March 22, 2009

Good Evening!
We are writing this email to each of you, not as a way to sound insincere or impersonal, but for a way for everyone to get the same information at the same time. We love each of you very much and are going to need you for support in the upcoming months.
As you are well aware, we are due August 5. We are 22 weeks or about 5 months pregnant. On March 26, we went for our 20 week ultrasound at North Memorial Clinic with our regular OB doctor. We found out our baby will be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. We were referred to the Perinatal Center at North Memorial Hospital to have a Level 2 ultrasound. The Level 2 ultrasound allowed the nurses and doctors to see the baby in more detail and also in 3D, which was pretty amazing to see. It was like the baby was staring right back at us on the screen. The Level 2 ultrasound confirmed that the baby indeed will have a cleft lip and possible cleft palate. It is difficult for doctors to determine if the baby will have a cleft palate because they cannot get a good look inside the mouth through ultrasound.
Today, we had a consultation at the Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic through Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. We were given information on the surgical process and different things we get decided soon. We need to decide, with the guidance of our OB doctor, if we will deliver at North Memorial Hospital or at Abbott Northwestern. We also need to determine who our pediatrician will be so we can begin to line up care after the baby is born. We will also need to pick which surgeon we will use to repair the cleft.
The really good news is this appears to be an isolated incident, meaning no other body parts or functions are being affected. We have seen two hands with five fingers on each hand and two feet with five toes, all moving on their own. The heart has four developed chambers, working properly. The brain is developing normally, along with the spine. Although, there is no guarantee, the doctors have been very positive on the rest of development.
The cleft lip and palate are surgically repairable, but will take some time. The first surgery will occur 6-8 weeks from delivery to repair the lip. During this time, feeding may be difficult as we will not be able to nurse, but can use breast milk. We will need to get special bottles with special nipples to ensure proper feeding. If palate surgery is needed, they will do surgery at 10-16 months. Along with the lip and palate surgery, the baby will have to have tubes in their ears at about 6 months as the Eustachian tubes do not develop normally. We will have a team of specialists working with us to monitor hearing, speech, dental issues, etc.
We are feeling quite overwhelmed with all of the decisions that need to be made and dealing with the emotions that come with learning about our new baby. We are hoping to keep everyone up-to-date so everyone knows what to expect at delivery and thereafter. Any extra prayers you can send our way would be greatly appreciated.
Our plan is to email all siblings later this week with the same information. Thank you for understanding and being supportive. We love you.
Wayne, Shannon, and Baby Smith