Before your newborn goes home from the hospital, your child's doctor or a health care team will examine your baby and can tell you how to care for your child before surgery. After surgery to correct a cleft lip, you'll need to keep your baby's lip and nose area clean and free of infection. You will get specific instructions to guide you through this process. For example, the doctor may tell you to:

• Clean the lip and nose area in a certain way.
• Apply a generous coating of antibacterial ointment to the area after cleaning, typically for the first 3 days after the surgery.

Caring for a child with a birth defect requires extra time, patience, and energy. Although it is easy to ignore your own needs, remember that it is important that you be physically and emotionally healthy in order to give your child the best care.

What to think about

If your child is born with cleft lip, it is normal to experience concerns and feelings, including anger, fear, guilt, depression, or denial. You may find it helpful to talk with your child's doctor or see a counselor. Also, you may find a support group helpful. A support group allows you to interact with other parents who have babies with cleft lip.

Fortunately, cleft lip is usually corrected with surgery with only slight scarring. During the first weeks or months before surgery can be performed, you may wonder how your friends, relatives, other children, and even strangers will react to your baby's appearance. Try to focus on developing a bond with your baby. The rest will fall into place over time.

It may be helpful to talk to your other children about the condition. Let them know that no one is responsible, that it does not hurt, and that it can be corrected with surgery.

As your child grows, consider explaining how clefts develop. Emphasize your pride and love for your child, who successfully handled surgery as a baby. Convey that being born with a cleft lip has been a part of making your child strong and special. Teach your child how to answer questions from peers and adults about the scar. You can help minimize concerns or self-consciousness about the scar by helping your child understand and accept it as one of many life experiences.