Robyn,
Your mention of interesting palates reminded me of one I saw last year.  The
palate was unusually high and wide, with a very prominent ridge from the
fusion of the palatine shelves.  The upper alveolar ridge (gum ridge) was
notched twice, one notch on either side of midline.  The upper gum was very
sharp and prominent, and this baby hurt her mom so much, that mom declined to
continue nursing after a few weeks of trying everything we could think of,
though she had nursed another baby into toddlerhood.  Any ideas?  It almost
looked to me like there was delayed fusion here, that this baby just missed
having a cleft.
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC  [log in to unmask]