If my first child has spina bifida, how do I prevent it in my next baby?

In order to better your chances of preventing spina bifida in a second child, make sure to take your prenatal vitamin and 4 mg of folic acid everyday. Do this from the time you start considering trying to conceive.  While most pregnant women will only need to take .8 to 1mg of folic acid, you are at higher risk and should take 4mg. Once pregnant, your obstetrician will decide when and if to decrease the folic acid.

Women who had one pregnancy affected by a birth defect of the brain or spine might have another. Talk to your doctor about taking 4,000 micrograms (4 milligrams) of folic acid each day at least 1 month before getting pregnant and during the first few months of being pregnant. This is ten times the amount most people take. Your doctor will give you a prescription. You should not take more than one multivitamin each day. Taking more than one each day over time could be harmful to you and your baby.


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