The Invisible Scar: The Mother of Babies with Labiopalatin Fissure

Abstract

The diagnosis of a malformation such as cleft lip and palate demands care for the baby, but it also calls attention to the mother who idealized an aesthetically and functionally perfect child. In view of this demand, the present research aimed to understand the process of becoming the mother of a baby with cleft lip and palate and the re-elaboration of the maternal feeling of the "baby-dreamed" for the "baby-born". A qualitative exploratory research was carried out, with the participation of ten mothers of cleft babies, who answered a semi-structured interview script, whose data were understood through lexical analysis in the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires (IRaMuTeQ). The results show the mothers' reaction to the diagnosis, the process of acceptance of the new child, the expectation for surgery and correction of the malformation, the concerns and difficulties of adapting to the baby's limitations and the treatment process. We conclude the importance of offering mothers an early diagnosis of malformation since pregnancy and assisting them in their acceptance and in developing a good mother-baby relationship.