Sue’s Story
Sue’s granddaughter, Jessica, was born with a cleft lip. She shares their journey from a grandparent’s point of view and the involvement she experienced with her family.
Our daughter went for her 20-week scan for her second child in 2018. The radiographer was very new, but she felt there could be a problem with the baby’s lip and asked a more experienced colleague to check.
She confirmed that the baby had a cleft lip, which was a very upsetting and worrying time for my daughter and her husband. They also talked to their son, who was four years old and prepared him by saying, “she has a poorly lip. ”
They had meetings with the Cleft Team at Broomfield hospital, who were amazing and very supportive. We all attended these meetings, and there was lots of information to prepare us on what to expect.
We also had further scans at a private radiology clinic and sat and saw our granddaughter on a large screen still in the womb at 30+ weeks.
It was a very moving experience for us as grandparents sitting with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson as they saw Jessica in detail and returned home with many photos.
It was a very moving experience for us as grandparents sitting with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson as they saw Jessica in detail and returned home with many photos.
She was born in October, and the Cleft Team was available from day one with advice and guidance on feeding. Fortunately, her palate was not affected, and she had an operation to correct and repair her lip in January.
Apart from ensuring that she wears sunscreen on her minute scar, she hopefully will not need any other treatment. She has been rechecked and will be monitored by the Cleft Team regularly.
Thank you, Sue, for sharing your story!
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