"I Saw the Cleft Before Anyone Told Me.": A Prenatal Cleft Diagnosis in Serbia

About this episode

Christina shares her experience with a prenatal cleft diagnosis and the challenges of navigating care in Serbia.

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura speaks with Christina, a first-time mom from Serbia whose son was prenatally diagnosed with a cleft lip and palate at 26 weeks. Christina shares her experience navigating diagnosis, specialist care, and preparation for surgery within a different healthcare system. She opens up about feeding challenges, NAM therapy, finding community support, and learning to trust herself as a parent. This episode offers reassurance and perspective for families around the world facing a cleft diagnosis. Links: Buy Us a Coffee FB Support Group

People in this episode

Host: Laura Arroyo

Guest: Christina

Topics covered

• cleft lip
• cleft palate
• prenatal diagnosis
• healthcare system
• parenting challenges
• community support

Keywords

• cleft diagnosis
• feeding challenges
• NAM therapy
• specialist care
• parenting support

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Serbia

More episodes of Our Forever Smiles with Laura Arroyo

• Grieving the Plan, Finding the Bond: A Cleft Mom's Honest Journey · May 5, 2026 · 1h 3m
• A Cleft Lip and Palate Diagnosis with a Rare Genetic Twist · April 28, 2026 · 59 min
• Bring Smiles Despite Miles: Turning a Cleft Journey Into Global Impact · April 21, 2026 · 39 min
• No Estamos Solas: Clefts, Comunidad y Recursos de Terapia del habla-lenguaje en Español · April 14, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Ava the Brava and Beyond: Advocacy, Representation, and Growing Up With a Cleft · April 7, 2026 · 51 min
• Mental Health, Motherhood, and a Surprise Cleft Diagnosis · March 31, 2026 · 42 min