They may have difficulties with feeding initially, but with proper guidance, parents learn to feed their child with a cleft, and the child learns to compensate for the cleft during the first months after birth. Clefts are repaired within the first year of life, usually by a surgeon who has extensive experience and training with this disorder. The clefts are repaired in part to facilitate feeding, but most importantly to support normal speech. It is the problems with speech that I'd like to focus on this evening. Our two-week old baby has PRS with a soft cleft palate.
Swallow study shows asal reflux.
No air problems, but she won't swallow anything. Usually babies with this problem do learn to feed orally. However, some children with PRS have difficulty breathing while suckling and will require some additional help. It is generally true that an interdisciplinary team best manages children with clefts of any sort. If this family has yet to receive team care, I would advocate that as a first step towards answering this question.