will not be possible....
I will have tilll wait till baby is born till we know for sure...:dohh::dohh::dohh:


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