We are so blessed to have a God who loves us! On Tuesday, September 30, 2008 we had our first ultrasound of this pregnancy while the baby was at 20 weeks gestation. The ultrasound showed a possible cleft palate and so we were referred to a specialist from UW Madison, at Meriter Hospital, who confirmed that Titus had a complete, bilateral cleft lip and palate. The following link gives a good description of the disorder as well as a timeline of surgeries that he will likely undergo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleft_lip_and_palate“What exactly is cleft lip/palate?” I will try to describe it as simply as possible (and probably not totally accurately). When the baby is being formed inside the womb the cheeks bones (and ultimately the palate) grow forward towards midline and the nose grows down. They are naturally supposed to meet in the mouth at the center of the palate and on the face at the cleft (this is what causes the natural indentation between the upper lip and nose). In Titus’s case, both cheek bones stopped forming well before midline and the nose kept growing down, looking for its attachment. Therefore, Titus has no solid portion of the roof of his mouth, the tip of his nose is deformed, and he will have no upper front teeth. Based on the ultrasound, there is also some concern that his chin and jaw are underdeveloped.
It has been difficult to find pictures of “bilateral complete” cleft lip/palate so many of the images you can find on the internet are likely not as severe as Titus will be however we will post some examples to give you an idea of what the disorder is like. The following look shows a good example of what a bilateral cleft L&P can be like.
http://www.joycreations.com/baby/connors_story.html This final link is actually a bilateral complete cleft palate (Thanks Monica!) but does not appear to have near the nose and chin deformities that Titus may have. At this point we are praying for, but not totally expecting, this good of results.
http://www.emedicine.com/plastic/images/1271089-1279040-707.jpgBilateral cleft palate is obiously more severe than unilateral, but it also comes with a 1 in 20 risk of having a chromosomal disorder. We are currently awaiting the results to see if there is one. They will be completed in the next 1-2 weeks.
Please keep us and Titus in your prayers. We are certian that God will get so much glory from Titus's life. The passage we are holding on to is Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We remember that God's ways are higher, and never lower, than our ways.