Find out more about: 1  folic acid in pregnancy. 2  vitamin D in pregnancy. 3  iron in pregnancy.  vitamin C in 1  pregnancy. calcium in pregnancy.  vegetarian and vegan diets in 1  pregnancy. the Healthy Start scheme.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects. This means they happen while a baby is developing. Normally, the mouth and nose of a baby develop between the first 6 and 12 weeks of growth inside the mother. In some babies, parts of the lips and roof of the mouth don't grow together.
1 Cleft lip and palate may occur separately and in combination. 2  Both malformations occur as a consequence of incomplete fusion of the developing lip (normally occurs by 35 days of gestation) or of incomplete fusion of the hard or soft palate (normally occurs by the eighth to ninth week of gestation).  Share Your Story.