It was fall 2018, when Melissa 和 Creighton learned they were having a baby girl. The soon-to-be parents went through a whirlwind of emotions as they planned baby’s arrival. 他们很兴奋, 但梅丽莎忍不住怀疑孩子是否, 喜欢她, would be born with a cleft lip – a birth defect characterized by an opening in the upper lip, 会导致进食, 语言和耳朵问题. 在她的童年，梅丽莎做过几次手术 约翰霍普金斯儿童医院 矫正她的唇裂. She never thought she would return to the children’s hospital she’d become so familiar with as an adult though.

那是17周的解剖扫描, Melissa 和 Creighton’s world changed as they learned their baby would indeed be born with a cleft lip. “She called after the visit 和 was obviously shaken up over the news 和 I just reassured her everything was going to be OK,克莱顿说.

“Instantly, I blamed myself because I was like I’m sorry my baby has this problem,梅丽莎说. “在内心深处，我仍然觉得这是我的错.”

幸运的是，他们得到了约翰霍普金斯儿童医院的帮助 唇裂和颅面外科小组 和 亚历克斯Rottgers他是该部门的负责人 整形和重建手术 约翰霍普金斯儿童医院, who says cleft lip 和 cleft palate are some of the most common birth defects the clinic sees. 大约1 / 1,600 babies is born with cleft lip with cleft palate in the United States, 根据美国疾病控制与预防中心(CDC).

Rottgers says it’s a luxury when the team can meet an expectant mom 和 her family early on to calm fears 和 answer questions. “这很可能是一个完全正常健康的孩子, 这是家长们真正需要理解的. They may be coming into more doctors’ visits 和 their child may need to have one or multiple surgeries while they’re growing up, but otherwise they can expect to do normal things – they can play football 和 go to ballet lessons 和 everything parents would want for their child are in their grasp.”

初次见面让梅丽莎和克莱顿松了一口气. They got all the answers they needed from potential complications at birth to issues with breastfeeding 和 plans for baby’s first cleft surgery. “我们不能要求一个更好的支持系统，”克赖顿说. 

现在，他们要做的就是等待.

接下来的六月, 一个完美的, 健康的, 8磅11盎司的女婴哈珀来到了这个世界. 梅丽莎说:“那天我的情绪很复杂. “我立刻就爱上了她，所有的烦恼都消失了. 她完全不完美." 

Just a few weeks later it was time for Harper’s first visit with Rottgers 和 his team. “When we met Harper we found she had a cleft lip 和 some notching of her gum lines, but the part of the palate used for speech was intact 和 that was actually really good news to give to the family,他说.

4个月大的时候，哈珀做了第一次唇腭裂修复手术. Although a little anxious for their baby’s first surgery, Mom 和 Dad kept a positive attitude. They even posed Harper for a photo shoot before going into the operating room, 她穿着迷你病号服躺在一块牌子旁，上面写着, “今天我得到了我永远的微笑.” Nurses carried a happy, smiley Harper away as Melissa 和 Creighton waved goodbye.

经过将近四个小时的手术, Harper returned to her parents’ arms after undergoing a successful cleft lip 和 nasal reconstruction surgery. 她的伤疤每天都在逐渐消失, but Rottgers says she likely will need additional surgeries as she grows, 提醒他所有的家人, 这是一段旅程.

“Cleft care is a process because while you’re operating on a baby you still have 20 years for them to grow up, 让他们的脸发育, 为了长出新牙, 和 we find that the growth 和 development of the nose is one of the areas most affected by cleft lip 和 palate.”

家庭可能担心的另一个方面是什么生活, 尤其是学校, might be like for their little ones growing up with a cleft lip or cleft palate.

“我的成长, 这有点难, 孩子们很刻薄,梅丽莎说。, who remembers the whispers from kids wondering what happened to her lip growing up. 这是一个原因, the Johns Hopkins All Children’s team includes psychologists 和 social workers who can help with discussions about overall development, 学校或家庭问题.

“对于一个长相不同的孩子来说, 欺凌和压力可以减轻或加剧,罗杰斯说. “It’s hard when children have something they can fixate on 和 tease them, 不幸的是, 这是我们经常要处理的事情. 然而, our team is very in tuned to trying to identify children 和 families who are struggling with stressors so we can get them the help 和 support they need.”

医生团队, 护士和治疗师, not only help with conversations around bullying but also cover all aspects of care from ear, 鼻子和喉咙对说话有影响, 童年时期的听力和饮食问题.

“We love seeing our patients 和 watching them grow just like they’re part of our own family,罗杰斯补充道.
“The team at Johns Hopkins All Children’s is simply incredible,” says Creighton. “We did a lot of research on the resources 和 the hospitals that were available in our area 和 it just happened to be right in our backyard, 最佳选择.”

至于哈珀, 她的伤疤每天都在逐渐消失, 但随着她的成长，她可能需要更多的手术. 梅丽莎和克莱顿知道这并不总是那么容易, but it’s part of the journey as a forever piece of the All Children’s family.

“It’s the best feeling in the world that one thing is behind us 和 now we can move forward, 和 she can start to be this strong-willed girl that she’s meant to be,梅丽莎说.

爸爸补充说:“她简直太完美了."