Our Forever Smiles

04/09/2026

“They said she might not be able to do this… Guess what? I’m doing it.” 🎶✨

Born with a cleft palate, Birdie Wilson grew up professionals tell her parents there might be things she wouldn’t be able to do.

Today, she’s becoming the musician she dreamed of being. 🎤💗

Her message to every child growing up with a cleft, and every parent wondering what the future might hold:

You can do it. You can chase the dream. You can become exactly who you want to be. 🌟

Sometimes the limits other people imagine for you are not your limits at all. 🤍

🎧 Hear more of Birdie’s story on Our Forever Smile.



🎙️ New episodes are available every Tuesday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

03/09/2026

🥹 “Instant latch, instant go.”

After so much uncertainty about what feeding might look like, Sam Beckstead will never forget the moment her daughter was placed on her chest and simply… did it. 💗

She latched. She ate. And for a moment, everyone in the room just stopped.

“Did that just happen?” 🥹🤍

Sam had prepared herself for breastfeeding not to be possible, and she knew she would have been okay if their feeding journey looked different. But experiencing that unexpected connection was a moment she’ll never forget.

“She’s my little fighter.” 💗

For cleft moms, feeding journeys can come with so many unknowns. Breast, feeding tube, specialty feeder, pumping, or a combination, every journey is different, and every way you nourish your baby matters. 🫶

🎙️ Hear more of Sam’s story, from prenatal diagnosis and birth to surgery, community, and finding hope along the way, on Our Forever Smiles.



🎧 New episodes are available every Tuesday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

02/09/2026

💗 “No college is going to ask how they were fed as an infant.”

Sometimes, one sentence is enough to shift everything.

For Stacey Charbel, feeding her daughter came with challenges she never expected. And when feeding is one of the most basic ways you imagine caring for your newborn, struggling with it can feel deeply personal.

“If I can’t feed my own baby, you feel like you’re failing as a mom.” 🥺

But feeding your baby doesn’t have to look the way you pictured it to be successful. Whether it’s a specialized feeder, feeding tube, pumping, or another path that works for your family, fed, growing, and supported is what matters. 🤍

Your ability to breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby is not a measure of how good of a mother you are. 🫶

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Stacey shares the realities of raising two daughters with cleft palates caused by Pierre Robin Sequence, including feeding challenges, airway concerns, surgeries, hospital stays, and learning to let go of the expectations she once had for motherhood.

🎙️ If feeding has been one of the hardest parts of your cleft journey, this conversation is for you.



🎧 New episodes are available every Tuesday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

01/09/2026

“What if sharing your story is exactly what opens the door?” 🎤✨

When people ask Birdie why she talks openly about being born with a cleft palate while pursuing a record deal, her answer is powerful:

“This is what is gonna get me the record deal.”

Because her story isn’t something she needs to hide. It’s part of what makes her voice uniquely hers. 🎶🤍

And somewhere, another person is walking through something similar and needs to see what’s possible.

That’s why stories matter. That’s why representation matters. And that’s why we keep having these conversations on Our Forever Smile. 💗🎙️

Your story might be the exact thing someone else needs to hear today.



🎧 New episodes are available every Tuesday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

29/08/2026

💔 “Hearing her scream like that hurt in a way I can’t even explain.”

When Sam Beckstead’s daughter, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip with no palate involvement, came out of surgery, nothing could have prepared her for those first moments. 🤍

She wanted to comfort her baby, nurse her, and make everything feel normal again. But recovery had other plans. Between the difficulty latching, pumping in the hospital, and trying formula until she had enough breast milk, it was an emotional roller coaster. 🍼💗

One piece of advice Sam wishes she had known beforehand? If you’re breastfeeding or pumping, consider building a freezer stash before surgery. It may make those first hours of recovery a little less stressful.

Every cleft journey looks different, but hearing another mom’s honest experience reminds us that you’re never walking this road alone. 🌸

🎧 Listen to Sam’s full story on the Our Forever Smile Podcast.

New episodes are available every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 💕

27/08/2026

💗 “Show up how your children need you to. Not how you think you need to be there.”

For grandparents walking alongside their child as they navigate a cleft diagnosis, Andrea Garrett shares such an important reminder: support starts with listening. 🤍

Learn about the cleft journey. Stay open-minded about what help might look like. And perhaps hardest of all, try not to take it personally when your child needs space.

Those days can be long and emotional. Parents are processing their own feelings while advocating for and caring for their child, and sometimes the greatest gift a grandparent can give is simply meeting them where they are. 🫶💗

In this special episode of Our Forever Smiles, Andrea, founder of the Caring for Clefts Foundation, shares the grandparent perspective and what it can look like to truly support a cleft family.

🎙️ Tag or share this with a grandparent who is part of your cleft journey. 🤍



🎧 New episodes are available every Tuesday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

27/08/2026

‼️Attention NC Families: Mark your calendars

Send a message to learn more

25/08/2026

✨ “The sky, the moon, the stars are the limit.” ✨

For every parent who has ever wondered what the future might hold for their child with a cleft, Malaki Ta’ase’s story is one you need to hear. 🥹🤍

Malaki is a Division I football player at Iowa State University, a husband, a father, and a proud member of the cleft community. 🏈 His journey is a powerful reminder that being born with a cleft doesn’t put a limit on the life your child can build.

“You can still talk. You can still have fun. You can still laugh. You can still achieve all your dreams you want.”

And maybe the most beautiful part? Today, Malaki says his cleft is one of the best things that ever happened to him. 💗

Cleft moms, save this one for the hard days. Send it to another parent who needs a glimpse of what’s possible. And let your little one grow up knowing there is an entire community cheering them on. 🌟🤍

🎙️ Listen to Malaki’s full conversation on Our Forever Smiles.



🎧 New episodes are available every Tuesday via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

17/08/2026

I recently shared a post about bone graft surgery, and the responses from families really stayed with me.

So many parents shared stories of failed bone grafts, repeat surgeries, and difficult recoveries. But there’s another part of this conversation that deserves our attention:

For many children with cleft, the bone graft is one of the first surgeries they are old enough to truly understand and remember.

So, to both parents and cleft care teams, I want to ask: How are we supporting them through this experience? 🩷

Are we preparing children for what surgery and recovery will actually feel like? Are we giving them space to ask questions and express fear? Are we considering the emotional impact when a graft fails and they learn they may have to go through surgery again?

Successful cleft care isn’t only about the surgical outcome. It’s also about the child experiencing it.

Doctors, surgeons, nurses, child life specialists, and parents: What are we doing to help children feel informed, safe, heard, and supported throughout the bone graft journey?

Let’s talk about it. 🩷

07/08/2026

💗 “Just because she doesn’t look like she has a disability doesn’t mean she doesn’t have one.”

Those words from Leily Kebraei are a powerful reminder that not every disability is visible.

Growing up alongside her sister, Roya, who has 22q, Leily has witnessed the misunderstandings that happen when people make assumptions. Sometimes friends expect Roya to do things she simply can’t, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t understand.

In this heartfelt conversation, Leily and her mom, Dr. Amy Kebraei, a pediatric dentist, share what they wish more people knew about living with an invisible disability, navigating friendships, and extending grace instead of judgment. 🤍

If you’re raising a child with a diagnosis, supporting a sibling, or simply want to better understand families like theirs, this episode is for you. 🫶 And if you have a child who would benefit from connecting with other siblings who truly understand, click the link in the show notes to learn more and join Leily’s sibling support group. 💕

New episodes of the Our Forever Smile Podcast are available every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 🎧