Author: EBMA foundation
Date: June 2025
Tags: Cleft Awareness
You’re a new parent. You’ve been dreaming for months about holding your baby, seeing their little yawn, watching them smile.
And then the baby is born — but there’s a pause in the room. The nurse calls someone over. There’s whispering. And finally, someone gently tells you: “Your baby has a cleft.”
You weren’t ready for this. Nobody told you this could happen. You’ve never even heard the word “cleft” before.
The First Few Weeks Are the Hardest
Feeding your newborn becomes a daily struggle. Milk comes out of their nose. They cry from hunger but can’t latch. You try special bottles, different positions, everything — but nothing feels enough.
You watch other babies gain weight, grow chubby cheeks. Yours stays small, weak, often sick. And your heart breaks a little every day.
People Stare. And Sometimes, They Say the Worst Things
You take your baby to a relative’s house, and someone asks, “Kya hua iske muh ko?” (What happened to its mouth?) Others whisper behind your back or suggest it’s “karma” or “nazar” (evil eye).
Some say, “You should hide the child. It’s better for them.”
Can you imagine? Being told your beautiful child shouldn’t be seen.
School? Speech? Confidence? Everything Feels Like a Question Mark
Even if you manage to get through infancy, the challenges don’t stop. Children with cleft struggle with speaking — their words may sound nasal or unclear. Teachers get frustrated. Other kids mock them.
And when it’s time to apply to school or play in the park, you start worrying, “Will my child be accepted?”
It’s not just about a gap in the lip — it’s about a lifetime of barriers.
Now Here’s the Part You Need to Hear: It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
There’s a fix. A real, medical, beautiful fix.
Surgery.
With the right care — a skilled surgeon, follow-up support, maybe a speech therapist — your child can eat, speak, smile, and thrive. They can be just like any other kid.
The surgery is short. The smile it brings back? Lifelong.
But Here’s the Reality — Not Everyone Gets That Chance
In many parts of India, cleft surgery isn’t available, or it’s too expensive. Families are told to wait. Or worse, they’re told nothing can be done.
That’s where support from kind-hearted strangers — people who do know better — becomes a lifeline.
Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “Wow, I didn’t know.” Now you do. And now you can help make that smile possible.