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Birth Defects Can Be Prevented In Most Cases

By Joel Hardy

01/13/2014

(KAIR)--Bringing a new life into the world can be a wonderful thing, and as any parent can tell you, the possibility of their child being born with some kind of physical or mental defect is a concern. Atchison hospital's Dr. Norma Green says birth defects encompass any problem a baby is born with. We tend to group those into either defects that are caused by either genetics, or by outside influences such as drugs and alcohol.

There are some misconceptions surrounding certain food and drugs causing defects. Green says most of these are false. There is no scientific evidence that she is aware of regarding any specific food causing birth problems or birth defects. Though she does say that unhealthy diets can lead to both mom and baby gaining weight, which can make entering the world a bit more difficult.

Green goes on to stress the importance of an expectant mother taking the proper precautions to try and detect any potential defects. She encourages expectant mothers to not only know their genetic history, but to get genetic testing to find out any potential genetic problems.

Green also advises pregnant woman to avoid large quantities of mercury, found in large ocean dwelling fish such as tuna, as it can be bad for the baby's development. Although fish oil can be very good for baby's brain development.

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