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. 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.

Birth Defects 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

Birth Defects There are three basic factors that influence birth defects: Heredity Environment A combination of heredity and the environment.

Birth Defects Hereditary

DOWN SYNDROME (Mongolism) Caused by three instead of two of the 21 st chromosomes. Characterized by slanting eyes, broad hands, with short fingers and a short broad skull.

PHENYLKETNURIA(PKU): A deficiency of the enzyme necessary to convert protein. May cause severe retardation in late childhood.

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA Found mainly among children in African American families. Creates defective red blood cells and effects 8-10% of the African American population.

TAY-SACHS DISEASE The person has defective eyes and gradual blindness with a severe loss of weight. Found mainly among children of Jewish- Eastern European origin. This defect affects the central nervous system and finally causes death.

HEMOPHILIA The blood does not clot normally. It is found only among males. Females may transmit the disease but do not suffer from it.

Birth Defects Environmental

Nourishment The baby receives nourishment through the placenta Anything the mother takes into her body the baby gets too!

Drugs  No drugs should be taken by a pregnant woman, unless prescribed by a physician.  90% of over-the-counter drugs available have never been tested for their effects on the unborn.  No pregnant woman should take any illegal drug because of the high rate of birth defects.  Men planning for future fatherhood, should not use illegal drugs because of the effect upon the sperm.

Prescription Drugs What prescription drugs can a pregnant woman take? Tylenol, Advil, Aleve? ALWAYS ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!

Crack & Cocaine  Prematurity, neonatal intoxification and withdrawal, decreased alertness, and an increase of SIDS.  Symptoms in the baby include: jitteriness, excessive crying, increased appetite, extreme irritability.  Long term effects include learning disabilities, behavior problems and Attention Deficit Disorder.

Tranquilizers  Diazepam, Valium are examples.  The baby will go through withdrawals for 8-10 days.  Effects on baby: lethargy, respiratory difficulties, apneic spells (breathing problems), can’t regulate temperature, hypotonia (muscles), and failure to suck effectively.

Phencyclidine (PCP, Angeldust)  Fetal effects: growth retardation, developmental delays.  Withdrawal may not be apparent until 5-7 days after birth.

Narcotics (Heroin, Methadone)  Heroin and Methadone effect the baby differently.  Both go through intense withdrawal but at different time periods.  Withdrawal in infants can be life threatening.  Tremors, restlessness, insomnia, increased sucking reflex, and a high pitched cry.

Marijuana  Marijuana crosses the placenta and is also found in breast milk.  Small birth weight and decreased learning ability.  Alcohol with marijuana increases the potency of the alcohol.  May cause extremity deformities.

Alcohol 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?

Drinking alcohol, any kind and any time, during your pregnancy may be harmful. If you drink while pregnant, your baby will be at risk to be born with FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME is caused by drinking alcoholic beverages while pregnant. The cause of this birth defect is considered to be “environmental”.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) –Leading cause of mental retardation, or some degree of mental disability –Short attention span –Hyperactivity –Social and behavior problems –Abnormally small at birth –Small head circumference –Small, widely spaced eyes –Flat mid-face –Thin upper lip and underdeveloped jaw

Smoking Low birth rate the more a woman smokes, the smaller her baby will be. Increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Increased risk of spontaneous abortion, fetal death, low implantation of the placenta, premature separation of the placenta, bleeding and pre-term delivery.