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Having a facial difference such as cleft lip or palate can be difficult for any child, but it’s especially challenging when they’re about to enter a new social situation like going to school. For some parents, this time is even more stressful than it is for children. In fact, many of the parents whom I meet in the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Boston Children’s Hospital tell me that having discussions with their child about the cleft is the number-one concern. …
As a disability expert, my whole career has been spent giving parents advice. I’ve given advice on parenting, doctors, child development, school and resources to support them. I was confident working with families and helping them navigate the often crazy and overwhelming world of special needs. But when I was 34 weeks pregnant with my own child, I found myself on the other side of the situation. …
Jack Dolan came into the world with a laugh. His mother, Erin, was mid-chuckle during labor when he was born — “a really joyful entrance,” she says. Looking down at her new son, she and her husband, Jimmy, breathed sighs of relief. “We took one look at him and thought, ‘He’s beautiful,’” she remembers. “We knew then that everything was going to be okay.” …
Learning that your baby has a cleft lip or palate can be upsetting, but these birth defects are quite common. They occur early in pregnancy when tissue from each side of the head grows together to form the face. If these tissues don’t completely join, the result is a cleft, or gap, on one or both sides of the upper lip. A cleft palate occurs when the tissue that forms the roof of the mouth doesn’t fully come together, leaving an opening between the mouth and nose. …