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Cleft lip / palate - stitches?

1 reply

OhBergine · 20/12/2017 15:57

My sister is 25 weeks pregnant with her 3rd DC. She's been told that he has/will have a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate.

She went for an appointment today to see the surgeon who she hoped would operate on her baby, and he explained that some surgeons used dissolving stitches in the babies' mouths, and some preferred ones which have to be removed (nylon?).

The surgeon wouldn't, however, give any reason as to why he would use one over the other, and said that it was purely down to my sister and her DP to make a decision as to which she would prefer by selecting the appropriate surgeon. Obviously my sister isn't an expert in stitching types, but just wants the best result for her baby's face.

So I was wondering does anyone have any experience of either dissolvable stitches (which I think are much more common), or the nylon ones? And is there any variance in results, or is it just that those using the nylon stitches haven't quite kept up with the times?!

OP posts:
RemoveAllPicturesOfRon · 26/12/2017 22:08

My DD was born with a cleft palate - we weren't aware of it before birth, as the palate can't be seen on scans. She had it repaired when she was almost 1, and now (aged 3) you can't tell there was ever anything different about it. The stitches were dissolvable, and gradually went over a few weeks; I don't think DD would have enjoyed getting them removed! Are you aware of CLAPA - the cleft lip and palate association? It might well be worth getting in touch with them for advice. Good luck - please do PM me if I can help further.

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