Birth Defects: What, Why And How They Happen

A birth defect on a newborn can be very heartbreaking for couples. Given this, it is very important that pregnant women keep themselves healthy all throughout their pregnancy. More than just that, it is also very important that you get yourself knowledgeable about how birth defects happen and the many other things that you can do to lessen the risks of having to deal with this abnormality.

A birth defect is a physical change or a health problem present at the time a baby is born. The intensity of birth defects vary from mild to severe. Severe birth defects can be dangerous and life-threatening. In these cases, the baby either lives for a limited number of months or he dies at a very young age.

How frequent does a birth abnormality occur? In every 100 newborns, about three to four babies of them are born with congenital birth defects. Congenital, meaning the abnormal trait was present in the child by the time he was born. The number of healthy babies is 96% higher vis-a-vis the 4% of babies born with congenital abnormalities. Doctors have pointed out several factors which can increase the risks of birth defects. We have identified some of the genetic and environmental factors that can cause such defect.

Chromosome abnormalities – Chromosomes are structures located at the center of our cells. This is where our genes are contained.

Inheritance – Couples who have / have had birth defects are more prone to having babies with a physical abnormality.

Single gene defects – Our traits are determined by our genes. Aside from the normal traits such as eye color, skin color and the like, every baby can inherit disease-causing genes as well. When this happens, it causes a birth anomaly on the baby.

Multifactorial Inheritance – When “multicultural inheritance” is referred to as the cause of the defect, this means that the abnormality was caused by a wide range of factors – both environmental and genetic.

Teratogens – This is an external agent which can induce a birth anomaly. More often than not, it comes from environmental elements that the mother was exposed to during her pregnancy. Its most common external agents include alcohol use, prescribed medication, a street drug or sometimes, a disease that the mother has / had while she was pregnant. All these can help increase the risks of congenital birth defects.

Given these, many expecting couples are alarmed and are scared. Who are prone to this abnormality? What can be done to help lessen the risks of birth defects?

By the time a woman gets pregnant, there is a slight chance that her baby will have a birth defect. This abnormality has affected newborns from all over the globe, all across nationalities and backgrounds. As mentioned above, 96-97 percent of newborns are healthy. The 3-4 percent is the number estimated as the population rate for birth abnormalities. However, for couples who already have birth irregularities, the risks can be higher.

While nobody knows how to exactly eradicate the chance of birth defects, there are several things that expecting couples can do to help lessen the risks of this abnormality. One of which is by meeting with your doctor regularly for your pre-natal check-ups. Doing so surely goes a long way in keeping your body and your soon-to-be baby healthy.

Article Source: http://www.parentingarticlelibrary.com

Get helpful tips about birth defects and a useful information on congenital birth defects at Aha! Baby.

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