speaking with other parents

[Teresa Henderson]

As a parent you know how you felt the day you found out that
your child was cleft affected, I have not found many people who
want to talk about what they have went through. It was hard to
accept the defect and I would love to speak with some other
parents that have traveled the same road. If you would like to
talk please e-mail me at REDTHOMAS@aol.com

[Carol]

Dear Parents involved with cleft palate, My daughter was born
with cleft lip and palate almost 30 years ago. She had two
surgeries at Boston floating hospital which is part of New
England Medical Center. I see many parents have problems feeding
their cleft-afflicted children. My daughter was given a
prosthesis which was a clear plastic device that covered the roof
of her mouth and was able to bottle feed with a regular bottle
and a soft cross-cut normal shaped nipple. This made it more
comfortable for all of us. I hope this method is still available.
Also the device seemed to work to start to close her palate
before surgery. Her lip was repaired early and the prosthesis
only had to be worn a certain number of hours per day. When we
had to be around strangers, we didn't have to go through the
staring that accompanies things that are different. I hope this
info may be of some help to you all. My daughter is now expecting
her first baby. We are praying that she will have a child with no
birth defects at all. Our daughter, although she was born with
the defect is beautiful and a wonderful person. She deserves the
best and we love her very much.