Alcohol Abuse Advice

Birth Defect Rate: What Can Be Done To Curve Down The Figures

To date, 3-4 of every 100 newborns are born with a birth defect. The birth defect rate has remained in a constant  point throughout many years now. This can be attributed to the fact that even at present, no surefire method or tablet has been invented which can help get rid the birth anomaly. Nevertheless, some things can be done in order to help lessen the risks of having to deal with birth defect which hopefully, in the long run, manages to curb down the birth defect rate throughout the world.

Alcohol – Yes, it may seem harmless to take a sip of wine or a mug of beer but then again, until this day, the “safe amount” of alcohol which can be consumed during pregnancy remains undetermined. To be safe, it is highly advised that pregnant women completely veer away from alcohol intake during pregnancy. As we all know, alcohol can cause a wide range of abnormalities in the fetus. In fact, alcoholism remains to be one of the most common causes of mental and physical birth defects. It can be easily passed on to your baby. This simply means that an unborn fetus can develop a high concentration of alcohol which affects the baby’s system regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed by the mother.

Recreational drugs – Recreational drugs can cause serious effects in your babies. Drugs can be a cause of poor growth, behavior and learning problems and premature birth. Not only that, affected babies also have a huge chance of being addicted to such drugs themselves. The brighter side is that, there are certain institutions which provide rehabilitation especially to pregnant women. If you have been a drug user at any point of your pregnancy, do not be scared to inform your physician.

Nicotine –  Smoking birth defects can be very serious as well. The moment that a pregnant woman lights up a cigarette, inhales and puffs off the smoke, she is also encouraging her unborn fetus to consume nicotine. Smoking does not only passes on nicotine, it also passes on carbon dioxide which can hinder the proper development of your baby. Some of the common smoking birth defects include stillbirth, prematurity, poor birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (also called as SIDS), asthma and other respiratory problems. It is very important that you take time to talk to your doctor for quitting methods.

Caffeine –  Caffeine consumption can lead to an increased risk of miscarriage. Therefore, if you to drink coffee everyday, you might as well take extra effort to avoid your caffeine fix, at least throughout the span of your pregnancy. If you are having a hard time detaching from the fix, you can start by cutting your consumption down to one or two cups a day. You can also start combining decaffeinated coffee with regular coffee until you have been able to fully switch to decaf in time.

Certain foods – Yes, you need to eat plenty of food but you also need to avoid some menus and products. It is very important that you get rid of food-borne illnesses such as toxoplasmosis and listeriosis. This can be life-threatening to the fetus and can cause birth defects and miscarriage. Some food which needs to be avoided include unpasteurized cheeses, unpasteurized milk juices, raw eggs and foods, undercooked meats and processed meats like hot dogs just to mention a few.

If you’re pregnant, avoiding the above substances and food will surely give you a healthy baby.