About this topic
A cleft lip is an opening or slit in the upper lip. The lip does not form normally. An opening or slit may happen on one or both sides of the upper lip. This may look like a small slit in the upper lip or a slit that goes all the way to the nose. Many children with a cleft lip will also have a cleft palate. This means there is an opening in the roof of the mouth. Your child may need one or more surgeries to fix this problem. ‚
View OriginalView Original
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- Your childs doctor will tell you how to clean and care for the wound.
- Be sure to wash your hands before touching your child's wound or dressing.
- Protect your child's wound. Avoid giving your child straws or forks. Do not let your child put anything in the mouth, like pacifiers or toys. Ask your child's doctor for ways to keep your child from poking the mouth or wound.
- Your child's doctor may order arm restraints when your child is sleeping. These may also be used when no one is directly watching your child. With these restraints, your child is not able to touch the surgery site.
What follow-up care is needed?
- The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits. Your child's doctor will discuss plans or schedules of future surgeries that your child may need to have. Together you can make a plan for more care.
- If your child has stitches or staples, they will need to be taken out. The doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Your child should have a regular hearing check-up or test.
- The doctor may send your child to a speech therapist to help with speech development.
- The doctor may send your child to an orthodontist if your child needs some dental corrections after surgery.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Prevent or treat wound infection
- Help with pain
Will physical activity be limited?
Talk to the doctor about the right activities for your child. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
- The doctor will tell you the right way to feed your child.
- Your child will have to follow a liquid diet but will advance to a soft diet. Soft foods are foods that can be smashed with a fork and need no chewing.
- There are feeding devices specially made for babies with a cleft lip. Ask your childs doctor about this.
What problems could happen?
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Ear infection
- Dental problems
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Signs of fluid loss. These include soft spot on a babys head looks sunken, few or no tears when crying, dark-colored urine or only a small amount of urine for more than 6 to 8 hours, dry mouth, cracked lips, dry skin, sunken eyes, lack of energy, feeling very sleepy.
- Bleeding
- Throwing up
- Irritability or always crying
- Trouble breathing
- Not able to sleep
- Not able to eat or drink
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my child's cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child has trouble breathing, bleeding, or is not able to eat or drink.
Where can I learn more?
American Society of Plastic Surgeons ‚
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/reconstructive-procedures/cleft-lip-and-palate.html ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/cleft_lip_palate.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚