Birth defects, such as cleft lip, present many different obstacles for young children and their parents. Depending on the severity of the cleft, your child may have a wide range issues. Along with breathing, eating, and dental problems, communication is often affected. Communication is a vital part of daily living and when affected can cause frustration and distress for the individual. If your child has a cleft lip he or she should be seeing a speech language pathologist.
Babies Should Meet with Speech Professionals
This trained professional is a source of assistance and alternatives to every day needs. For instance, if your child has a cleft lip he or she will likely have difficulty producing plosives, which include “p”, “b”, “k”, “g”, “t”, and “d”. These plosives are formed by the sealing of the lips and releasing of pressure. Without a full seal of the lips, these words will be problematic in every day speech. A speech language pathologist will work one on one with your child and your family to help develop a stronger labial seal and alternatives to producing these sounds, in order to help your child efficiently communicate. Speech therapy will help your child work on articulation inaccuracies, plosive sounds, and audible speech.
Most insurance companies provide assistance with the financial aspect of therapy and are accessible in most areas of the United States. Your child’s therapy schedule and intervention plan will vary depending on the severity and condition of your child’s cleft lip. Speech therapy can help enhance your child’s language development and communication skills. Cleft lip surgery can help alter the structural abnormalities for your child, if speech therapy alone is not enough. Your physician and speech pathologist will know which option is best for your situation.
Birth Defects Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
Topamax, the popular pharmaceutical drug used to treat epilepsy and migraines, has been shown to cause cleft lip and cleft palate in children when taken by women during pregnancy. If your child was born with cleft lip it is likely that you have some questions regarding your use of Topamax. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.
A newborn baby with a cleft lip will have trouble sealing the lips and nasal cavity, preventing efficient sucking. The orbicularis oris, the muscle of the lips, has been affected due to the cleft lip , which prevents the muscles from properly functioning to provide a strong labial seal. If the cleft lip is specific to one area of the lip (i.e. the right or left side) it may help to breastfeed your baby at an angle towards the side of the lip without the malformation. By repositioning yourself, you can help your baby create a stronger labial seal, allowing him or her to suck more efficiently.
Suckles is a part of the pediatric swallowing process. It is different from swallowing in that it occurs from 8 months of gestation up until 6 months after birth. Suckling also differs from sucking in the tongue and jaw movement. The jaw is stable and the tongue moves back and forth. This works in young babies because of the developmental stage of their laryngeal structures. With a cleft lip, your baby may have difficulty with tongue movement and minor problems with suckling. If suckling is a problem for your baby it is wise to develop a pattern of squeezing the bottle to help the baby adapt for a pattern of suckling. This pattern will help your baby adjust to the proper movements to help obtain the milk.
Young babies with a cleft lip are often able to receive nutrition through bottle feeding. It is important to keep an eye on your individual child’s particular eating capabilities. For instance, newborn babies with a cleft lip may need more time to eat because of sucking difficulty due to the lack of closure between the lips and nasal cavity. Babies also may need to be bottle fed rather than breastfed because of these closure issues. Liquids, like milk from a bottle, may leak through the nasal cavity. The specific method chosen for your baby depends on your own child’s cleft lip condition. It is important to contact your physician regarding precise techniques that are most beneficial to your baby.