Cleft Update

You might recall that our sweet Little Man in China was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate; tragically, the apparent reason he currently lives in an orphanage.

Knowing how children with clefts often choke and struggle when eating (infants typically cannot suckle a bottle sufficiently and must be painstakingly spoon fed their formula if special nipples are not available) and fail to get the necessary nourishment to grow/develop, we were relieved to learn that our son had a successful cleft lip repair last fall, at a tender 3 months of age.

What we didn’t know until recently, however, was that ONLY his cleft lip was corrected– not the palate, as well. We have since learned that many unassuming adoptive parents discover this very situation upon meeting their children in China.

This means we have a long road of surgery, recovery, and speech therapy ahead of us once our precious boy is home. Though this was a surprise to us, we are no less enthused to welcome him into our eager arms.

We’re now in the information gathering phase regarding a suitable treatment plan for cleft palate repair. We assume that since we reside in modestly populated Montana, that we will be traveling some distance to get him the best care available. Probable options are Salt Lake City, Denver, Seattle or Portland. We gratefully welcome any insight/experience you have to offer in this arena.