Prenatal discovery of baby’s cleft lip and palate: Pregnant women’s main doubts

Abstract

Objective: to identify pregnant women’s main doubts at prenatal diagnosis of baby's cleft lip and/or palate. Method: this retrospective, quantitative, descriptive study considered a sample of 15 pregnant women attending nursing appointments in 2016 at a public institution in São Paulo. After the project was approved by the research ethics committee, data were collected using an institutional instrument. Doubts were categorized into feeding, hygiene, surgical protocol, diagnostic hypothesis, postoperative care and suffering/bullying. The results were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Results: the mothers’ mean age was 30 (±5.9) years, the fathers’ mean was 31 (±10.4) years. The following features predominated: low mean socioeconomic position – 8 (53%); higher education – 15 (52%); male babies – 11 (73%); left unilateral transforaminal cleft – 7 (47%). Doubts were raised on: food – 15 (100%) and hygiene – 9 (60%). Conclusion: the pregnant women’s main doubts were about food and hygiene. Identifying them made it possible to adjust guidelines to this clientele’s real needs.