How to Avoid Cerebral Palsy Risk Factors

The exact root causes of cerebral palsy remain the subject of date. However, researchers have identified risk factors in the prenatal, childbirth and infancy phases that can lead to a significantly greater likelihood that a child will develop cerebral palsy. Premature birth may be the strongest single risk factor. Others include conditions in the course of the pregnancy, as well as incidents during childbirth and early childhood. Read on to learn how to avoid cerebral palsy risk factors.

Things You'll Need

• Clindamycin (optional)
• OB-GYN
• Progesterone treatments (optional)
• Fish oil supplements
• Yogurt (optional)
• Baby-proofing materials

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Instructions

Avoid Cerebral Palsy Risk Factors Associated With Problems in Pregnancy

• 1

  Protect your baby against low birth weight or premature birth by adhering to a healthy lifestyle throughout the pregnancy, including good nutrition, rest and moderate exercise and abstinence to alcohol, smoking and drug use. The chance of a baby developing cerebral palsy increases the lower the child's birth weight.

• 2

  Schedule a visit with your OB-GYN doctor early in your pregnancy to focus on what you can do to reduce the chances of a premature birth. Nearly half of all children who develop cerebral palsy were born prematurely.

• 3

  Take whatever precautionary actions are necessary to ensure that you are not exposed to such premature birth risk factors as carbon monoxide exposure, strep or other infections. You should also avoid working long hours while on your feet, sexually transmitted diseases and domestic abuse. Your OB-GYN doctor may recommend bed rest or another mandatory intervention if such risk factors are or have been present.

• 4

  Ask your OB-GYN doctor about the appropriateness of progesterone treatments, yogurt or Clindamycin treatments for high vaginal PH or fish oil supplements. Each of these approaches has been demonstrated to be somewhat effective in reducing the risk of premature birth.

• 5

  Consult with your OB-GYN doctor about whether you should be treated with medication to alleviate such premature birth risk factors as high blood pressure, urinary tract infection, anxiety or diabetes.

• 6

  Take extreme care to avoid infections that may release toxic cytokines to the fetal brain during pregnancy. Infections to the pregnant mother may triple a child's risk of developing cerebral palsy.

Avoid Cerebral Palsy Risk Factors Associated With Childbirth or Early Childhood

• 7

  Protect your baby from cerebral palsy risk factors that are present after birth. These include lead poisoning and other environmental toxins, severe jaundice, shaken baby syndrome and incidents that may cause asphyxia or hypoxia such as choking, near drowning and poisoning.

• 8

  Guard against physical injury to your child's brain and head by baby-proofing your home.