Birth Defects Articles
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Birth Defects Present Summer Vacation Challenges - Living with a birth defect is hard for a family, but even harder on the child. Systemic abnormalities are a lesser challenge, simply because they may be hidden easily yet outward deformities present an almost daily gauntlet of furtive looks or downright questions.
Birth Defects Make ER Visits Problematic - If you have children, you will undoubtedly spend some time in the emergency room (ER). Of course, the fortunate parent of the child who looks prior to leaping and exercises caution rather than throwing it to the wind will most likely spend a lot less time at the ER than others.
Birth Defects and the Healthy Sibling - As if it were not hard enough to deal with the reality of a child affected by birth defects, if you have other children, you will need to spend some time coming to grips with their feelings and needs as well. No matter how severe the birth defect, or whether it is a systemic abnormality affecting the organs or a clearly visible deformity, the odds are high that the other children in the family will need to learn to deal with it to some extent.
Birth Defects and the Health Care System - When you first learn that your child will suffer from a birth defect, the odds are very good that you will be handed a list of resources. Many of these resources will deal with home health care, depending on the needs anticipated, emotional support for you and other caregivers, and perhaps also a bit of advice on dealing with the health care issues involved.
Birth Defects Affecting Fetal Limbs - While any kind of birth defect is most heartbreaking to the parents of an infant, the ones which affect the limbs are especially problematic, since generally speaking an infant is otherwise perfectly healthy and will therefore have to deal with her or his disability when older. Some birth defects affecting fetal limbs are easily corrected with the help of reconstructive surgery; yet many more will require years of therapy, adaptive technology, and help not only for the child who will need to learn to deal with the disabilities present, but also for the parents who need to be taught how to parent a child with a visible and irreversible birth defect.
Birth Defect: Phenylketonuria (PKU) - This is a rare birth defect that can be detected by a heel prick blood test at birth. Left undetected PKU can cause mental retardation.
Birth Defect: Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital heart defect present at birth. It is a rare heart condition that affects the lower left chamber of the heart.
Birth Defect: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a birth defect that is the result of maternal drinking of alcoholic beverages during the pregnancy. It is a preventable birth defect in that pregnant women who avoid consuming alcohol can prevent this particular birth defect from occurring.
Birth Defect: Cleft Lip/Palate - Common birth defects include cleft lip and cleft palate. More than 5,000 infants every year in the United States are born with either cleft lip or cleft palate.
Birth Defect: Cerebral Palsy - Cerebral palsy can occur at birth when there is brain damage or it can occur anytime in the first few years of life. Cerebral palsy affects the child's ability to move.
When Your Child’s Birth Defects Turn You into a Home Healthcare Provider - There is the misconception that birth defects are somehow only something that might make a child stick out in a crowd, such as a shortened leg, a club foot, or a missing limb. In other cases the opinion might be that a birth defect is something that affects the inner organs of a child and upon surgery is not noticeable.
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All articles on this site are for information only and should not be treated as medical advice.
If you experience any symptoms, consult a medical professional.