Birth Defects

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  Birth Defects Kristen DiPaolo | CWK Network
 
 
“The children
who understand that it is going to be corrected, and that the best
possible correction will be obtained if they wait a little longer
are a lot more accepting of waiting.”

– Dr. Ann Schwentker, MD, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
  Related Information What Parents Need To Know Resources

9-year-old Blanda was
born with a deformed ear. Shortly afterwards, her parents in Haiti
abandoned her.

Christina Porter of Childspring International, a non-profit group
that brought Blanda to the United States for surgery explains, “It’s
a sign of evil that may come to you, that you have done something
wrong as a parent, and you are being punished by having this child.”

Doctors say many parents fear their child’s birth defect
is their fault. Most of the time, it’s not. Dr. Ann Schwentker,
a corrective surgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
says, “One of the things that we try to address very early
on when the children come to us is that there really isn’t
anything you could have done to prevent this.”

Dr. Schwentker says it’s important for parents get past
any feelings of guilt. “It’s one step in the process
of the acceptance and the celebration of their child as a unique
human being and a beautiful human being,” she says. “Understand
that this is just the way the child is, and move on from there.”

To move on, she says, means to fix the problem. Come up with
a plan…and let the child know when their appearance
will improve. Dr. Schwentker says, “The children who understand
that it is going to be corrected, and that the best possible correction
will be obtained if they wait a little longer are a lot more accepting
of waiting.”

Blanda had to wait until she was eight for Dr. Schwentker to
use cartilage from her ribs to carve a new ear. “It requires
an awful lot of rib cartilage to carve that,” says Dr. Schwentker. “The
children just have to be a certain size before they have that amount
of rib cartilage to spare.”

Blanda will now return to a school for disabled kids in Haiti, but
she will be a different child. Christina says, “Without question,
she’s going to be walking around…showing off (her ear)
to anybody and everybody.”

By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

Birth defects c an take many forms. Consider the following facts collected
by experts at NetDoctor:

  • Defects of limbs, the heart and the spinal cord represent about
    half of all abnormalities.
  • The most common kinds of birth defects are those affecting the
    limbs. These include missing or extra fingers or toes, deficiencies
    in limb length, and abnormalities in positioning.
  • Heart abnormalities represent the next most common category
    of defect. Common heart defects include “holes in the heart” where
    blood can pass from one side of the heart to the other. Again,
    these may not all be detected at birth.
  • The third most common kind of defect affects the spinal cord,
    such as spina bifida.
  • Other defects commonly observed include those affecting the
    face (such as cleft lip and palate), problems with the development
    of the intestines and stomach, and problems affecting the sexual
    organs.
  • Major chromosomal problems such as Down’s syndrome (Trisomy
    21) are found in about 0.15 percent of births (about three babies
    in every 2000).
 
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.

There are a number of factors that may lead to birth defects,
but many of them remain unknown. In most cases, your baby’s birth defects
are completely unrelated to anything you did before or during pregnancy. Even
if that’s true, however, experts at the Maryland Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene say it is completely natural to experience feelings of shock,
guilt, remorse, fear, anger, frustration and sorrow. Some of these feelings
will go away quickly and others will linger for a while. It is important to
talk about your feelings, and to continue talking about them as these feelings
occur or reoccur.

According to Drs. James and Constance Messina, there are a number
of untrue and unfounded statements that may run through your head as
you struggle with your grief. These statements, while untrue, are very
common among people suffering from guilt. If you hear the following
statements in your thoughts, realize you are not alone, and tell yourself
these thoughts are incorrect:

  • I do not deserve to be happy.
  • I am responsible for my family’s (spouse’s) happiness.
  • There is only one “right” way to do things.
  • It’s bad to feel hurt and pain.
  • My children should never suffer in their childhood like I did
    in mine.
  • My kids should have more material things than I did.
  • It is my fault if others in my life are not happy.
  • If my kids fail in any way, it’s my responsibility.
  • It is wrong to be concerned about myself.
  • People are constantly judging me, and their judgment is important
    to me.
  • It is important to save face with others.
  • It is wrong to accept the negative aspects of my life without
    believing that I am responsible for them myself.
  • I am responsible if either positive or negative events happen
    to the members of my family.
  • I must not enjoy myself during a time when others expect me to
    be in mourning, grief or loss.
  • You must never let down your guard; something you’re doing could
    be evil or wrong.
  • I must always be responsible, conscientious and giving to others.
  • How others perceive me is important to how I perceive myself.
  • No matter what I do, I am always wrong.
  • I should never feel guilt.
  • If you feel guilt, then you must be or have been wrong.
 
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