Ask your doctor or a social worker if other parents in the area have children with the same condition. Talking with someone who's been through the same thing can help. Your doctor probably can recommend a social worker or psychologist. You also might consider seeing a counselor. Accept those feelings, and talk about them with your spouse/partner and other family members. You might feel shock, denial, grief, and even anger.
Steps to TakeĪs the parent of a child with a birth defect, it's important for you to:Īcknowledge your emotions. Some defects are inherited (passed on to a baby by his/her parents), while others have environmental causes. Defects can be structural (like a cleft lip/palate, spina bifida, or a heart defect ) or functional/developmental (like Down syndrome, deafness, or a metabolic disorder like phenylketonuria). There are many different types of birth defects, and they can range from mild to severe. What Are Birth Defects?īirth defects (also called congenital anomalies) are problems present at birth. It's important to know that many people and resources are available to help you and your child. But you're not alone - about 120,000 babies are born in the United States each year with birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If your child has a birth defect, you might be feeling overwhelmed and unprepared.
