Conceiving a Child After Having a Child with Spina Bifida

I don't have personal experience to share with you, but a resource. I know a woman with a child with spina bifida also a believer - you can check out their website www.ahomeforselah.com and read her story, connect with her - nothing but encouragement! God Bless!

1 mom found this helpful

We don't have a child with a defect so I can only imagine what your going through. I do know that God only gives you what you can handle. We have three sons. Each time I became pregnant we hoped for a girl. God had different plans for us. We will get our daughter in the form of our sons wives. Maybe God has Grand daughters in our plan. We will have to wait and see. Just pray on it and listen for Gods plan. Good Luck!

Hi D. I know my situation is not the exactly the same but, my son was born deaf and autistic. It took a toll on me greatly and I was scared it has taken many years to want to try again. My son is now 10 and I have been trying for about 2 years now. The only advise I can give is give it some time its perfectly natural to feel the way you do. You have 3 beautiful girls at home enjoy them and give them the attention they need and in due time if its right for you to have that boy you will know it. I think if you were to have another baby now as a good mom you would feel guilty not giving the attention to your 2 yr old needs. Hope this helped take care.

Hi D.,
When I was in my 30s I found out I was born with Spina Bifida Occulta. I have an extra vertabrae/disk that didn't form completely. One of my children, #5, just found out (at 28) he has the same thing. His son was born with Spina Bifida, where there was a hole in his back, and his spine was attached to his tail bone, but after correcting that, he has grown up fine (he is 4 1/2 now, and very, very lively!). They have tried for other children, but it hasn't happened; now it won't, as they are getting a divorce, dad seeking custody. A good prenatal vitamin with folic acid can be ordered through Melaleuca. If you know someone who deals with them, order some. If not, my daughter can help you.
As others have told you, don't worry about things, trust in God, get your folic acid, and pray for that boy!
I always worried with each pregnancy...was I going to lose this one? Was this one going to be breech like #3? Was I going to have another that weighed over 10 pounds like #5? Worry doesn't help anything.
God Bless
Jan in Salem MO

My sister had one normal child, one with spina bifida, and SEVEN more normal children. The odds don't seem to be that high. Now, a cousin had club foot, that seems to be related to spina bifida, but other than that, the odds seem to be really low, since the family is a large family that had several large families, and there is only one child that had spina bifida. It was closed spine, so I don't know if that makes a difference. But, they can do surgery in utero now, to make a better life for the child, but since the chances are pretty slim you will have another child like your first, I don't think you'd have any issues with that. So, please be encouraged. HTH

Hi D.. I don't have a child with spina bifida, but my cousin who is my exact same age does...she had Taylor when we were 15 years old and Taylor was born with spina bifida. My cousin didn't have any more children until four years ago when she had another daughter, Olivia. Olivia does not have spina bifida, she has no physical or mental challenges at all. Taylor and Olivia do have different fathers though, so that could make a difference?? Not sure. But I wanted to let you know that it is possible to have a healthy child even after a child born with spina bifida. Hope this helps....

I am a adult born with spina bifida, I am a believer also... I think that if you and your husband want to try for another baby then you need to go for it. God will take care of you and your baby!

My best friend has spina bifida and has a younger brother that does not. I would say follow your doctors orders. If you are trying now to concieve start taking the Folic Acid now and Prenatal pills. These will give you added benefits when you do concieve. Don't be scared. That is just what satan wants. Keep positive and know that God is watching out for you. And you will have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child. God Bless.

Neither of my children have spina bifida, but it is a concern for me with our baby on the way because I was born with it, and also have scoliosis. I was the firstborn of 4 kids and the others were all perfectly healthy, and this was in the days before they knew about prenatal vitamins and folic acid and stuff (according to my mom). So maybe that can be an encouragement. I've always felt in the case of my family that God knows how much we can handle and as a believer you already know you can rely on His strength and the support of family and other believers. I know that's what helped my parents get through.

Dear D..

I want to encourage you, not from personal experience (except for an aunt who was born with spina bifida), but from dear friends of ours who have five children.

Their first, a daughter, has spina bifida. They had four more, all boys, and they are all healthy, smart, rambunctious and wonderful sons who are now grown and having their own families (all healthy children).

As for trying for "that boy". We have other friends who had five boys, and then decided that our daughter would have to be "their girl". Other friends had eight girls. :)

Blessings to you as you trust the Lord.

____@____.com

contact this person, PAT, she is with the Spina Bifada association of St Louis, She can give you all sorts of information,,
tell her K. with the corvette club gave her name to you.

I personally have no experiences in this but I'am a firm beliver on prenantal vitamins and prenatal care.I know when I have asked about these tests you go through during preganancy what the chances are I was told it was rare that I would have this happen no history not over 34 yrs of age which it increases your chances of a defect and good prenantal care along with vitamins.So my question is have you been told anything about your age and to start early on Folic Acid.I would setup a preconception visit with your OBGYN and get started on prenantal vitamins before you conceive.I hope you get that BOY!!!

None of my children were born with spina bifida, but we do have family friends who had one child born with it. They have a son that is in his mid-twenties, then they had a daughter that was a couple of years younger that was born with spina bifida. They waited a while before having any more children. But then they have had four more children, all born healthy now ranging in ages from 16 down to 6. I know that they did a lot to get plenty of folic acid. Like my dad works with the dad in this family and he would say that he always knew when they were getting ready to try and conceive because the dad was always eating oranges on their lunch break every day for months trying to get as much folic acid as they could, both of the parents did. Good luck to you!

I did some research for you, if found the following:

The risk of having a baby with spina bifida is 2-3 percent. It is well established that taking folic acid prior to pregnancy as well as in the first trimester will decrease spina bifida in the general population by 70 percent. Patients who are at increased risk, such as yourself, should take a total of 4.0 mg of folic acid in the form of a prenatal vitamin and 3 additional 1 mg tablets of folic acid. This would decrease the chance a great deal. A detailed sonography and maternal blood tests for AFP can usually diagnose this by 16 weeks of pregnancy.