Make a PACT for Prevention
Commit to Healthy choices to prevent birth defects
Plan ahead ,avoid harmful substances ,choose a healthy lifestyle ,talk with your health provider (PACT)
folic acid is a b vitamin which if taken at least one moth before and during the pregnancy it will protect against or can help against any major birth defects of the development brain and spine.
Avoid alcohol,smoking,and street drugs
alcohol can enter the blood stream that goes to the baby which while it is developing the alcohol will harm the brain cells while they are forming and which will give the child brain problems.
smoking will give the mother a premature birth in which the baby might die or could also cause cleft lip or cleft palate which is dangerous for the mother and the fetus.
if the mother does street drugs or other things like that it could also be born prematurely ,low birth weight , or other health problems such as birth defects.
keep diabetes under control and strive to maintain a healthy weight
while getting a healthy lifestyle the woman should get and be able to control their diabetes (if its present ) with food and medicines if not it might cause problems at the time of birth for the woman and the fetus that while complicate things for the both of them and will cause the death of one of them.Then one of the others if the mother is obese it might have some difficulties which will cause the mother to be uncomfortable.
talk to health provider about taking any medications and vaccinations
we now know that most or some of the medications taken can give or are factors in the process of birth defects and some of the vaccinations like the flu are safe but others can actually prevent the birth defects from coming to fruition which can protect the fetus.