Getting and giving support for cleft lip and palate

Jack Dolan came into the world with a laugh. His mother, Erin, was mid-chuckle during labor when he was born — “a really joyful entrance,” she says. Looking down at her new son, she and her husband, Jimmy, breathed sighs of relief. “We took one look at him and thought, ‘He’s beautiful,’” she remembers. “We knew then that everything was going to be okay.” It was a happy celebration after a pregnancy sometimes marked by stress and anxiety. During ultrasonography, Erin and Jimmy had learned that Jack would be born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Erin, a nurse practitioner, had noticed that the technician was spending a lot of time viewing his face and head. “We were worried that he might have even more serious problems,” she says. “When they said it was a cleft, I thought, ‘We can handle that.’” Despite this reassurance, she was still concerned. “I tried to avoid Google,” she admits. “The only question my husband and I asked was, ‘Who should we see for this?’” After doing some research, the answer was clear: Dr. John Mulliken in the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. “We were prepared to go anywhere,” she says. “We were lucky that Boston Children’s is right in our backyard.” Kailyn’s story Like many parents, Michelle Riley posts photos of her children on social media, sharing their adorable moments and milestones. But when she posts pictures of her middle daughter, Kailyn, she sometimes a...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Cleft and Craniofacial Center cleft lip and palate Dr. John Mulliken Olivia Oppel Source Type: news