At the bedside: One year later, a child born with cleft lip shares contagious smiles

Written by: Sydney Lowther | Updated: July 31, 2024

Andrew Trevino was born with a unilateral cleft lip, meaning the cleft was only on one side affecting his lip and nose. (Photo courtesy of Marylu Trevino)Greives and his team designed a pattern to reconstruct all portions of Andrew's lip, tailored to his needs. (Photo courtesy of Marylu Trevino)Almost a year after surgery, Andrew is taking his first steps into the world. (Photo courtesy of Marylu Trevino)

At her 27-week ultrasound, Marylu Trevino's baby boy was finally facing the camera and she could see his face for the first time. But instead of happiness, Marylu felt fear and confusion after learning her child would be born with a cleft lip.

"As someone who didn't know anything at all about cleft lip or the diagnosis, it was very alarming and scary," Marylu said. "You almost kind of think as a mom, you've already done something wrong."

Marylu and her husband, Andres, were referred to Matthew Greives, MD, an associate professor with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and pediatric plastic surgeon with UT Physicians.

After one meeting with Greives, the couple breathed a sigh of relief.

"Our first meeting, wow, there was an actual roadmap," Marylu said. "The team not only answered all of our questions but told us step by step what was going to happen from there. It made it so much less scary."

Their son, Andrew, had a unilateral cleft lip, meaning the cleft was only on one side affecting his lip and nose. Cleft lip and palate is the most common birth defectand affects 1 in 700 kids, but every cleft is unique. So, Greives and his team designed a pattern to reconstruct all portions of Andrew's lip, tailored to his needs.

"Usually surgery is done at age 3 or 4 months," Greives said. "This allows us the opportunity to answer all of their parents' questions before the babies are even here, so they can be as prepared as possible to have a baby with a cleft."

Andrew was born on August 23, 2023, and 3 months later went in for surgery. After months of visits with Greives and his team, Marylu was assured her son was in the best hands possible.

"I think the scariest moment is when you're there showing up and you just have to let go of your baby," Marylu said. "But Dr. Greives came in right before the procedure and reassured us again. We felt confident in handing him over and knowing he was going to be okay."

The surgery was quick, and the team immediately prepared Andrew's parents for the recovery process.

"They answered all our questions and addressed all our fears. They taught us how to bandage his nose, how to put his armbands on, and just work through it with him," Marylu said.

Just a few hours after surgery, Andrew was a happy, healthy baby. He took to a bottle and in a few short months, met all his milestones. Almost a year later, Andrew is taking his first steps into the world.

"You just get to see the resilience of your kid and see that he's stronger than you anticipated, and was able to work through surgery and recovery," Marylu said. "For that we are so thankful for Dr. Greives and his team."

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