Cleft Lip and Palate in Guatemala: Baby Ana

Less than one month ago, Baby Ana was born with unilateral cleft lip and palate in Guatemala.

Ana’s mother, Doña Gloria, was concerned and distressed when she first saw her baby. For the first two days after giving birth, Gloria felt desperate because she did not know how to feed her newborn daughter. When Ana cried, Gloria cried along with her. Gloria thought that Ana must be hungry, but she was unsure how to feed her due to her cleft lip and open palate. She wet a towel with water, squeezed out the excess, and rubbed it over her baby’s lips which soothed her temporarily.

Thankfully, Doña Gloria’s midwife contacted a feeding specialist from Partners in Surgery who visited Doña Gloria and Baby Ana at home. The feeding specialist brought special cleft bottles and formula and taught Gloria how to care for and feed her newborn daughter.

“I do not want my baby to suffer any isolation because of her cleft lip,” Doña Gloria told us. She has many concerns about her daughter’s future because she is too poor to access medical help, and surgery is well beyond her reach. Fortunately, LWB is holding our very first cleft trip to Guatemala in December, and hopefully, Baby Ana will weigh enough to have her cleft lip surgically repaired.

We are working to provide nutritional support to more babies like Ana before our cleft surgery team arrives in December. We currently need approximately $3,200 to purchase the cleft bottles and formula that these cleft-affected children will need to thrive until their repairs. Please consider a gift in any amount to ensure that no baby born with cleft will be hungry!

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