Baby Your Baby: Birth defects prevention

KUTV — March 3rd was International Birth Defects Prevention Day and we are talking about ways to help prevent birth defects. But we’ll start with some background information.

In every pregnancy, there is a 3-5% chance of a baby being born with a major birth defect - that’s about 1 in 33 pregnancies. Birth defects can include things like heart defects, spina bifida, cleft lip and palate, and functional and developmental delays like autism. It’s why teratology, or the study of how to reduce the chances of these complications is so important.

Senior Registered Nurse Al Romeo, a Teratogen Information Specialist with MotherToBaby Utah provides the following tips to help mothers reduce the chance of birth defects:

Tips to reduce the chance of having a baby with a birth defect

• Take folic to help prevent spina bifida.
• Control medical conditions like diabetes that can be harmful for both mother and baby. Uncontrolled diabetes is one of the leading causes of preventable birth defects in Utah.
• Avoid alcohol during pregnancy to prevent heart defects, developmental delays, and other problems that are part of the pattern of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
• Avoid traveling to areas with Zika virus to prevent microcephaly, other defects, and developmental delays.
• Avoid cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy to prevent hearing loss.
• Keep up to date on vaccines, including the chicken pox (varicella) vaccine, before pregnancy.
• There are some medications that cause birth defects and should be avoided during pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare provider about your medications before pregnancy and before stopping them.

For more details or questions about any other exposures in pregnancy or breastfeeding, visit MotherToBaby.Utah.gov to find a link to fact sheets on a variety of medications, conditions, and other exposures. Moms and their providers can call, text, chat, or email us for answers.