Having a child with orofacial cleft: Initial reaction and psychosocial experiences of Ghanaian mothers

Objective: To carry out a survey of breastfeeding practices and related challenges among mothers with orofacial cleft babies attending the cleft clinic of a tertiary health institution. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Sample population was all mothers of babies aged between 1 and 18 months with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts attending the cleft clinic of a tertiary health institution in Nigeria. Result: A total of 65 mothers participated in the study. Initiation of breastfeeding was reported by the majority (83%, n = 54) of the mothers, and only 18.5% (n = 10) of this proportion continued exclusive breastfeeding. Inability of the babies to suck was reported by 46% (n = 30) of the mothers as being the most important challenge in breastfeeding. There was a significant correlation between the type of cleft and challenge in breastfeeding (Fisher exact P = .001). Sixty-three percent (n = 41) of the mothers reported they received no counseling on overcoming challenges associated with feeding their babies with a cleft at the facility where they delivered. Sixty-nine percent (n = 45) reported they first received nutritional information from the cleft clinic at presentation. The most adopted substitute for breastfeeding was the use of regular feeding bottles (n = 24, 43.6%). Conclusion: Rate of initiation of breastfeeding for children with orofacial clefts in this African cohort is higher than reported in other populations despite the low level of nutritional counseling of the mothers after delivery.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Breastfeeding Practices Among Mothers of Children With Orofacial Clefts in an African Cohort

Adekunle

Adamson

James

et al. 2020

“…Orofacial cleft repairs in Ghana usually occurs between the age range of 1 to 25 months (Agbenorku et al, 2011;Bonsu et al, 2018), confirming that majority of mothers with a child born with a cleft does not get the condition of their children repaired early enough in childhood. The implication of this is that many mothers continue to live with children with unrepaired OFC in Ghana.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Added to this limitation is the fact that Ghana lacks an OFC register and together this situation makes determining the overall national prevalence of OFCs in the country difficult. That notwithstanding, previous and recent studies conducted in some major cities and rural communities of the country indicate that congenital anomaly of the orofacial has seen some increase over the years in Ghana (Bonsu et al, 2018). For example, earlier community-based research reported a comparatively high prevalence of 5.0 per 1000 live births in 2007 and 6.3 per 1000 live births in 2010, respectively (Agbenorku et al, 2007(Agbenorku et al, , 2011Donkor et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Estimates from a systematic review on the global birth prevalence of OFCs revealed that according to continents, the OFC prevalence is highest in Asia (1.57 per 1000 live births) and lowest in Africa (0.57 per 1000 live births; Panamonta et al, 2015). The lowest prevalence recorded in Africa has been explained to be a result of the high proportion of births occurring in areas that are more remote from structured health care systems and facilities which results in unreported and unreliable data on the incidence of the condition (Bonsu et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In advanced or high-income countries, where there is the availability of medical services, funding opportunities, and increased awareness of OFC among parents (especially mothers), the majority of children born with the condition have it repaired in early childhood. The narrative is however not the case of the child with an OFC from a low-and middle-income country like Ghana (Bonsu et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Mothers’ Reactions to Seeing Their Children With Cleft for the First Time: A Qualitative Study in Ghana

Dapaah

Addo

Effe

2020

Objective: Studies on the etiology, treatment, and psychosocial effects of clefts among children born with the condition abound. Limited studies, however, have focused on the mothers of these children. This study aimed to explore the immediate reaction of mothers to seeing their children born with a cleft for the first time. Mothers’ knowledge of cleft and the support systems available to them were also explored. Design: Employing a qualitative description approach, data were collected through face-to-face individual in-depth interviews using a semistructured interview guide. Participants and Research Context: Using the purposive and snowballing sampling techniques, 12 mothers who sought treatment for their children with cleft at a Tertiary health facility in Ghana were selected. The ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki were followed during data collection. The data obtained were analyzed applying the technique of thematic analysis. Results: Mothers’ first time reaction to seeing their child born with a cleft was that of sadness, worry, and disappointment. Knowledge of cleft among the mothers was low with most of them knowing more about the condition only after the delivery of their child with a cleft. Mothers received support from family members, health care practitioners, nongovernmental organizations, and their partners. Conclusion: To reduce the psychosocial and emotional effects resulting from mothers giving birth to a child with a cleft, information on the condition should be made available to mothers and primary caregivers early enough.

Primary Cleft Lip Repair in Adults Under Local Anesthesia

Das

Dhar

2021

Objective There are many adults with cleft lip deformities in developing countries. This is due to the lack of public awareness, social stigma, distance from the health center, and parents' financial condition. Lip repair under local anesthesia is safe, cost-effective and would be beneficial for the underprivileged population. Design A retrospective cohort study with follow-up of 1 to 8 years Setting Academic Hospital. Patients/Participants Cleft lip repair was performed in 252 patients of age more than 12 years from 2012 to 2019. Patients with cleft palate, cardiopulmonary disease, who did not consent for the procedure while awake were excluded. Interventions Cleft lip surgery done under local anesthesia Main Outcome Measures Outcome measures were patients’ self-satisfaction and comments of peer. Results Two hundred fifty-two primary cleft lip operations were done in 168 male and 84 female patients. The mean age was 23.62 years, and the mean weight was 49.66 kg. Unilateral was 227, Bilateral cleft lip 25. The postoperative period was uneventful. No case of wound dehiscence or wound infection was observed. Patients were discharged on the same day, except the ones who traveled a long distance. Conclusion Cleft lip repair in adults under local anesthesia is safe and cost-effective.