What is Harelip?
Most of us saw pictures of children who underwent plastic surgery to repair Harelip. Harelip is an old term for what is now called cleft lip . Harelip refers to the division of the lip at birth, which looks more like a division in the lip of a hare - hence this term. The term Harelip came from France ("RT like a hare") and English shortened him to Harelip. The term Harelip is now considered somewhat pejorative and is preferred cleft . The cleft lip is almost always accompanied by a cleft floor, which means that the hard floor of the child has not properly connected. Lip cleft can be one -sided or two -sided, but this and cleft palate can be completely repaired.
cleft lip/floor defects occurs in one of the 700 live births. Sometimes it is a genetic defect, but often spontaneous and the child will not have a family history of defect. Sometimes it is detected on the sonogram, but is often not seen until birth.
lip cleft/palate represents some special problems for newborns, especially during feeding. Most children with Harelip cannot be breastfeeding and must use a bottle with a special nipple for a unique shape. The child will also have a team of experts who would deal with his needs: a pediatrician, a plastic surgeon, an audiologist, speech therapist, child dentist, orthodontist and ear, nasal and cervical specialist. These experts cooperate to make sure that the parent is informed of all the treatment options, what progress to expect and how to overcome obstacles.
Because cleft often affects cavities and ears, the baby split lips/floor will often be susceptible to ear infections and upper respiratory tract infections. Although the vast majority of these children have normal intelligence, problems with their mixing and ear structure may require services of auditory and speech therapists.
Harelip is repaired at the age of 10 weeks if the child weighs £ 10. The cleft palate is repaired at the age of nine and12 months, depending on the child. Once the child grows, other plastic surgery or palate surgery may be required, but is aimed at improving what has already been done. Sources on the Internet and support groups are available for parents of these special children. The good news is that the defect can be completely repaired and most children lead healthy normal lives.