Folic acid. You know, the thing you are supposed to take when you are trying to become pregnant so prevent some horrible birth defect.
That is what used to come to mind when I heard about folic acid. And the new campaign by the SBHAO (our organisations) help to educate the public with their educational posters.
"Every healthy baby is a victory.... 1 in 1300 babies are born with a neural tube defect" Is the Ontario slogan.
That slogan makes me a little sick to my stomach. In fact it makes me down right nauseous when I know that it comes from my own organisation. You know the one who is supposed to show what spina bifida looks like, the organization that is supposed to support the parents and educate the public. The organization that I work so hard fundraising for with calender sales and the SWWR walk.
Jill has already discussed it. But if every child is a victory - except of course my child. My glaringly 1 child, in 1300 victorious children!
That is what used to come to mind when I heard about folic acid. And the new campaign by the SBHAO (our organisations) help to educate the public with their educational posters.
"Every healthy baby is a victory.... 1 in 1300 babies are born with a neural tube defect" Is the Ontario slogan.
Jill has already discussed it. But if every child is a victory - except of course my child. My glaringly 1 child, in 1300 victorious children!
Other folic acid ads are the same. Take this or suffer the consequences!!
Except of course for those of us taking folic acid when we got pregnant (Misty touched on this). Lots of us moms (lots and lots) took folic acid and our kids still had spina bifida. So wait a second? Folic acid doesn't make us victorious? Folic acid isn't the end all, cure all?
Folic acid is part of the picture. But so is environment, so is genetics, so is other unknown aspects of our lives. And sometimes it is just part of the plan. I am not against folic acid, I know how important it is, and I make sure that all of my child bearing family know to take the super dose of folic acid - my sister, Kyle's sister in law, and my brothers fiance. And of course myself.
I have been really lucky that I haven't heard the "didn't you take folic acid" question. Never.
I was very vocal that I was still breastfeeding and taking prenatals when Nick was conceived. And continued them when we got our positive test (at 4 weeks). So at that 8 week mark (you know the one) I was fully folic acid-ed up!
In fact, when I was first telling people spina bifida, I explained it by saying "you know the thing that folic acid is supposed to prevent? It doesn't always, and that is what Nick will be born with"
Folic acid is like sunscreen, like condoms, like seat belts. Yes it helps to prevent, but not all the time. So when you hear that someone got cancer or pregnant or hurt in an accident do you automatically think they were to blame?! Or that they were not doing everything they could do for their own health?
Because 1 in 1300 is still 99.923077 percent effective.
Are condoms that effective? Birth control? Can you think of something that is more than 99.9% effective?!
Folic acid is quite effective, the rates have decreased over the years (from 1 in 1000). But spina bifida and other neural tube defects (when something happens during that pivotal 8 weeks mark of the developing spine and brain 'neural tube') are generally an unknown cause. Something about genetics and environment, diet and unknown factors.
This year's folic acid slogan reminds me of the advertising head thump that occurred this week with the Toronto Argo's (football). "Home is where the heart is, it is also where we hurt people". Oops!
So that is my little spiel about folic acid. And maybe a plea to the SBHAO to rethink their slogans about folic acid, with a little more tact to parents who know that they were apparently left grievously wounded on the field of battle. While 1300 other children stand victorious.
