Birth Defects and Medical Advancements

Archive for March, 2011

Birth deformities are deformities which can be seen in form of defects since birth of a child. Some of the cases of birth deformities are visible as in premature delivery of a child as in that situation the body of the child is not adapted for the fully functional systems of the individual as at the time it is dependent on the mother. The premature deliveries are even dangerous for the children who have fully grown lungs but there will be several other disorders that can be seen time to time as sepsis, hypoglycemia and can also lead to death. There are also factors related to deficiencies of various elements constituting the body, as the deficiency of vitamin B9 at the time of pregnancy can cause the deformities of cardiovascular functions and structures, some t5imes the deficiency of vitamin B9 can also lead to sterility or infertility.

The obesity of pregnant ladies is also a cause of birth deformity as it can lead to several complications and also cause the obesity of the child at the time of birth and also in adulthood. The supply of folic acid is known since a long time to reduce the percentage of birth deformities in children, but a long time use of folic acid as a drug can also result in cause of asthmas in the case of pregnancy, as it can cause asthma to the new born. The use of drugs and alcoholism can also lead to birth deformities. All the environmental factors are also responsible in the case of pregnant women as all the facts can cause a defect or any kind of functional or morphological deformity. To avoid the birth deformities one must take the pregnant lady to the doctors for routine checkup and one must also take care about not using the X-rays on the pregnant lady as they can also cause birth deformities.

The word birth deformities is a type of defect in the child by birth which are most commonly also known as congenital defects, these may include various physical deformities, certain hereditary disease and also neural disorders. Birth deformities are a type of functional and structural defects which are present from the time of birth which can cause morphological or neural type of disorders. The major cause of birth deformities is any type of malfunctioning of genes or if any type of loss of gene sequence, the deformity occurred in a chromosome or loss of chromosome and also the surrounding environment of a pregnant lady to which she got exposure or which she had faced. Another factor which is responsible for the deformities by birth involves the intake of drugs or alcoholic beverages at the time of pregnancy. Morphological or the structural birth deformities involves the defects of body parts, as cleft palate is the most common type of structural birth deformity which can be often seen.

Some other structural birth deformities are misshaped cardiac valves, lip cleft, abnormalities in limbs or some times one can also observe club foot disease. The second type of the birth deformities are related to functional disorders which include the problems that occur in the systematic working of different body parts. These deformities also effect the development of an individual as it includes neural or the nervous disabilities, disabilities occurred in proper functioning of sensory organs, disorders in metabolism and also the degenerative type of deformities. Sometimes, the birth deformities occur as the result of combination of different factors. There are several functional deformities which can happen; some of them are spina bifida, Down’s syndrome, mental retardation, Prader-Willi syndrome, cataract, deafness, phenylketonuria, Fragile-X syndrome, hypothyroidism, muscular dystrophy and many more. Thus there are a lot of diseases which can occur as birth deformity sometimes they are also fatal, so at the time of pregnancy one must take a lot of prevention and precautions of the factors by which congenital deformity can occur.

Another chromosome birth defect that happens in different families is known as Fragile X syndrome. It usually affects the male babies, and it happens in about 1 in 1,500.  Even though 1 in 1,000 girls carry it, only one third of those carriers show signs outwardly of having this defect, which is going to include intellectual impairment.  The retardation range is going to vary from mild cases of it to more severe cases.

Some of the symptoms of this birth defect include a face that is elongated, flat feet, teeth that are overcrowded, heart problems, bad muscle tone, large ears, and tendencies that are like autism.  Children who are affected also sometimes suffer from seizures.

Sometimes children who have this syndrome look like they are normal when they are born, so they are not diagnosed until 18 o 24 months.  At that age, the evidence of no language development paired with other delays developmentally will normally prompt the test to be run

Like what is going to happen with Down Syndrome, children that have this will be able to do most of the things that other children are able to do, even though they usually are going to do to do the things later in life. Also, as it is with most of similar birth defects, when there are programs for early prevention started while the child is still an infant it can help with maximizing the development of the child.

Children who have this have a long road ahead of them and so does their family. The family and the children who have this birth defect need some help and support to help them to get through the tough times that are ahead of them.

Now that you have prepared your family and friends for your new little family member, now is the time that you want to prepare yourself for the baby and for caring for the baby. Here are some of the things that will help you.

• Join a support group for parents who have Down Syndrome babies. You might also want to find one for your other children too if you have other children.
• Don’t seek opinions from people who don’t have a baby with Down Syndrome. They will not know what to say. That’s why joining a support group is such a good idea. The parents in there know where you’re coming from.
• When the baby comes, treat the baby like a your son or daughter first and then treat them like a child that has disabilities.
• Promise yourself that you’re not going to limit what the baby is able to do, no matter how old he or she is.  Give them freedom to reach their full potential.
• Take some time for yourself. It’s hard enough to take care of a regular baby but when you have a disabled baby it’s a lot harder.
• Be patient. If you’re not good with being patient, learn to be patience. You’re going to need to be patient with the baby but you’ll also have to be patient with other people and situations you’re going to encounter. There are people who might act cruel and tell you that you made the wrong decision.

Now that you know some things about how you can deal with having a baby that has Down Syndrome, the next part will deal with some things that you may notice about your Down Syndrome baby.

There are a few things that you should know about when you’re getting ready for a baby that has Down Syndrome. When the baby is born, you’re going to notice that the muscles in their body might be floppy and weak. The baby could be more quiet and they may not respond as much, but this is something that is normal for babies that have Down Syndrome.

There are also going to be common physical things that you are going to notice. Here are some of the things that you might notice.

• A head that’s smaller
• A face that looks like it’s flat
• A nose that has a bridge that’s flat
• A nose that’s low set and not as big as a normal newborn’s
• Additional skin folds at each eye’s inside corner, close to the nose
• Rounded cheeks
• Small and misshapen ears
• Their eyes will slant upwards
• He or she has a small mouth which is going to cause his or her tongue to look like it’s big and stick out of their mouth
• Their hands are small and wide
• There’s a deep, unusual crease across their palms’ centers
• Their fifth finger isn’t formed well
• Their feet soles have creases that are unusual
• Their big and second toes have wide spaces between them
• Their joints are extra flexible
• Their height is shorter than usual

Remember that your baby is going to need a lot of love and nurturing when it’s born and growing.  It’s not going to be easy on anyone in the family, but you are going to find that your child is very loving and affectionate to anyone he or she comes into contact with. Children with Down Syndrome are extremely loving and they enrich the lives of everyone that come into contact with them each and every day.

When you first find out that you are pregnant, you are generally full of excitement as well as a large amount of anxiety. “What will these next nine months be like?” you wonder. Here is some basic information on what to expect.

The first three months are usually the worst for symptoms. After this, some of the symptoms associated with pregnancy subside. The most prominent of these is morning sickness. While some people feel only a little sick and mostly are able to continue just fine, some women feel nauseous for most of the day. The good news is that most of this feeling will dissapate once you reach the end of the first trimester.

You will also feel a good bit of fatigue during this stage. The amount of exhaustion you feel should decrease as your body adjusts to its new changes. The best thing you can do is get as much rest as you feel you need, since your body is exhuasted because it needs more rest. As you move from the first to the second trimester, you will probably notice an increase of energy.

Women generally also experience a tenderness in their breasts during this time, but this, too, should not last until past the first trimester. This is a usual and normal symtom, caused by hormones changing due to the pregnancy, as well as changes in your body’s shape that will help you to continue to support your baby for the rest of the pregnancy. Wearing a supportive bra will help decrease any uncomfortability during this time.

The best part of this stage of the pregnancy is the congratulations. Get ready for a whole lot of good wishes and pregnancy survival tips from your friends and family, and don’t worry about passing the time while pregnant, we have many online colleges, in which you can join to keep yourself busy during this period! As you share the news of your pregnancy, be prepared to answer questions about your due date, the baby’s name, if you will find out its gender, and how you are handling the pregnancy.