The word cleft means split or separation. Your child's upper lip is split because it didn't form correctly as they developed in the womb.
Many children are born with a cleft palate, cleft lip, or both. In the U.S., about 1 out of every 1,500 babies is born with a cleft palate. Your baby's palate can be repaired so the mouth looks and works normally.
A hernia occurs when a section of bowel pushes out through a weakness in the muscle. The hernia looks like a bulge under the skin. In baby boys, a bulge in the scrotum is the most common type of hernia and is the result of a persistent canal between the scrotum and abdomen that normally closes when a fetus is developing. A hernia can move back into the abdomen through the passage. So you may not see the bulge all the time. You may see it most when your baby is straining (such as during crying, feeding, or a bowel movement).
