In many cases, it is not possible for a cleft lip and palate to be prevented. However, pregnant women can do certain things to lower the risk of their child being born with a cleft lip and palate. These are described below.

• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol while pregnant.
• During pregnancy, maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. Ensuring that you have a healthy pregnancy will help reduce the risks of your baby developing a cleft.
• Folic acid supplements.
• Most doctors recommend that all women should take a daily supplement of 0.4mg of folic acid before they conceive and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy while the baby's spine develops.
• Some doctors also believe that taking folic acid supplements during pregnancy may reduce the risk of cleft lip and palate. However, this has not been proven in scientific studies.