Our Visit With Our Baby's Cleft Team

We weren’t sure what to expect heading into this appointment. We were nervous but excited to finally get some answers. I had about 15 questions ready for the doctor—she was impressed by how much research I had already done!

As we sat in the waiting room at the Otolaryngology department in Iowa City, we noticed two cleft lip babies within just a short time. One had already undergone surgery, and the other still had a small cleft lip. Seeing them filled us with both anticipation and reassurance—we were in the right place, surrounded by people who truly understood our journey.

The hardest thing to pronounce! This will be the area that we will eventually be so used to!

When we were called back, we met our nurse, who was incredible. She shared that she had also had a cleft lip and palate baby, and our very own doctor had performed her child’s surgery years ago. She gave us the best advice while we waited to meet our surgeon. One of my concerns was how we would explain our baby’s condition to them one day and how to help others understand it as well. She told us she had explained to her son that he was simply “born with a hole in his lip.” I loved that—it felt so much gentler and easier to understand than the medical term “cleft lip.”

Then, our doctor came in, and she was amazing. She took the time to answer every single one of my questions, reassuring us with her confidence and kindness. She explained that our baby’s first surgery would be around four months old to repair the lip, the second at around one year to close the palate, and possibly a bone graft around age six to help with gum and teeth development. That part scared me a little, but she reminded us that this is all part of a process and soon we will get past all of this stress and worry. She told us we will meet with hearing professionals, speech pathologists, and orthodontist at some point as well.

Our amazing surgeon that we talked to this day!

She reassured us that while the journey would have its challenges, one day, we’d look back and be grateful knowing our baby was happy, healthy, and thriving. Then, she told us something that made me tear up—she said our baby would have a beautiful smile, just like their mom and dad. It was an emotional moment. Hearing babies cry in the exam rooms around us made it even more real. I couldn’t help but picture our little one going through this too, and that was tough. I did shed some tears. I just can’t imagine our little one going through any pain, let alone being put under for surgery but again, we are so grateful that it’s nothing worse. 

But overall, this appointment left us feeling safe, confident, and well cared for. This minor setback was just that—a small part of a much bigger, beautiful journey. We are so grateful to be in the best hands, and now, we are just counting down the days until our little one arrives.

I’m currently 35 weeks and still feeling really good. Every day, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. We won’t know much more until our baby is here, but we do know that I’ll be getting induced on April 29th so the cleft team can be on hand at delivery, unless I go early on my own.

For my next few blogs, I’ll focus on how I’m feeling as we near the finish line and what my OB appointments are looking like now. Until then, we’re patiently waiting for Baby Gould’s arrival!