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