Birth Defects and Medical Advancements

Archive for the ‘Birth Deformities’ Category

The deformities during the birth are caused due to the genetic imbalance in the body of the mother of child. There are several necessary steps which should be followed by the mother to prevent her child from being deformed, and this doing more than just research in direct star tv medical specials. The mother should have to consult a gynecologist during the pregnancy period and should have to visit the doctor in a regular interval of 15 days. The checkups and tests should be done in the proper time period so that the doctor could guess the situation and conclude the development of the child. The best way of knowing that what the progress of the child is is ultrasound which determines the whole situation in which the child is at the present time. The ultrasound is done by the experienced doctors who are very well trained and have proper knowledge of the procedure. Medical testing is also one of the very necessary aspects to be performed by the mother to take care of the child.

The genealogy offers a very much help to the mother in caring the child. The gynecologist tells a mother whether what they have to do and what they do not have to do in the pregnancy period. The genealogy report helps a doctor to determine the progress and the condition of the child at the time of testing. The doctor calculates the next position which is going to come and resolves all the complications before they take place. The deformities in any child are genetic that means if there is any genetic complication in the mother then the child will face a birth deformity. The mother should have to take preventions at the time of pregnancy so that the child would not face any type of genetic deformity. The process of medical testing starts from the beginning of the pregnancy and ends till the birth of the child takes place.

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.

When you find out that you’re going to have a baby that has Down Syndrome, it can be a blow to you. This is a two part guide for parents that have learned that they are going to have a Down Syndrome baby.

• First, make sure that you’re able to find a doctor that’s going to care for you and your baby, and that is going to agree with your decision to keep your baby.  Usually the doctors who agree with the decision are going to offer the medical advice and information that is going to help both of you.
• Second, you should prepare the other children for their new brother or sister. Tell them about Down Syndrome and let them know that even though this new arrival is going to be special that they need to treat him or her the way that they treat one other.
• Third you should prepare the rest of your family for the event. Tell them the reasons that you made the decision and let them know that it’s what your spouse and you want to do. if they are responding with negative comments and sympathy, ask them to give you support and positive comments instead.
• Fourth, prepare your friends. Some of them are going to understand and be supportive, others aren’t going to be.  That’s something that you should expect because your family is going to be the same way. Each of the people that you know are going to have their own opinion on the things that you should or shouldn’t do without knowing that you made the decision already.
• Fifth, read any and all information that is available to you about Down Syndrome and about having a baby that has it.
• Finally, if you are going to go back to work once the baby comes, then you should look into the daycare centers that specialize or know how to care for the children who have special needs.

These are some of the things that you want to do before your baby with Down Syndrome is born.

Down Syndrome is perhaps one of the most commonly known birth defects that are known to man, since it’s evident when it a child has it.  Even though it happens in about 1 in 800 babies, it’s usually going to happen when the mom is older.

Children who have Down syndrome usually are going to have physical features that are characteristic in this birth defect.  These include slanted eyes, ears that are small and folded over on top, a mouth that’s small and which is going to make the child’s tongue appear bigger, a nose that’s small and flat, a neck that’s short, and hands that are small with fingers that are short.

Over half of the children that have this birth defect have hearing or visual impairments. Heart defects, intestinal malformations, and ear infections are also things that are common among the children that have it.

Even though the children who have this are mentally retarded to some degree, most of them have the ability to do most of the things that other children do, which includes talking, walking, and the ability to be toilet trained. The only thing is that most times they do it later than children who are unaffected.

There are parents who choose not to have a child that was diagnosed during the pregnancy with Down Syndrome because they’re not sure that they will be able to care for such a child. But for those who decide to keep the baby, the find that although their life is hard that it’s full of reward.

A birth defect that affects mostly Hispanics who have Caribbean ancestry and African Americans is sickle cell disease. It happens in approximately 1 in 625 babies of those two categories, and it’s tested in 30 states in the newborns.

This disease causes pain that is devastating and debilitating, as well as vital organ damage and sometimes death. It affects hemoglobin in a way that the cells are distorted. They’re not round like normal cells, but they are shaped like sickles or bananas, and that is where the name comes from.

These cells are trapped in both the spleen and the liver, and this results in the child being anemic.   In the severe cases, children who are affected can be short of breath, easily tired, and pale.  Pain episodes are the result of the cells being stuck, which is going to block the really small blood vessel, which is going to cut off oxygen to different parts of the body of the child.

A complication of this disease, usually in young children and infants, is that they are really vulnerable to bacterial infections that are severe.  Two of the weapons against the risk are shots and penicillin treatments that are given daily.

Even though there’s no cure for this terrible disease, there are therapies that are going to help with reducing the frequency and severity of the problems that are associated with it.

This birth defect is hard on the child and the parents and the parents do everything that they can to help their child and make them comfortable.

Perhaps one of the most devastating birth defects for parents is when their baby is born with a cleft palate or lip, because it’s so noticeable. It happens in approximately 1 in 700 babies that are born to Caucasian parents, and more in Asian babies and those who are members of certain Native American tribes. It doesn’t happen very often among the African American community.

It ‘s hard to figure out what causes it, but it the likely factors are environmental and genetic, both of which interact to prevent the upper lip, soft palate, or the hard palate from closing.

The cleft may be mild, and simply just appear as notch in the baby’s upper lip, or it could be severe, and include the nostril’s floor, the lip, and the baby’s dental arch. The development of language may be affected by the palate and lip’s structure and by side effects of infections in the middle ear that often accompany this birth defect due to the fact that the ears aren’t draining properly.

Babies that have this birth defect also need some help with eating, although those whose lip is usually odn’t have a lot of problems with eating. Due to the fact that they have a lot of trouble with sucking, they have to eat sitting up using a bottle that’s special.  If the condition is very severe, breastfeeding moms might have to pump their milk and use the bottle to feed the baby until it’s been repaired.

The surgery to fix the cleft lip needs to be done no later than 3 months old. For a cleft palate, the surgery is done later in life, around 6 months to a year so that the baby’s face can grow normally.

Even though there’s sometimes follow-up treatment that needs to be done, the repair of a cleft palate or lip will normally leave the baby with only a bit of scarring as well as a face that looks like the majority of children.

One of the birth defect that is rather common in the newborns, happening in 1 in 400 babies each year, is clubfoot. it happens approximately twice as much in the boys as it does in the girls, and there are a few types of foot and deformities that are associated with it. The cause of this birth deformity isn’t very clear, but it is probably a combination of the environmental and hereditary factors that affect the fetus while it’s growing.

Clubfoot is something that can either be mild or it can be severe, and it can also affect just one of the feet or both of them.  If it’s a mild case, it’s not going to hurt the baby and it won’t bother him or her until they start walking or standing.

For mild clubfoot cases, the treatment starts right after the baby is diagnosed and it involves gently making the foot go into the position that’s right and assisting the child with doing some special exercises.

If the clubfoot is more severe, however, the baby may need a treatment that’s more drastic, surgery, like bandaging and splints which is followed by some time spent in very special shoes, or plaster casts.  This is a process that could take anywhere from 3-6 months, along with checkups for a few years after.

Clubfoot is something that is very fixable and does not really hurt the baby if they have it.  It just looks uncomfortable and it hurts the parents to see their child in this state.  If a child has severe clubfoot, they are going to tough road ahead of them and they’ll need all the support that they can get.