Cleft lip and palate are birth defects that happen while a baby is developing in the uterus. During the 6th to 10th week of pregnancy, the bones and tissues of a baby’s upper jaw, nose, and mouth normally come together (fuse) to form the roof of the mouth and the upper lip.

If the tissue in the developing mouth and the palate don’t fuse together, a baby could be born with a condition called cleft lip or cleft palate, or both . . . Read Article