January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to help bring awareness to expectant parents, caregivers, and family members about the causes and prevention of devastating congenital disabilities.
Some might think that birth defects are caused by a major problem during pregnancy, but most of the time that is not the case. Birth defects are common, affecting one of 33 infants born in the United States, according to the CDC. Birth defects are structural changes that can develop between pregnancy and childhood that affect how a child’s body looks, works, or even both. While not all birth defects can be detected or prevented, there are steps you can take to increase your chance of having a healthy baby – and National Birth Defects Awareness Month is a great opportunity to educate yourself about them.
Healthy choices to reduce risks are to:
Take daily supplements
According to the CDC, it is recommended that all women of reproductive age should take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day, along with consuming food with folate, to help prevent neural tube defects (like anencephaly and spina bifida). Folic acid is a B vitamin that our body uses to make new cells like skin, hair, and nails.
With almost half of pregnancies being unplanned, it is recommended that all people who are capable of becoming pregnant take folic acid. Neural tube defects happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before most know they are pregnant. By the time a person realizes they are pregnant, it might be too late to prevent these birth defects.
Schedule a visit with your health care provider
Scheduling a preconception visit is a great place to start. Some of the following topics are important to cover during your visit:
- Discuss your weight. Individuals will gain weight during pregnancy, so it is advised that you start your pregnancy at a healthy weight. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above prepregnancy has been associated with certain major birth defects, according to NIH.
- Talk to your provider about medications you take to see what will be safe for you to continue using during pregnancy. Some medications are linked to birth defects and may need to be adjusted or changed during pregnancy.
- Go over your medical history.
- Discuss genetic testing.
Schedule a visit with your health care provider
Scheduling a preconception visit is a great place to start. Some of the following topics are important to cover during your visit:
- Influenza
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
- Chickenpox, Varicella zoster virus (VZV)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Additional vaccines: Speak with your physician about your medical history, lifestyle and travel plans to determine whether other vaccines might be suggested.
During pregnancy, influenza, whooping cough and COVID-19 vaccines are the only vaccines routinely recommended. While vaccines can protect you from some infections, you must take other precautions to protect you and your baby from other infectious diseases, like:
- Zika is a virus that can be passed from the mother to the fetus causing serious harm to the eyes and brain of the developing baby. Pregnant individuals and those trying to get pregnant should avoid traveling to areas with ongoing Zika outbreaks.
- Toxoplasmosis is an infection you can get from eating undercooked meat or touching cat feces. If you contract toxoplasmosis within 6 months of getting pregnant, you may experience pass the infection to your baby and experience pregnancy complications. To protect yourself from the disease: do not eat raw meat or seafood, take sanitation precautions while cooking, wash your hands after handling produce or meat, and avoid contact with animal feces.
- Other infectious diseases. Risks can be reduced by frequent hand washing and avoiding sharing food and drinks.
Avoid harmful substances
- Stop using any kind of alcohol or tobacco products. If you consume alcohol during pregnancy, there is a high chance that your child will be born with fetal alcohol syndrome. If you smoke marijuana or ingest other drugs, your child’s risk of being born with cleft lip or cleft palate increases significantly.
- Reduce exposure to lead and heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and some epoxies and resins.
- Stay away from dangerous chemicals, or other substances at the home or in the workplace. While most chemicals you come across in your daily life won’t harm your baby, it is recommended that you avoid exposure in large quantities, such as cleaning products, paint, mosquito repellent, mercury, nail polish, and flame retardants.
While all precautions may be taken, women can still develop infections during pregnancy due to a healthcare provider’s negligence or exposure to medications that can cause birth defects due to a doctor’s carelessness.
At Meyers & Flowers, we are devoted to fighting for babies, mothers, and families who suffered preventable harm due to the negligence of healthcare professionals and manufacturers. Our experienced personal injury attorneys alongside some of the top medical experts can help parents uncover the potential cause of their child’s birth defect. Our goal is to ensure that every family is able to pay for all the necessary medical costs throughout the child’s life.