The health of the baby is the biggest wish of expectant parents. No parent wants their child to come into this world with a birth defect. So, how to prevent birth defects?
Brain development in the first three months! We\’ve all been warned of this. Interestingly, it is said that more than half of pregnancies are unplanned. So, those new mothers who suddenly knew that their little life had taken root in their wombs panicked: What should they do?
The fertilized egg cell continues to divide and grow. Although the fetus does not reach the size of a mung bean until the end of the first trimester, all of the fetus\’s major body structures have already begun to form. Some of the fetus\’s major organs, such as the brain, eyes, spine, liver, arms, etc., and legs have begun to develop. For example, the development of the brain begins in the 4th week and goes through a series of complex changes to form the cerebrum, cerebellum and ventricles.
Early pregnancy is most susceptible to interference from internal and external factors, leading to abnormal organ morphology. So new mothers really need to pay special attention to these three months and know what they should and should not do.
Things mothers should do:
1. Pay attention to pregnancy and seek medical treatment in time.
Signs of pregnancy vary from person to person, and initial reactions are mild, non-specific and often overlooked. Therefore, it is particularly important to pay attention to the date of menstruation. After having sex with poor contraceptive measures and irregular menstruation, you should be highly alert to the possibility of pregnancy. Confirm your pregnancy as early as possible to give yourself as much time as possible to decide what to do with your new life. Because the earlier a pregnancy is terminated, the less physical and mental harm a woman will suffer. The earlier pregnancy care begins, the less risk the mother has of inadvertently harming her fetus. Especially the first three months, you must take it seriously. Once pregnancy is confirmed, you should immediately go to the hospital to apply for a perinatal health card, enter the local perinatal health network, conduct systematic prenatal examinations, and attend lectures for pregnant women. Expectant mothers and family members should also actively cooperate with doctors to understand the pregnancy process and related medical history.
2. Quit smoking and drinking.
Tobacco contains hundreds of toxic substances and is the incarnation of the mother-child devil. Pregnant women who inhale smoke directly or indirectly can cause miscarriage, premature birth, fetal dysplasia and various malformations. Developmentally sensitive embryos are very sensitive to alcohol, and heavy drinking by the mother greatly increases the risk of fetal development delays and malformations.
3. Reasonable diet and work rest.
The discomfort of early pregnancy, especially vomiting, makes new mothers worry that the fetus will be malnourished. In fact, there is no need to be overly nervous. This little embryo doesn\’t need a lot of nutrients. As long as he/she insists on eating and nutrient reserves in the body, his/her small requirements can be fully met. Reasonably adjust your diet to suit the physiological characteristics at this time, such as eating smaller meals more frequently and choosing high-quality, easily digestible foods. The appearance of a little life brought many physical changes to the mother. Pregnant women often feel tired and especially need rest. If you can add a nap every day, it is particularly beneficial to restore your physical strength.
The last thing a mother should dothing:
1. Take a sip, drink, and wish you good luck.
I don’t know if people don’t know, but God knows, the earth knows, and you know the baby knows. Don\’t give yourself the chance to regret it for the rest of your life.
2. Take anti-fetal drugs indiscriminately.
Every abnormal performance of the body worries the mother who is eager to have a child. However, pregnant women need to be careful when using medicines. Taking miscarriage medicines indiscriminately is tantamount to killing people.
3. Living with pets.
It is best for pregnant women to stay away from pets such as cats and dogs, and not to keep pets at home. Although pets are family friends, there may be various parasites in the animal\’s fur and feces, such as Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect the fetus through the placenta, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation and fetal malformation. Common symptoms include hydrocephalus, anencephaly, microphthalmia, etc.
Special reminder: Among various neonatal malformations, the most common malformation is neural tube malformation.
Differentiation of the nervous system begins in the third week of embryonic life. Normally, the neural tube should be completely closed by the end of the fourth week of embryonic development. If the induction effect of the notochord is lost or affected by environmental teratogens, the neural groove cannot close properly into the neural tube, resulting in neural tube defects.
A growing number of studies have found that malnourished pregnant women, especially those with insufficient folic acid intake, are at increased risk of giving birth to babies with neural tube defects. Maternity and obstetrics clinics in many cities now recommend that pregnant women take folic acid tablets every day, especially those who are picky eaters and have severe early pregnancy reactions. Fresh vegetables are rich in folic acid, especially when eaten raw, with less nutrient loss.
Which pregnant women are prone to congenital malformations
Fetal health is every pregnant mother\’s biggest wish. But sometimes, some bad habits of pregnant mothers can also cause fetal malformations. Next, let’s take a look at which pregnant mothers are more likely to give birth to deformed babies.
There are two main causes of fetal malformations: one is genetic defects leading to fetal malformations, which are most likely to occur in people who marry close relatives or have family genetic diseases; the other is non-hereditary genetic defects leading to fetal malformations. It is often caused by pregnant women ignoring teratogenic factors during pregnancy.
So, there are mainly 7 types of pregnant women:
1. Pregnant women with viral infection in early pregnancy
2. Pregnant women who have been exposed to toxic substances or radiation
3. Pregnant women who have used bad drugs: It is no exaggeration to say that any drug has side effects. So pregnant women should abide by this principle: use as little medication as possible, and preferably no medication? Any medication must be taken under the guidance of a doctor.
4. Pregnant women who keep cats at home: Cats are the source of infection of toxoplasmosis. Babies born to pregnant women infected with the disease may suffer from congenital blindness, hydrocephalus, etc.
5. Pregnant women who often wear heavy makeup:Cosmetics contain toxic substances such as lead and mercury. After these substances are absorbed by the skin of pregnant women, they can enter the blood circulation through the blood-fetal barrier, thereby affecting fetal development.
6. Pregnant women who are often in a bad mood: People\’s mood changes are related to the amount of adrenal cortex hormones. When pregnant women experience negative emotions such as anxiety, anxiety, irritability, fear, etc., adrenocortical hormones may hinder the integration of certain tissues of the embryo, resulting in cleft lip or palate in the fetus.
7. Pregnant women with a history of taking hot baths in early pregnancy: Some pregnant women often take hot baths or steam baths in early pregnancy. Excessive temperature and stuffy bathroom air can easily affect the development of the fetal brain and spinal cord.
How to perform prenatal diagnosis
Prenatal diagnosis can effectively intervene in the birth of malformed babies, but pregnant women’s awareness of prenatal diagnosis needs to be strengthened. From the perspective of eugenics and postnatal care, pregnant mothers should promptly understand the status of their fetuses through prenatal diagnosis.
The condition of the fetus will be used to determine whether to continue to retain the fetus.
Which prenatal diagnosis method is suitable for you?
Prenatal diagnosis, also known as intrauterine diagnosis, refers to the use of various methods to predict whether the fetus has congenital diseases and whether the fetus is developing normally before birth, so as to provide scientific basis for whether the pregnancy can continue.
From the initial X-ray, B-ultrasound and other examinations, to indirect screening of fetal congenital diseases by detecting maternal blood and urine, to directly obtaining fetal blood, amniotic fluid or fetal tissue to diagnose fetal diseases , prenatal diagnosis methods are being continuously improved.
Prenatal diagnosis should be done by every pregnant woman, but not all pregnant women need to undergo umbilical vein blood puncture, a very accurate prenatal diagnosis. Maternal blood can be drawn before 20 weeks of pregnancy to screen the fetus for the risk of chromosomal abnormalities; amniotic fluid can be drawn before 24 weeks of pregnancy, and B-ultrasound can be used to check whether the fetus has structural defects around 24 weeks; umbilical vein can be drawn after 24 weeks Blood tests for chromosomal abnormalities. Among them, the accuracy of umbilical vein blood puncture examination is as high as 99%.