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When you are pregnant, you worry about every little
thing that could go wrong. Thankfully, most babies are
born healthy. There are, however, some serious birth
disorders that you should be aware of, in the unlikely
event that your baby is affected.
· Spina Bifida; This is a condition where the
backbone, which protects the spinal cord, does not close
properly during prenatal development. This condition can
range from being a minor problem, if the opening is
tiny, or can cause paralysis and other serious medical
issues if the opening is large, or if the spinal cord
itself is protruding. The exact cause is not known,
though heredity does seem to play a role. So does
nutrition, particularly when the mother does not have
enough folic acid in her diet. Obstetricians have begun
recommending folic acid supplements for women who are
pregnant or who could become pregnant, and this has
lowered the rate of this disease. You will probably be
tested for spina bifida during your pregnancy. Many
times it can be diagnosed in utero using ultra sound.
Sometimes, surgery can even be performed on the baby in
utero to correct the problem.
· Tay Sachs Disease; This disease is caused by an
enzyme deficiency. Simply put, these babies do not break
down fatty deposits in the brain and nerve cells.
Unfortunately, it is not usually diagnosed at birth.
When the child is several months old, this buildup of
fatty deposits will clog cells, causing the baby's
nervous system to stop working. The child will begin to
regress developmentally, always resulting in death. Tay
Sachs is very rare, less than one hundred cases are
reported in the US each year. It is caused by genetics.
Both parents must have the gene for the disease to
occur. It is most common in Jewish families of Central
and Eastern European descent. If your ethnic background
makes this disease a risk for your child, you and your
partner can be tested for the gene before you become
pregnant. In addition, the disease can be diagnosed in
utero via amniocentesis.
· Down Syndrome- Down Syndrome is the term given to a
set of symptoms that indicate some degree of mental
retardation. Children with Down syndrome have a distinct
set of facial features, a large tongue and a short neck.
Down Syndrome varies widely in the degree of mental
retardation that it causes. Some children are highly
functional; others will require constant care. Down
syndrome affects about one in 1300 babies in the US. It
is most often caused by an extra chromosome coming from
the mother or father. Down syndrome is more likely to
occur when parents have already had a child with the
birth disorder, and when the mother is over 35 years in
age. Down syndrome can be detected via amniocentesis,
which is why this test is common protocol for most
pregnant women over the age of 35.
These are three of the most common birth disorders.
To find out about more birth disorders, see my article
in “Mommy to Mommy – The Truth about Taking Care of
Baby”, which can be found at
http://www.educatedmother.com.
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