Treatment and Nursing Management
The initial treatment is surgical repair of the cleft. The timing of the repair varies from surgeon to surgeon, but most prefer cleft lip repair around 3 months of age and palate repair around 11/2 to 2 years of age before the speech development. Nursing care includes
(i) Prevention of infection,
(ii) Provision of adequate nutrition (feeding with cup, spoon, dropper or aseptosyrings) as the child is unable to suck,
(iii) Prevention of aspiration,
(iv) Parent education regarding home care of child,
(v) Providing pre-operative and post-operative care.