Anencephaly
by jmmillerAnencephaly is a tragic and shocking disease for any parent to have to come to terms with. Because of the nature of the condition, babies born with it will not survive.
Anencephaly is a neural tube defect. The neural tube fails to close properly early in pregnancy, leading to a lack of normal brain development. A major part of the brain may be missing; in the most severe cases, the brain may be completely absent.
This condition is extremely rare in babies that are carried to full term. In 99% of cases, fetuses with this birth defect are naturally miscarried. Our bodies may recognize that this is a life that cannot be supported.
It is not possible to treat this condition. All of the systems needed to sustain life are damaged or negatively affected. Unfortunately, all that can be done for a baby born with anencephaly in to keep them comfortable.
Parents who deliver a baby with this condition should attend grief counseling to help them deal with their loss. We so often need answers in a situation like this but unfortunately little is known about why anencephaly strikes some fetuses.
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September 20th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
I think you have your facts wrong, 99% of babies with anencepahly are not miscarried.Some babies do die in-utero & are stillborn,but that can happen in any pregnnacy. Those that are not induced early usually make it to term & sometimes go past term. My son was born at 40 weeks with anencephaly & lived over 33 hours.
December 29th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
im pregnant with twins and discovered one of my twins has this condition ive decided to carry on with the pregnancy for the healthy babies sake. im at a loss really i cant understand whats caused it