You will be referred to the Spires Cleft Centre once you have been given an antenatal diagnosis that your child has a cleft lip and / or palate.
A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) will contact you within 24 hours of this referral to arrange a meeting either at your home, local hospital or regional cleft centre (Oxford or Salisbury).
At this meeting you can discuss any questions you have and the clinical nurse specialist will give you as much or as little information as you feel you need. This may include information about:
- Clefts
- Treatments available for your baby
- Feeding
- Our team and what we do
You will have an opportunity to view photographs of babies before and after the cleft repair should you wish. Your clinical nurse specialist will also discuss the care they can offer you once your baby is born.
You will have the clinical nurse specialist’s contact number in case of any further questions.
Your clinical nurse specialist will then arrange to meet you again about six weeks before your baby’s predicted arrival. This is to discuss feeding your baby in more depth, as well as answering any further questions you may have.
There is opportunity to meet the cleft team, should you wish. Your clinical nurse specialist can arrange this for you.