Questionhi i have a question i want to ask.i have a boyfriend that have a mild case of cerebral palsy in his right arm and we thinking about having a baby.i want to know will that effect the baby from being healthy or if i take folic acid will that prevent birth defects?cause i want a healthy baby.thanks for taking the time out to answer my question.
AnswerOften CP is not genetic or hereditary.
Some cases are caused by injuries to the developing brain, such as a fetal stroke.
A small number of babies develop brain injuries in the first months or years of life that can result in cerebral palsy. These injuries may be caused by brain infection (such as meningitis) and head injuries. In many cases, the cause of cerebral palsy in a child is not known.
Certain risk factors make it more likely that a baby will develop cerebral palsy. However, most babies with one of these risk factors do not develop cerebral palsy. Risk factors for cerebral palsy include:
* Prematurity: Premature babies (those born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy) who weigh less than 3 1/3 pounds are between 20 and 80 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy than full-term babies. Many of these tiny babies suffer from bleeding in the brain, which can damage delicate brain tissue, or develop periventricular leukomalacia, destruction of nerves around the fluid-filled cavities (ventricles) in the brain.
* Infections during pregnancy: Certain infections in the mother can cause brain damage and result in cerebral palsy. Examples of these infections include rubella, cytomegalovirus (usually mild viral infection), herpes (viral infections that can cause genital sores), and toxoplasmosis (a usually mild parasitic infection). Maternal infections involving the placental membranes (chorioamnionitis) may contribute to cerebral palsy in full-term as well as premature babies. A 2003 study at the University of California at San Francisco found that full-term babies were 4 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy if they were exposed to chorioamnionitis in the womb.
* Insufficient oxygen reaching the fetus: This may occur when the placenta is not functioning properly or it tears away from the wall of the uterus before delivery.
* Asphyxia during labor and delivery: Until recently, it was widely believed that asphyxia (lack of oxygen) during a difficult delivery was the cause of most cases of cerebral palsy. Studies now show that birth complications, including asphyxia, contribute to only 5 to 10 percent of cases of cerebral palsy.
* Severe jaundice: Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, is caused by the build-up of a pigment called bilirubin in the blood. Mild cases of jaundice usually clear up without treatment and do not harm the baby. However, jaundice can occasionally become severe. Affected babies have high levels of bilirubin in the blood. Without treatment, high bilirubin levels can pose a risk of permanent brain damage, resulting in athetoid cerebral palsy. Certain blood diseases, such as Rh disease, can cause severe jaundice and brain damage, resulting in cerebral palsy. Rh disease is an incompatibility between the blood of the mother and her fetus. It usually can be prevented by giving an Rh-negative woman an injection of a blood product called Rh immune globulin around the 28th week of pregnancy and again after the birth of an Rh-positive baby.
* Blood clotting disorders (thrombophilias): These disorders in either mother or baby may increase the risk of cerebral palsy.
