Problem Pregnancies Birth Defects

What do you hope your children never have to go through? Explain. Bell Ringer October 26th, 2011 What do you hope your children never have to go through? Explain.

The King and the Scratched Diamond Once there was a king, who had a beautiful, large pure diamond. There was no other diamond like it in the world. One day, it became deeply scratched. The king called his best diamond cutters, “I’ll promise you a great reward if you can remove the imperfection from my jewel.” But they could not. The king was very upset. .

Many months later, a man came to the king Many months later, a man came to the king. He promised to make the diamond even more beautiful than it ever had been. Impressed by the man’s confidence, the king consented. He watched as the man engraved an exquisite rosebud around the blemish and used the scratch to make its stem. --A parable of the Preacher of Dubno from Jewish folklore

Conclusion This story can easily be equated to birth defects. Even though a child with a birth defect may not appear to be perfect, he/she still has great abilities and opportunities to apply himself/herself in life. Rather than emphasizing the problem, we must focus on the abilities of the person

Discussion How may of you know someone who has had a problem pregnancy? Did she ever think anything like that could happen to her? No one plans on having a problem pregnancy, but everyone should know something about the potential problems in order to safeguard their health and the health of their fetus.

FACTS About 150,000 babies are born each year with birth defects. The parents of one out of every 28 babies receive the frightening news that their baby has a birth defect There are over 4,000 known birth defects Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life

What is a Birth Defect? An abnormality of structure, function or body metabolism (inborn error of body chemistry) present at birth that results in physical or mental disability or is fatal. Usually everyone is born with some type of birth defect like birthmarks

What causes birth defects? Both genetic and environmental factors can cause birth defect. However, the causes of about 60% of birth defects are currently unknown. A single abnormal gene can cause birth defects. Every human being has about 100,000 genes that determine traits like eye color, hair, etc.

Heredity vs Environment based upon your internal genetic make up Environment Based upon influences in your environment that surrounds you People, chemicals, media, weather, experiences

Environmental Causes The nutritional balance of the mother's diet Any diseases or infections the mother has during pregnancy Harmful substances such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, and drugs, including some medicines that would ordinarily benefit the mother Exposure to outside hazards such as radiation

Heredity or Environment? Activity: ws Color of hair Color of eyes Color of Skin General health Personality traits Strength of eyesight Physical strength IQ Height Relationship with family Relationship with friends Level of education Sex Body Type Weight Religious involvement Birth Defects Blood Type

Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs) STD’s can be passed on from an infected mother to the developing baby Serious illness, deformity, death Possible to have an STD and not know it State law requires some STD tests

STD Related Birth Defects Low birth weight Conjunctivitis (pinkeye_

Illegal drugs Pass on addiction to baby Go through withdrawal: Painful illness resulting from the bodies dependence on drugs Cocaine can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, and birth defects

Other Drugs Prescribed medicines Over the counter remedies Aspirin, cold medicines, nose drops, and vitamins Chemicals such as caffeine, found in some foods and beverages, and nicotine found in tobacco Illegal drugs Inhalants

Prescription or over the counter drugs Thalidomide Used to relieve morning sickness in the 50’s Caused severe birth defects in over 5,000 babies before the effects were discovered. Medicines and infections during the first three months have the most devastating effects. Last 6 months: slow growth, infections, or abnormal bleeding at birth

Drug Related Birth Defects Thalidomide

Coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks Avoid large amounts Caffeine Coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks Avoid large amounts Controversial as to real effects

Tobacco The more a mother smokes, the mother her baby is likely to be Can cause premature birth

Rubella German measles Deafness, blindness, heart disease, and/or mental retardation Vaccine for rubella is now available, but may be dangerous if you are already pregnant

? QUESTIONS ? What if I only drink a little while pregnant? I don’t drink the hard stuff… is that okay? Will I be okay if I stop the last few months. Beer doesn’t count, does it?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE). When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the developing embryo and fetus drinks, too. Because of its relative size to the mother and because it metabolizes alcohol more slowly than the adult mother, the developing embryo and fetus experiences higher levels of alcohol concentration.

Fetal Alcohol Sydrome The U.S. Public Health Service has indicated that there is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy

FAS is a cluster of related conditions. FAS includes: facial abnormalities (such as small eyelid openings, short nose, flat mid-face) poor coordination poor growth hyperactive behavior learning disabilities developmental disabilities mental retardation or low IQ

Heredity and the Environment Most birth defects are believed to result from a combination of heredity and environment Probably the cause for Cleft lip Cleft palate Spina bifida

Hereditary causes Passing on defective genes Often defective genes are recessive and must be passed on from both parents Sex linked inheritance

Errors in chromosomes Some birth defects are linked to a problem with the chromosomes To many or too few The most common is Down syndrome 1 in every 650 births Risk increases as the mother gets older Although this type of defect involves genetic material it is not the same as a hereditary defect The child does not inherit the defect from the parents

Types of Birth Defects Choose 1 for presentation 1. Malformations present at birth defects such as congenital heart malformation, spina bifida (open spine), cleft palate, clubfoot 2. Inborn errors of metabolism Defects such as PKU, Tay Sachs disease 3. Blood Disorders Defects such as sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, thalassemia. 4. Chromosomal Abnormalities Conditions such as Down’s Syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Turner Syndrome. 5. Prenatal damage Cases include certain infections, drugs, maternal disorders such as diabetes, high blood pressure, Rh disease, umbilical cord accidents, difficult labor or delivery, premature birth.

Birth Defect Presentations

Avoiding Environmental Hazards Unit 2 Chapter 5

Activity Case Studies

Can birth defects be prevented? While the causes of most birth defects are not known, there are a number of steps a woman can take to reduce her risk of having a baby with a birth defect. Visit a health care provider for a pre-pregnancy check up. Especially if a woman has health problems When pregnant take daily multivitamin containing 400 mg of the B-vitamin folic Acid Avoid alcohol, drugs, smoking, prescription or over-the-counter medication with out checking with her health care provider.

Factors that contribute to Birth Defects: Overweight Underweight Jewish decent African American Last birth was less than 12 month ago Has had a baby that weighed less than d ½ pounds Has had 3 or more miscarriages Has had more than 5 pregnancies Has had a still born baby

Drinks alcohol Has personal habits that are different from most people Uses prescription drugs Has used street drugs Takes vitamins Drinks caffeine Has had exposure to chemicals Live in a home built before 1955 Constant exposure to cats Has had x-rays during pregnancy

No immunizations against rubella Rh factor Miscarriage High blood pressure Diabetes Health problems: Genital herpes Diabetes Gonorrhea High blood pressure Syphilis Heart disease Epilepsy Anemia No immunizations against rubella Rh factor Miscarriage

Can some birth defects be diagnosed before birth? Some birth defects can be diagnosed before birth. Some prenatal tests that can be taken are: Ultrasound Amniocentesis Chronic villus sampling

Can birth defects be treated before birth? Advances in prenatal therapy now make it possible to treat some birth defects before birth. Prenatal surgery – urinary-tract blockages, rare tumors in the lungs, spina bifida, ph disease,

Student Reports Divide students into groups of 3. Students will review and collect information from the March of Dimes and other resources. Report to the class information gathered about assigned birth defect.

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