The joys of a cleft baby...

As I have been reading a ton of CLP and all that goes with it, I find myself reading blogs of other children affected. One of the things that I have read a great deal about so far is the reaction from others towards a CLP baby. I assumed that we would have our chance at these reactions either negative or positive along the way. It only took a few weeks to really start having people ask what's going on with Paige but so it begins...

1. At the fair when Paige was a week old, one of the carny ladies asked if she was a premie. I said "oh heck no, she's huge!" The lady proceeded to say "Oh well I saw the tape on her face and assumed she was a premie" I continued to explain that she has CLP. The lady goes "Oh I only wondered because when my son had his children, they didn't have such a thing." OMG she was serious. The way she stated it, it was as though we chose to have this stupid tape on her face for the heck of it.

2. The best comment thus far that I have heard is..."Oh when she has her surgery, she will be just beautiful." Hhahahaha I have to almost laugh at this because while I know people are trying to reassure us that the surgery will go okay, I almost want to say "she's beautiful right NOW!" Oh wait, I have actually said that to a few people. LOL

3. Went to Walmart today. This very nice, kind older woman came up and asked if she was "allowed to look at the baby." I politely said sure. I didn't feel I needed to explain her lip or tape as I am sure people will just ask. She said "oh dear, she has a Cleft lip doesn't she?" I said, yes. She proceeded to tell me about this 30 year old friend of hers that had to go to Pittsburgh a lot as a kid but now she's just a beautiful woman that you can not even tell. It was kind of her but it's amazing how people just always know someone else who has it and then there's that comment again, "beautiful after surgery!" Oh and then the woman said "it's just amazing how they feed these kids!" That kinda bothered me. She eats no different than any other baby would appear to eat. You wouldn't even know that she's actually not sucking it unless you are the one feeding her. Silly woman...she actually said "these kids" My poor daughter has now been put into a seperate category from "other kids!"

4. This other woman literally followed me around Walmart giving me the funnest looks as I carried Paige trying to feed her. I almost asked if she wanted an educated lesson.

So far I haven't gotten any really rude remarks. Most people who actually know us say how she is beautiful and everything. I usually tell them right away "she has that in her mouth because she has CLP." Caring people say "That's okay, she's beautiful!" One of the blogs I have read said that a young child asked him mom what was wrong with baby with a CLP. The mother replied "that mother did drugs and that's why the baby looks like that." (yes seriously, can you believe?!!) I'm waiting for something like that some day. Thus far, curiousity has been more of what I have encountered.