January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. The year’s theme is focused on awareness of diabetes in women of childbearing age. Diabetes in a pregnant woman can cause the baby to have birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A woman who has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes that is uncontrolled has a higher chance of having a baby with a birth defect than does a woman without diabetes because blood sugar can affect the organs of the baby during the first two months of pregnancy.
Some important statistics on birth defects:
–One in 33 babies is born with a birth defect, according to the CDC. One out of every five dies, which makes birth defects the leading cause of death among newborns.
–The most common defects are: Down syndrome, heart problems, a cleft lip or palate, and spina bifida.
–Though genetic defects are possible when one or more of the parents have abnormalities in their genes, most of the children born with an injury do not have a family history of them.
–Simple ways to help prevent birth defects while pregnant include avoiding cigarettes, drugs and alcohol, maintaining the right weight for your height and taking folic acid.
–Tests like ultrasounds and amniocenteses can detect birth defects such as spina bifida, heart defects, or Down syndrome before a baby is born.
– There are currently birth defects programs operating in 37 states and in the planning stages for five states including the District of Columbia.
Extensive information and resources on the awareness month and birth defects in general can be found at the National Birth Defect Prevention Network and the March of Dimes.
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