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.
There is a wide spectrum of migraines causes. Irregular eating patterns, skipping out on meals, eating too many sweets or starchy foods, caffeine in excess, and other dietary factors could lead to these debilitating headaches. Sleeping patterns also play a role in the onset of migraines. Too much or too little sleep could lead to migraines, as well as other varying sleep disturbances. Extreme emotional highs and lows are also dangerous. Excitement, anxiety, fear, anger, and stress all could lead to problems. Food additives and alcohol, such as wine, liquor, and beer could affect the body adversely leading to potential migraine threats.
Those who suffer from migraines understand exactly how debilitating they can be. Headaches can be extremely draining, especially when people are constantly awaiting their arrival. It is not uncommon for people to constantly think about when the next migraine will strike and how it will hinder their lifestyle. It is also extremely inconvenient to be forced to change plans at a moments notice . Therefore, it may be in the best interest of those who suffer from migraines to lay out certain contingency plans. 
Cleft lips and palates have the potential to harmfully affect the ability of children to hear. A tympanostomy tube is usually inserted into a young child’s eardrum in order to aerate the middle ear. This tube often allows for children to have improved hearing and provides other significant benefits. Babies who suffer from cleft palate may have a number of speech problems. Some speech problems develop directly as a result of anatomical differences due to the birth defect. An example of an anatomical difference that could cause trouble is velopharyngeal inadequacy, which is the inability of the soft palate to shut the opening from the throat to the nasal cavity. Velopharyngeal inadequacy makes it difficult for children to make many speech sounds as the soft palate is integral to this function. These types of errors are somewhat common and can be corrected after palate repair.
The birth of a child is one of the most exciting and proud moments of a mother’s life. Birth defects, such as cleft lip or cleft palate, should not spoil the moment, as these issues can be easily corrected with surgery. It is completely normal for mothers with babies born with a cleft lip to experience concerns and feelings of denial, guilt, anger, and depression. 
After the excruciating pain that accompanies a migraines, victims wish to get back to their normal daily activities. Migraine symptoms, however, are not that understanding. The symptoms following a migraine headache can last a full twenty four hours after the migraine has subsided. A mild form of the headache can linger on for this time period, making it difficult to function. Many people also deal with extreme fatigue. 
Pregnant women should be cautious about the use of Topamax during pregnancy even though the drug has a strong success rate in treating migraines. The harsh symptoms of migraines can last for extended periods of time and women should understand the potential effects. Headaches bring with them throbbing pain which makes it extremely difficult to function never mind complete regular daily activities. Nausea and vomiting are also common experiences of people during a migraine and can make for extreme discomfort and additional pain. Finally, strong sensitivity to sounds and light generally accompany migraine headaches which makes it very difficult to move. Many people choose to remain in dark and quiet rooms during these extreme headaches in an effort to reduce the persistence of discomfort. Over ninety percent of patients experiencing migraines reported functional impairment. This statistic shows that when a migraine strikes, it may be very difficult to carry on with activities normally. Although migraines can be agonizing and traumatic, women should carefully choose medication during pregnancy to avoid potential dangers, such as cleft lip, to their baby.