After a cleft lip/cleft palate surgery, it is important to listen to your doctor’s guidelines and follow up based on the doctor’s instructions. Just like you regularly would check in with your birth defects attorneys, it is very important to check up with the medical team at the appropriate intervals. Your child is likely going to be in some pain after the surgery, and he or she needs to be given the appropriate time to heal before follow-up work is done. As always, follow your doctor’s instructions for the safest and most optimal recovery.
Follow Up Visits
Once your child is discharged, there are typically two follow up dates that are required. The first visit should be at seven to ten days after surgery. The second appointment should usually be at about three weeks after the surgery. Finally, if there happens to be a wound breakdown, it is usually advisable to wait at least six months after surgery to attempt to close it. This is because blood supply needs to be reestablished to the tissues.
Birth Defects Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
Many parents who have children born with a cleft lip or cleft palate are often overwhelmed and, in some instances, confused about their legal rights. They are especially confused about whether or not the services of birth defects attorneys would be needed. In some cases, there have been improper actions that may have led to your child’s birth defect and contacting birth defects attorneys is beneficial to your family’s physical and financial health. For example, the FDA has recently announced that Topamax (Topiramate), taken during pregnancy or during child-bearing years, has been linked to an increase in the development of cleft lips and cleft palates. We are able to assist parents dealing with these issues. 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.
Children born with cleft lips or cleft palates often face many challenges while growing up. Development is changed drastically, and learning to eat and speak becomes harder than ever. While surgeries are indeed available to correct craniofacial birth defects, these surgeries can be overwhelmingly expensive for some families, leaving parents and child forced to cope with these oral malformations. 
The foundation operates the CLEFTLINE, a toll free 800 number that provides information to callers about facial clefts and other oral malformations. Callers will also be provided with information regarding cleft palate support groups in their regions. 
SmileTrain is a charity that provides oral cleft repair surgery for only $250 to poor families. They do this through funding from benefactors, and through donations from civilians like you and I. In addition to providing parents with the opportunity to afford the procedure, SmileTrain also trains doctors in over 75 countries to perform craniofacial surgeries on children. 
Topamax is associated with a few side effects and risks, some more dangerous than others. The most common side effect associated with the drug is numbness and tingling (parasthesia) in arms and legs. Other side effects include fatigue, change in tastes, weight loss, difficulty focusing, short term/non-severe loss of memory, nausea, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. No side effects seem to be long-term or life threatening.