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Cleft Palates

A Common but Misunderstood Problem in Newborns

By Lisa A. Goldstein

Certain prescription medications taken during pregnancy, such as some anticonvulsants, may increase the risk of cleft palate in a newborn, Dr. Villarin says. In addition, the incidence of cleft palate is higher in babies of mothers exposed to radiation, smoke, illegal drugs, infections and alcohol during pregnancy.

As one would expect, babies born with cleft palate usually demonstrate problems with feeding very early on, as they can't suck and swallow normally, Dr. Villarin says. "Older children born with cleft palate can have other associated problems, such as speech, hearing and dental problems," he says. "Some develop enlarged tonsils and adenoids. In addition, psychosocial development may be affected in children who have a defect that may be disfiguring and may require several surgical procedures throughout childhood."

The good news is that everything can be corrected and made to work almost completely normally, says Dr. Craig Vander Kolk, a plastic surgeon with the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Center, Weinberg Center for Women's Health & Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. The not-so-great news is that this might take some years to accomplish because of the facial changes and growth that occur from infancy to adulthood.

"There is usually visible scarring with cleft lip and cleft lip and palate, but we have made great advances in minimizing this over the years," Dr. Vander Kolk says. "There are many people in public life that have cleft lip and the scars – Stacy Keach, Joaquin Phoenix and Cheech Marin – so the kids can have a normal life and that is always our goal."

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• Mom's Milk Matters: Breastfeeding a Baby with Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate
• To Believe or Not to Believe? Debunking Common Pregnancy Myths
• Congenital Cataracts: Treatment Options for Newborns
• Talk about it!

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