| When you?re pregnant, you worry about every little | | | | nervous system to stop working. The child will begin |
| thing that could go wrong. Thankfully, most babies | | | | to regress developmentally, always resulting in death. |
| are born healthy. There are, however, some serious | | | | Tay Sachs is very rare, less than one hundred cases |
| birth disorders that you should be aware of, in the | | | | are reported in the US each year. It is caused by |
| unlikely event that your baby is affected. | | | | genetics. Both parents must have the gene for the |
| ? Spina Bifida ? This is a condition where the | | | | disease to occur. It is most common in Jewish |
| backbone, which protects the spinal cord, does not | | | | families of Central and Eastern European descent. If |
| close properly during prenatal development. This | | | | your ethnic background makes this disease a risk for |
| condition can range from being a minor problem, if | | | | your child, you and your partner can be tested for |
| the opening is tiny, or can cause paralysis and other | | | | the gene before you become pregnant. In addition, |
| serious medical issues if the opening is large, or if the | | | | the disease can be diagnosed in utero via |
| spinal cord itself is protruding. The exact cause is not | | | | amniocentesis. |
| known, though heredity does seem to play a role. So | | | | ? Down Syndrome- Down Syndrome is the term |
| does nutrition, particularly when the mother does not | | | | given to a set of symptoms that indicate some |
| have enough folic acid in her diet. Obstetricians have | | | | degree of mental retardation. Children with Down |
| begun recommending folic acid supplements for | | | | syndrome have a distinct set of facial features, a |
| women who are pregnant or who could become | | | | large tongue and a short neck. Down Syndrome |
| pregnant, and this has lowered the rate of this | | | | varies widely in the degree of mental retardation that |
| disease. You will probably be tested for spina bifida | | | | it causes. Some children are highly functional; others |
| during your pregnancy. Many times it can be | | | | will require constant care. Down syndrome affects |
| diagnosed in utero using ultra sound. Sometimes, | | | | about one in 1300 babies in the US. It is most often |
| surgery can even be performed on the baby in utero | | | | caused by an extra chromosome coming from the |
| to correct the problem. | | | | mother or father. Down syndrome is more likely to |
| ? Tay Sachs Disease ? This disease is caused by an | | | | occur when parents have already had a child with the |
| enzyme deficiency. Simply put, these babies do not | | | | birth disorder, and when the mother is over 35 years |
| break down fatty deposits in the brain and nerve | | | | in age. Down syndrome can be detected via |
| cells. Unfortunately, it is not usually diagnosed at birth. | | | | amniocentesis, which is why this test is common |
| When the child is several months old, this buildup of | | | | protocol for most pregnant women over the age of |
| fatty deposits will clog cells, causing the baby?s | | | | 35. |