What Pregnant Woman Must Do To Avoid Birth Defects

By Cami Ezenwa

It is a thing of joy when a woman delivers peacefully, without birth defects, but the reality is otherwise in many developing countries.

In sub-Saharan Africa for example, birth defects are thought to be responsible for 10% of deaths of children under the age of five, statistics from the National Library of Medicine, United States of America indicate.

Between 2.8% and 15.9% of people in Nigeria are said to have congenital anomalies, another name for birth defects, compared to l 0.9–17.3% in Ethiopia.

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While nutritional status, usage of herbal and over-the-counter drugs, supplementation with folic acid, alcohol intake, etc rank among socio-demographic factors associated with congenital abnormalities, here are some things pregnant women must do to avoid birth defects.

1. Pregnant Woman should begin the countermeasures early by developing a plan for their reproductive life.
2. Because vitamin B deficiency could be causative of birth defects, pregnant women should increase their daily intake of folic acid (one of the B vitamins) to at least 400 micrograms.
3. Many of the public health centres have been equipped to administer medication and care for physiological and relevant health conditions so, pregnant women should follow their immunisation schedules diligently.
4. They should control their diabetes and other medical conditions.
5. Adverse practices like smoking, drinking, and drug use should be avoided
6. Pregnant woman should avoid strenuous exercises. If they should exercise at all, it should be by prescription by a qualified medical personnel.
7. Pregnant woman are advised to take folic acid as part of their prenatal Most birth defects happen during the first 3 months of pregnancy. One out of every 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect.

According to John Hopkins Medicines, to maintain a healthy pregnancy, approximately 300 extra calories are needed each day. These calories should come from a balanced diet of protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
“Sweets and fats should be kept to a minimum. A healthy, well-balanced diet can also help to reduce some pregnancy symptoms, such”.

9.:Also, Medlineplus, an online health resource, adds that most birth defects happen during the first 3 months of pregnancy, with one out of every 33 babies in the United States born with a birth defect.
This implies that the first three months of conception could be critical to detecting and taking action about birth defects .

10. “A birth defect may affect how the body looks, works, or both. Some birth defects like cleft lip or neural tube defects are structural problems that can be easy to see. Others, like heart disease, are found using special tests.
    So birth defects can range from mild to severe, but how a birth defect affects a child’s life depends mostly on which organ or body part is involved and how severe the defect is.