Yes!! 
A little over 6 months ago, my husband and I had a baby girl, and we named her Zoe. We love the name because it means “life” in Greek. When I found out I was pregnant, of course one of the first things we thought of…
What if she is born with a cleft?
OK, well if she is, she will be born into the best family to help her, with a mother who had a cleft lip and palate and a prosthodontist..and a father who is a maxillofacial prosthodontist. She will be fine!
But also, on the other hand, my mind jumped to all of the terrible situations I had to go through in my life, and I would hate to see my daughter go through those things too. From surgeries to social situations, I don’t know if I could handle it.
Let’s talk facts. 
What are the chances she will have a cleft, according to science?¹
- If one parent has a cleft, 2-8% of the children could have a cleft too
- If one cleft parent has a sibling or parent with a cleft also, that number jumps to 10-20% of the children having a cleft
Option 1 applies to me.
But, as we know from the blog post about causes, clefts are not really simple when it comes to the factors that cause them. It’s a multifactorial situation. Experts say it is almost impossible to predict without a wide range of insight into a person’s genetic history. Clefts can also be associated with a syndrome, which affects how much more likely it is that it will be passed on.
When can I find out if she has a cleft?
A normal ultrasound is not able to detect the presence of a cleft very well. Sometimes, of course, it could be detected as early as the 13th week in utero on a scan. 
But, I ended up having to get a 3D/4D scan in order to determine if the baby has a cleft. This is done at the 20-week anatomy scan…which is also the scan that determines if you are having a boy or girl!
*when the baby is born, your midwife or doctor will put their finger in the baby’s mouth to feel for a cleft palate
And at this scan, only a cleft lip can really be seen. Since 60% of cleft lips are accompanied by a cleft palate, most people prefer to assume the baby also has a cleft palate if the cleft lip is seen on the anatomy scan.
*when the baby is born, your midwife or doctor will put their finger in the baby’s mouth to feel for a cleft palate
And then what happens?
You can either choose to undergo amniocentesis, where amniotic fluid is extracted during the pregnancy to test for any additional syndromes that may be associated with cleft lip and palate.
OR
You can refuse amniocentesis since it is a rather invasive procedure, involving a large needle.
What you definitely should do, though, is FIND YOUR LOCAL CRANIOFACIAL TEAM. Meet the doctors, so you can be as prepared as possible for how to care for your cleft baby once he/she enters the world.
My Story
My husband and I went to our 20-week anatomy scan at Dr. Laurel White’s office, where she has beautiful, top-notch equipment for these ultrasounds. I was soooo nervous. Paul & I held hands the whole time and just waited.
As soon as the sonographer reached the face, she said,
“Look at the lip, girlfriend!”
The baby’s lip was fully intact, and of course, I burst into tears. It was a beautiful moment that I got to share with my husband! I’ll never forget that feeling.
I ended up going the home birth route with a midwife, Fika Midwifery. It was the best experience I could have hoped for. I have no scary stories to share, and I encourage all pregnant women to embrace birth, and just go for it! 
Zoe Dora is almost 7 months old now, and she loves laughing at her daddy, getting kisses from mommy, and cuddling.
There is still a 2-8% chance I can have a child with a cleft in the future, but I know we could handle it if that’s where life took us.
¹Cleft lip and Palate Association.