Babies with defects can be born by caesarean and surgeries are done to close off some of the defects. Dr Moses Walugembe of Mulago hospital says depending on the location and severity of the abnormality, babies usually suffer life-long irreversible disability like paralysis of the legs, inability to control urine or stool, intellectual disability, vision problems and seizures.

Many babies are born with defects because most people know that they are pregnant after one month when they miss their periods and if any problem has happened, it is too late to reverse it. Dr. Walugembe says it is important to plan for a pregnancy so that one can start taking foods rich in folic acid or tablets at least one month before pregnancy and during pregnancy.

Folic acid is quite a cheap vitamin but you might find that the mothers do not know that they need to feed on them. Folic acid is a vitamin abundant in green vegetables. It is also found in liver and fruits. Many women do take these vital vitamins during pregnancy, but it may not be of great help if these foods were not taken within the first 28 days of pregnancy.

Dr. Walugembe advises pregnant mothers to have three dimensional scans which can clearly show how a foetus looks…this  can help doctors to advise lovers because sometimes the foetus is severely deformed and the babies may not be able to survive.

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