Cleft and nutrition: The double burden for Kenyan mothers

Women in Kenya are often irrationally blamed and ostracized by their families when a child is born with a cleft lip or palate — a split in the upper lip or roof of the mouth.

This traumatizing and isolating time is often compounded by difficulties with breastfeeding: The cleft condition can obstruct the formation of the suction needed around the nipple to extract milk from the mother’s breast.

Nutrition-related factors contribute to almost half of all deaths of children under 5 globally. The problem is heightened for children with clefts. Because of this, babies with clefts need heightened nutritional support in order to ensure they are healthy and able to safely undergo the surgery to fix their cleft.

Keep reading: Join Devex on the ground for a visit to a nutrition clinic in western Kenya where mothers are counseled on how to feed children born with clefts.

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