What Are Some Complications at Birth That Affect the Baby

Central POINTS

• Nascence defects are structural changes that are nowadays at birth. They may affect how the torso looks, works or both.

• Birth defects can crusade problems in overall wellness, how the body develops or how the body works. They may range from mild to serious conditions.

• There are things you lot can do before and during pregnancy to help reduce your take a chance of having a baby with a birth defect.

• Birth defects may be diagnosed in a baby during pregnancy or after birth.

• If your baby has a nativity defect, she may demand a team of health care providers who work together to give her special medical care.

What are birth defects?

Birth defects are structural changes present at birth that can affect almost any office of the torso. They may impact how the body looks, works or both. Birth defects can cause problems in overall health, how the body develops or how the body works. Birth defects may range from balmy to serious wellness conditions.

Birth defects can happen at any fourth dimension during pregnancy. Only most happen during the first 3 months of pregnancy (also chosen first trimester), when your baby's organs are forming. Nativity defects also can happen after in pregnancy, when your baby's organs are however growing and developing.

About ane in 33 babies (about 3 percent) is built-in with a birth defect in the United States each year. Some birth defects don't need handling or tin can be treated hands. But other birth defects need quick treatment because they cause serious problems or even death.

What are examples of birth defects?

Examples of birth defects include:

Cleft lip and cleft palate. Cleft lip and crack palate are birth defects in a baby's lip and mouth. Unremarkably, babies can have surgery to repair crevice lip or cleft palate. They may need more surgery, special dental care and voice communication therapy as they become older. Speech therapy is therapy to teach your kid how to speak more clearly or communicate in other means.

Clubfoot. Clubfoot is a birth defect of the foot. It'south when a baby'south human foot turns inward then that the bottom of the foot faces sideways or even up. Clubfoot doesn't amend without handling. Treatment may include pointing, stretching, casting the human foot and using braces. With early treatment, almost children with clubfoot can walk, run and play without pain.

Congenital heart defects (also chosen CHDs). These are heart weather condition that a babe is built-in with. They can touch on the heart'south shape or how information technology works or both. CHDs are the well-nigh common types of nativity defects. They can be balmy or serious. Critical congenital heart defects (also chosen critical CHDs or disquisitional congenital heart disease) are the about serious CHDs. Babies with critical CHDs need surgery or other treatment within the start year of life. Without treatment, disquisitional CHDs tin can cause serious health issues and death.

Gastroschisis. This is a birth defect of the abdominal (belly) wall. A infant is born with his intestines, and sometimes other organs, outside of the body. Gastroschisis happens when the muscles that make up the abdominal wall don't connect properly, forming a pigsty beside the belly push. A baby with gastroschisis needs surgery soon subsequently birth to put his organs back in place and repair the pigsty.

Hearing loss. This is a common nativity defect that tin can touch a baby'due south ability to develop voice communication, language and social skills. Hearing loss can happen when any part of the ear isn't working in the usual way. Treatment depends on the cause of the hearing loss and whether hearing loss is mild or astringent. Some babies with hearing loss may need hearing aids, medicine, surgery or oral communication therapy.

Microcephaly. Microcephaly is when a baby'southward head is smaller than expected, compared to babies of the same sex activity and historic period. Babies with mild microcephaly often don't have problems other than pocket-sized head size. A baby with severe microcephaly has a caput that'due south much smaller than expected and may have more than serious health problems. Severe microcephaly can happen if a baby's brain doesn't develop properly during pregnancy or if the encephalon starts to develop correctly but is damaged during pregnancy. Babies with severe microcephaly may need special care and treatment, like surgery. Some need medicines to treat seizures or other wellness problems.

Neural tube defects (too called NTDs). NTDs are nativity defects of the brain, spine (backbone) and spinal cord. The spinal cord carries signals back and forth between your body and your brain. The near common NTD is spina bifida. Spina bifida happens when the spinal string or bones in the spine don't form correctly, leaving a gap or opening. Spina bifida can cause serious health problems for babies, like fluid on the brain and being paralyzed. Babies with spina bifida may demand surgery or other special treatments.

What causes birth defects?

We don't know exactly what causes most birth defects, merely some things may make you more likely than others to have a infant with a birth defect. These are called chance factors. Having a risk factor doesn't mean for sure that your baby volition exist affected. But it may increase your chances. These things may play a function in increasing your adventure of having a baby with a nascency defect:

• Changes in genes or chromosomes. Some babies accept birth defects because of changes in their genes (also chosen mutations) or chromosomes. Genes are part of your trunk's cells that store instructions for the way your body grows and works. Genes are passed from parents to children. Chromosomes are the structures that hold genes. Some birth defects also run in families.
• Things in your surround. Your environment is all the things you come in contact with that touch on your everyday life. This includes where you live, where you piece of work, the kinds of foods yous eat and how y'all like to spend your time. Some things in your environment tin be harmful to your babe during pregnancy, similar cigarette fume or harmful chemicals.
• Having certain health conditions. Some health conditions, similar preexisting diabetes, can increase your baby's risk of having a birth defect. Diabetes is a medical condition in which your body has too much saccharide (chosen glucose) in your blood. Preexisting means you had diabetes before y'all got pregnant. Diabetes can impairment organs in your body, including blood vessels, fretfulness, eyes and kidneys.
• Taking certain medicines before or during pregnancy. Taking certain medicines, like isotretinoin, can increase the risk of your infant having a nascence defect. Isotretinoin is a medicine used to care for acne.
• Smoking, drinking alcohol or using street drugs during pregnancy. Doing any of these things during pregnancy tin crusade bug for your babe, including birth defects.
• Getting certain infections during pregnancy. Some infections during pregnancy tin increment the risk of your baby having birth defects and other problems. For instance, if you have Zika infection during pregnancy your baby may exist at increased run a risk of having microcephaly.
• Your age. If y'all are 34 years onetime or older, yous may be at increased risk of having a baby with a nascency defect.

Can you prevent birth defects?

Non all birth defects tin can be prevented. But there are things you can exercise to help reduce the risk of your baby having a birth defect and increase your chances of having a healthy baby.

Earlier pregnancy

Here's what y'all can do:

Get a preconception checkup. This is a medical checkup you get with your prenatal care provider before pregnancy to assist make certain you're healthy when you lot get meaning. Go for this checkup before y'all start trying to get meaning.

Enquire your health care provider if your vaccinations are up to date earlier y'all endeavour to get meaning. Some vaccinations protect y'all from infections that tin crusade birth defects. For instance, rubella is an infection that can cause hearing loss, middle defects and other health problems for your baby. The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. If you lot don't have a record of your vaccinations, your provider can check your amnesty (protection) for rubella with a claret test. If y'all need the MMR vaccination, wait at least iv weeks later on you lot go the shot before you endeavor to get significant.

Take folic acrid. Take a vitamin supplement that has 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid in it every day. Folic acid is a B vitamin that every cell in your body needs for normal growth and development. Taking folic acrid before and during early pregnancy tin can help foreclose NTDs in your baby.

Acquire about your genes and your family health history. If yous, your partner, your children or someone in your families has a nascency defect, y'all may want to run into a genetic counselor. This is a person who is trained to help you understand about genes, birth defects and other medical atmospheric condition that run in families and how they can affect your wellness and your baby's health. Use our March of Dimes Family Wellness History Grade to collect information near health conditions in your family. Share the form with your genetic advisor or health care provider.

Work with your health care provider to manage chronic health atmospheric condition. If you accept a chronic health condition, like diabetes, work with your health intendance providers to manage your status and handling (including medicine) earlier pregnancy. For example, if you accept preexisting diabetes, work to get it under control 3 to 6 months before pregnancy. Monitor your blood carbohydrate, have your diabetes medicine, consume good for you foods and be active every day.

Talk to your provider virtually medicines yous take. Sure medicines you take may increment your infant's take a chance of having a birth defect. Tell your provider about whatever prescription medicines, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, supplements and herbal products you take. If a medicine you take may be harmful to your baby, yous may be able to alter to one that'southward safer before or during pregnancy. Only some medicines may be critical to your own wellness, even if they may affect your baby. You and your provider tin can weigh the benefits and risks of medicine you take to give you the healthiest possible pregnancy. Don't start or stop taking any medicine without talking to your health care provider first.

Become to a healthy weight. Being obese (very overweight) tin increase your baby's chances of having nascency defects like NTDs, heart defects and cleft palate. If you're obese, you have an excess amount of body fatty and your torso mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher. To detect out your BMI, go to www.cdc.gov/bmi. Eating salubrious foods and doing something agile every day can help yous become to a healthy weight.

During pregnancy

Hither's what you can do:

Go early and regular prenatal care. This is medical care you get during pregnancy. At each prenatal care checkup, your provider checks on you and your growing baby. Call your provider and get for your first prenatal intendance checkup as shortly as you know you're meaning. And go to all of your prenatal care checkups, even if y'all're feeling fine. If you accept a chronic health condition, piece of work together with your prenatal care provider and other providers to manage your condition during pregnancy.

Take folic acid. During pregnancy, take a prenatal vitamin that has 600 mcg of folic acid in it every day.

Make sure any provider who prescribes you medicine knows you're meaning. Don't start or terminate taking whatever medicine (including OTC medicines, supplements and herbal products) during pregnancy without talking to your provider first. Doing this can cause serious problems for you and your baby. For example, talk to your provider before taking a vitamin A supplement. Getting too much vitamin A tin increase your babe'due south risk of having a nascence defect.

Don't smoke, drinkable alcohol or utilize street drugs. Doing these things during pregnancy can cause many problems for your baby, including birth defects. If you need assistance to quit, ask your provider for assist or visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Assistants (SAMSHA) Treatment Services Locator to notice services nearly you.

Avoid harmful substances in your environment. Here's what you can do:

• Talk to your boss if yous come in contact with harmful substances at work, like strong chemicals, pesticides, pb, radiation or chemotherapy medicines. Enquire nigh making changes to your job or doing different work while you lot're pregnant.
• Avoid secondhand fume during pregnancy. Secondhand fume is smoke you breathe in from someone else's cigarette, cigar, pipe or other tobacco production.
• Don't eat fish that contain big amounts of mercury during pregnancy. Mercury is a metal that can impairment your baby. Fish with loftier amounts of mercury include swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish.

Prevent infections. Here are some means to prevent infections:

• Don't travel to areas where Zika virus is spreading. If you do travel to a Zika-affected expanse, learn how to forestall musquito bites. This is the well-nigh common fashion Zika spreads.
• Protect yourself from toxoplasmosis. This is an infection acquired by a parasite that lives in soil. You lot can get infected past eating raw or undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables. You also tin can get information technology by touching cat poop. Information technology can cause problems, similar body aches, headache, fatigue (being really tired) or fever. If you lot're infected for the showtime fourth dimension during pregnancy or just earlier pregnancy, you can pass the infection to your infant. Toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects similar hearing loss. To reduce your risk of getting toxoplasmosis, set up food safely, habiliment gloves when you bear on soil, avoid contact with animal poop and have someone else change your cat'due south litter box.
• Protect yourself from cytomegalovirus (too chosen CMV). CMV is a common infection acquired by a virus. It spreads through body fluids like saliva and urine. If you're infected for the first time during pregnancy, you can laissez passer it to your baby. This increases the chances of your babe having birth defects similar microcephaly and hearing loss. To reduce your take chances of CMV infection, launder your easily frequently, wear gloves when changing diapers and don't share food and utensils with babies and young children.

How do you know if your baby has a nascency defect?

A birth defect may be found earlier birth or any fourth dimension subsequently birth. Most birth defects are diagnosed during the first twelvemonth of your baby's life, simply some may non be found until later on in life. Some birth defects, like clubfoot, are like shooting fish in a barrel to see. Others, like hearing loss, are found using special tests.

Checking for birth defects during pregnancy

Y'all may accept prenatal tests (medical tests you get during pregnancy) to check your baby for birth defects. These may include screening tests and diagnostic tests. A screening test is a medical test to run across if yous're at risk or if your babe is at adventure for certain health conditions, like nascency defects. A diagnostic test is a medical test to see if you exercise or don't have a certain wellness condition. If a screening test shows your baby is at high risk for a birth defect, your provider may recommend a diagnostic test to confirm the results.

Tests to screen for nascency defects include blood tests and ultrasound. Ultrasound uses audio waves and a computer screen to prove a picture of your babe within the womb. Tests used to diagnose birth defects may include amniocentesis (besides chosen amnio). This test takes some amniotic fluid from around your baby in the uterus (womb) to check for birth defects and genetic atmospheric condition in your baby. You lot can get this test at xv to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Your provider may recommend other tests if there are any signs your baby may have a nativity defect. For instance, a fetal echocardiogram (as well called fetal echo) checks your baby'due south eye and sometimes can discover congenital heart defects. This examination uses ultrasound to make a picture show of your baby'due south centre while still womb.

Learn more most prenatal tests that check for nascence defects in babies.

Checking for nativity defects after birth

Some nascency defects, like clubfoot, cleft lip, cleft palate or microcephaly, can exist seen when a babe is born and diagnosed with a physical exam.

Your infant's provider uses newborn screening tests to check for serious but rare and by and large treatable wellness conditions at birth. These weather include nascence defects, like critical CHDs. Newborn screening tests include claret, hearing and heart screening. All babies in the United States get newborn screening. Your babe gets these tests before she leaves the hospital after nascence, when she's ane to 2 days old. If your baby isn't born in a infirmary, talk to her provider about getting newborn screening at 1 to 2 days of age. Some states require that babies accept newborn screening again at about 2 weeks of age.

There are three parts to newborn screening:

1. Claret test. Most newborn screening is done with a blood test. A health care provider pricks your baby's heel to go a few drops of claret. He collects the blood on a special paper and sends information technology to a lab for testing. This test looks for genetic conditions.
2. Hearing screening. This test checks for hearing loss. For this exam, a health care provider places tiny earphones in your baby's ears and uses special computers to check how he responds to sound.
3. Heart screening. Babies are checked for critical CHDs using a test chosen pulse oximetry. It checks the amount of oxygen in your baby's blood by using a pulse oximeter machine and sensors placed on your baby's skin. Low levels of oxygen can exist a sign of a heart defect. Pulse oximetry tin can find many but not all critical CHDs. Your baby's provider also may find a heart defect past doing a physical exam.

Most newborn screening results are normal. If your baby'south screening results aren't normal, it may simply mean he needs more testing. Your baby'due south provider and so recommends another kind of test, chosen a diagnostic examination, to see if there is a health trouble. If the diagnostic exam results are normal, no more testing is needed. If the diagnostic test results are not normal, your provider can guide you lot about next steps for your baby.

If a health condition is found early with newborn screening, it often can be treated. Early treatment is important, because information technology may aid prevent more serious health problems for your baby.

How can birth defects affect your baby'due south health and development?

Some birth defects are mild and can be treated without causing lasting problems for your baby. Other birth defects can cause serious issues or fifty-fifty death, depending on what torso part is involved and how much it is affected. Nascence defects can cause physical bug, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or both. Intellectual and developmental disabilities are problems with how the brain works that can crusade a person to have trouble or delays in concrete evolution, learning, communicating, taking intendance of himself or getting forth with others.

Babies with birth defects oftentimes need special medical intendance and treatments, similar medicines or surgery. Sometimes babies need assistive devices, like a hearing assistance for hearing loss. Babies with birth defects too may demand special therapies, like voice communication therapy.

Early on treatment for birth defects is important to prevent more serious health issues. If your baby has a birth defect, she may need a team of providers who work together to requite her the best accommodating care.

What health care providers treat birth defects?

Your infant's medical care and the team of health care providers involved depend on your infant's birth defect and her overall wellness. Your babe's providers work together to make certain she gets the medical checkups and handling she needs. Depending on your infant'southward status, she may need long-term treatment. Your baby'southward teams of health care providers may include:

Providers who atomic number 82 a infant'southward medical care team

• Pediatrician. This md has training to have intendance of babies and children.
• Family unit exercise doctor (also called a family unit physician). This doctor takes care of every member of the family. A family practice physician tin be your health care provider earlier, during and later on pregnancy, and your baby'southward provider, also.
• Neonatologist. This doc takes care of sick newborns, including premature babies (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy) and babies with nativity defects.
• Pediatric nurse practitioner (also called PNP). This registered nurse has avant-garde training to take care of babies and children.
• Family nurse practitioner (also called FNP). This registered nurse has advanced preparation to take care of every member of your family.

Providers who treat digestion and feeding conditions

• Gastroenterologist. This dr. treats digestion and feeding issues. Digestion is the process of how your baby's body breaks downwardly food after she eats.
• Lactation consultant. This person is trained to assistance women breastfeed, even women who have breastfeeding problems.
• Nutritionist. This person can help make sure your babe gets all the nutrients she needs for healthy growth and evolution.

Providers who treat eye, ear, nose and pharynx conditions

• Audiologist. This provider has grooming to treat hearing bug and hearing loss.
• Ophthalmologist. This doctor treats heart and vision problems.
• Otolaryngologist (likewise chosen an ear, olfactory organ and throat specialist or ENT). This dr. treats problems of the ears, nose and pharynx, like hearing loss or feeding problems.

Providers who treat centre, claret vessel and lung atmospheric condition

• Cardiologist. This doctor treats weather of the centre and blood vessels, like heart defects.
• Pulmonologist. This doctor treats lung conditions, like asthma.

Providers who treat hormone, gland and urinary tract weather condition

• An endocrinologist. This physician treats gland or hormone problems, like diabetes or thyroid weather condition.
• A urologist. This doctor treats problems of the urinary tract (kidneys, bladder, ureters and urethra).

Providers who treat problems with the brain, nerves, spine, basic and joints

• Neurologist. This physician treats brain, spine and nerve problems.
• Orthopedist. This doctor treats os and joint problems.
• Physiatrist. This doctor treats health weather condition that affect the brain, nerves, bones and muscles. A physiatrist besides has special preparation in treating patients with disabilities.

Providers who treat developmental conditions

• Developmental pediatrician. This dr. has training in child development and taking care of children with special needs. If your baby has developmental delays, she may need to run across a developmental pediatrician. Developmental delays are when your child doesn't attain developmental milestones when expected. Milestones are skills or activities that about children can do at a certain age. Milestones include sitting, walking, talking, having social skills and having thinking skills.
• Occupational therapist. This provider is trained to help people learn to exercise everyday activities. For children, this may exist things like brushing teeth, getting dressed, putting on shoes or learning to employ a pencil. If your babe has feeding bug, she may need treatment from an occupational therapist.
• Physical therapist. This provider creates practice programs to assist build strength and help with movement. For example, if your child has clubfoot, physical therapy can help her acquire how to walk.
• Spoken language therapist. This provider helps people with voice communication and linguistic communication problems. A speech communication therapist also may help your baby if she has feeding problems.

Providers who help diagnose and treat birth defects caused by infections

• Infectious disease specialist. This medico diagnoses and treats infections that may crusade birth defects, similar Zika, toxoplasmosis, rubella and CMV.
• Clinical geneticist. This doctor tries to find out the causes of birth defects and other genetic atmospheric condition. For example, if your baby has microcephaly, a clinical geneticist may cheque to meet if information technology's caused by something other than Zika infection.

Providers who assist support families

• Mental health professional. This provider helps people with emotional or mental health problems, similar depression. A mental health professional can help people cope with the stress of caring for a baby with a nativity defect. Mental health providers include social workers, therapists, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
• Social worker. A social worker help people solve problems and make their lives ameliorate. Most hospitals take social workers who can help connect y'all with the resources y'all need to intendance for your babe.

More information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Last reviewed: June, 2019

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Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/birth-defects-and-your-baby.aspx