(a) If both parents are normal: the probability of having the first child with cleft lip and palate is 1 in 600.
(b) If both parents are normal and one child has cleft lip and palate: the probability of having the second child with cleft lip and palate is 1:20.
(c) If both parents are normal and the first and second child has cleft lip and palate: the probability of having a third child with cleft lip and palate is 1 in 4.
(iv) If one parent has a cleft lip and palate: the probability of having a child with a cleft lip and palate is 1 in 20.
(v) If one parent has a cleft lip and palate and one child has a cleft lip and palate: the probability of having a second child with a cleft lip and palate is one to four.
(vi) If both parents have cleft lip and palate: the probability of having a child with cleft lip and palate is one to four.
The creation of a child with cleft lip and palate is a matter of chance because there are many aspects of embryonic development that medical technology has no way to prevent or detect. Having a child with a cleft lip or palate is not anyone’s fault, nor is it the parents’ fault for doing anything wrong. What’s more, everyone is not perfect in one way or another, and until medical research has identified the true cause, parents do not need to feel guilty for having such a child.