What Parents Should Know After Their Newborn Baby is Diagnosed With Birth Defects

According to Dr. Ahmet Alexander Baschat, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, if you are thinking of becoming pregnant or are currently expecting, it's important to consider and understand the risk of birth defects or otherwise known as congenital disabilities.

Birth defects cannot always be prevented; hence there are many ways of prenatal care to protect the unborn baby. Treatments are now available to unborn babies diagnosed with a congenital disability or in a fetal condition. Such treatment is revolutionized that will help the infant to survive after birth. Defects are visibly abnormal, internally abnormal, or chemically abnormal about your newborn baby's body. It might be caused by genetics, infection, radiation, or drug exposure, or there might be no known reason. It can normally be caused by genetics, infection, or drug exposure, or there might be known reasons.

Examples of birth defects include phenylketonuria, sickle cell anemia, and Down syndrome, per Hopkins Medicine.

Coping with emotions after knowing a newborn baby has birth defects

Birth defects affect one out of every 33 babies in the U.S. Between 2- and 3 percent of infants have one or more defects at birth. That number increases to 5 percent by age one, as not all defects are discovered directly after a child's birth. The human body cell contains 46 chromosomes, and each contains thousands of genes. Each gene has a blueprint that controls the development or function of a certain body part. Usually, people with too many or too few chromosomes receive a scrambled message regarding anatomic development and function.

Parents might feel shocked, in denial, grief, and even in danger, but you should accept and talk about these feelings with your spouse/partner and other family members. You might also consider talking to a social worker, counselor, or psychologist.

Some 120,000 babies in the United States are affected by birth defects each year as a baby is born with congenital disabilities every 4 ½ minutes, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read Also: Rare Genetic Disorder Angelman Syndrome; Researchers Say it Can be Pass Through Defective Genes

Treating your child as a normal one

Parents must still enjoy the time with their baby by cuddling and playing, watching for developmental milestones, and sharing joy with family members and friends. Sometimes, parents blame themselves for what happened to their child and overthink a lot about things they should have done to avoid having birth defects. But the parents must try not to blame themselves for something they did not cause, and the best thing they can do for the baby is to focus on extra and special care.

Understanding the child's condition can help you get them the best care possible; thus, seek help from the doctor and care team regarding any questions. Talking with someone knowledgeable enough can be a big help. Consider joining a support group. You can look online or ask your healthcare provider or a social worker about local groups, per Kids Health.

Congenital heart defects are usually the most common birth defect in the United States, affecting almost 1 percent or about 40,000 births annually.

Parents must remember that children born with birth defects must be treated the same as normal ones.

Related Article: Babies of First Cousin Couples at Higher Risks of Birth Defects: Study