Visits & Support

New Birth Visit

Following the referral of your baby by the local District General Hospital at birth, or as soon as possible, the CNS will provide an initial assessment over the telephone and guide health professionals in the care of your baby.

The CNS aims to visit you and your newborn baby within 24 hours of being informed of the birth. If you had an antenatal diagnosis of the cleft, your clinical nurse specialist will help you to use the feeding method you have chosen and will also reinforce the information that you have already discussed.

If you were unaware of the cleft until after your baby’s birth, your clinical nurse specialist will provide you with information on:

• Your baby’s cleft and what this may mean for yourself and your baby
• Treatments available for your baby
• Feeding
• Our team and what we do

Your CNS will carry out a feeding assessment of your baby and give advice on an appropriate feeding method working with you in your choice to either breast or formula (Click for feeding information). A plan for your baby will be devised and agreed and planning for discharge will commence.

Home visits and support

The CNS will then arrange to meet with you again, usually at your home following discharge from hospital. If your baby needs to stay in hospital longer because of any other problems, the next meeting may be while you are still in hospital.

Your CNS will continue to support and work with you, making home visits as required during the first year of your baby’s life and organising for you and your baby to attend an outpatient clinic with the cleft team. As well as giving information and feeding management, the CNS will also support you at your baby’s clinic appointments and around surgery, acting as a point of contact for you and your child for the duration of your care with us.