318 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
MENTALLY SLOW, DEAF, OR DEFORMED CHILDREN
Sometimes parents will have a child who is born deaf, mentally slow (retarded), or
with birth defects (something wrong with part of his body). Often no reason can be
found. No one should be blamed. Often it just seems to happen by chance.
However, certain things greatly increase the chance of birth defects. A baby is less
likely to have something wrong if parents take certain precautions.
1. Lack of nutritious food during pregnancy can cause mental slowness or birth
defects in babies.
To have healthy babies, pregnant women must eat enough nutritious food
(see p. 110).
2. Lack of iodine in a pregnant woman’s diet can cause
hypothyroidism (cretinism) in her baby. The baby’s face is puffy, and
he looks dull. His skin and eyes may remain yellow (jaundiced) for a
long time after he is born. His tongue hangs out, and his forehead may
be hairy. He is weak, feeds poorly, cries little, and sleeps a lot. He is
mentally slow, may be deaf, and usually has an umbilical hernia. He will
begin to walk and talk later than normal babies.
To help prevent hypothyroidism, pregnant women should use
iodized salt instead of ordinary salt (see p. 130).
If you suspect your baby may have hypothyroidism, take him to a
health worker or doctor at once. The sooner he gets special medicine
(thyroid) the more normal he will be.
3. Smoking or drinking of alcoholic drinks during pregnancy
causes babies to be born small or to have other problems (see
p. 149). Do not drink or smoke—especially during pregnancy.
hypothyroidism
4. After age 35, there is more chance that a mother will have a child with defects.
Mongolism or Down disease, which looks somewhat like hypothyroidism, is more likely
to occur in babies of older mothers.
It is wise to plan your family so as to have no more children after age 35
(see Chapter 20).
5. Many medicines can harm the baby developing inside a pregnant mother. Use
as little medicine as possible during pregnancy—and only those known to be safe.
6. When parents are blood relatives (cousins, for instance), there is a higher
chance that their children will have birth defects or mental slowness. Cross-eyes, extra
fingers or toes, club feet, hare lip, and cleft palate are common defects.
To lower the chance of these and other problems, do not marry a close relative. And
if you have more than one child with a birth defect, consider not having more children
(see Family Planning, Chapter 20).