My man has spina bifida, and we are going to be trying to concieve.?

ive been taking prenatal vitamins, but should i be taking anything else? I dont ovulate, so i will have to take clomid when we start trying, like in 2 months.
Answer:
Hey Gracie!
I am 25 years old and living with Spina Bifida. I am also 6 mths Pregnant and all ultrasounds have said that my baby is healthy and does not have Spina Bifida. My husband does not have SB. I was told that if 1 parent has SB the chance of the baby having it is 1 in 100.HOWEVER...if you take folic acid before getting pregnant and for the first 12 weeks(ask your dr how much you should take...it may be more than normal doses) the risk drops to 1 in 1000.which is the same for pregnancies where neither parent have SB. I have just set up a yahoo group for people living with SB to share experiences and to get advice from others. It might be helpful for you to come check it out and get some ideas/advice from people. I would love to see you there and we can talk about lots of other issues you and your man may be facing (or may face in the future) http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/sbhelp...
I hope this helps you!

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I don't know what to tell you about concieving, I just wanted to tell you that you should not listen to Samantha or any one like her. Just because he has a problem doesn't mean he isn't as good or better than normal guys.My best friend has Spina Bifida and she is so great. She is the nicest, least judging person I ever met.

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You should talk to your doctor but I think the prenatal vitamins should be fine. As long as you are getting enough folate (also known as folic acid or folacin) in your diet, you should be fine. Folate helps protect against birth defects such as Spina Bifida because folate helps in cell replication. Just don't take more than 1,000 mg of folate because it can mask a possible vitamin B12 deficiency you may have. You probably don't have a deficiency but like any other vitamin, too much is not good. Anyway, you can get folate in foods such as green leafy vegetables, avocados, beans, oranges/orange juice, lentils, and some foods that are enriched with folate. Just read labels when you shop to see if they are enriched with folate. Oh, another tip- try to eat a lot of these foods fresh and uncooked because cooking them can destroy the folate.The bottom line is, just continue to take your vitamins and eat as healthy as possible so you get the proper nutrients you and your baby will need. That's the best you can do to prevent any birth defects.I forgot to mention- You don't need to eat any extra calories during your first trimester of pregnancy. For your second trimester, you can add an extra 100 calories to your diet (which is like a light snack) and for your third trimester, you should add 300 calories to your diet.If you have any other concerns, you can email me and i'll try to answer your question. Good luck with your pregnancy!

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Hi and congrats on the future little one! The only thing they say to take extra is folic acid. Your nervous system is formed within the first 28 days and that is when spina bifida and other spinal and nervous deformaties are made. Taking extra folic acid along with you prenatals will greatly reduce your chances of having a baby that also has spina bifida. I have spina bifida myself and now have one baby without any defects and one on the way that so far looks good (only 9 weeks along so its still a little early). Best of luck and blessed be to you and your husband in the next few months...

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