The first surgery your child will have is to repair the cleft lip and rebuild muscles and tissues around his mouth and nose. This will be done while your child is still a baby.
- Cleft lip repair is most often done when your child is 2 to 3 months old.
- Cleft palate repair is most often done when your child is about 6 months old.
Each surgery takes about an hour and a half, and your child may need to stay in the hospital overnight. Your child’s doctor will tell you whether your child needs one or both types of surgery. (See Figure 1)
At left:
Figure 1: unilateral cleft lip repair