Spina Bifida Awareness Month (1of31)

October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month

It also happens to be Down Syndrome Awareness month. I follow another families blog who have 2 amazing daughters who were born with Down Syndrome. She has challenged herself to blog 31 days to raise awareness about Trisome 21 and invited others to join in and blog for 31 days (doesn't have to be topic specific). I am going to take her challenge and try to blog each day for 31 days. If there is something you wish you knew about Spina Bifida or specifically about Emylie, please let me know and I would be happy to reply.

So WHAT is Spina Bifida?
Normally, during the first month of a pregnancy, the two sides of the spine (or backbone) join together to cover the spinal cord, spinal nerves and meninges (the tissues covering the spinal cord). Spina Bifida refers to any birth defect involving incomplete closure of the spine.
Myelomeningocele is a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. The condition is a type of Spina Bifida (this is the type Emylie has). A newborn may have a sac sticking out of the mid to lower back. The doctor cannot see through the sac when shining a light behind it.

Symptoms include:
•Loss of bladder or bowel control
•Partial or complete lack of sensation
•Partial or complete paralysis of the legs
•Weakness of the hips, legs, or feet of a newborn
Other symptoms may include:
•Abnormal feet or legs, such as clubfoot
•Build up of fluid inside the skull (hydrocephalus)
•Hair at the back part of the pelvis called the sacral area
•Dimpling of the sacral area

A question I had while I was pregnant - - how will she look?
Answer: A healthy little girl, with an opening in her back.