s/o Midline birth defects - am I to blame?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the sacral dimple is not spina bifida.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sacral-dimple/basics/definition/con-20025266

People are not perfect. We are born with all kinds of differences, from those sacral dimples to tongue ties. This is nature. i have weird ears that I have since learned is a "birth defect." Really? I had no idea growing up and it hasn't bothered me one bit. Glad I didn't know I had a birth defect.

This. You just made a HUGE leap from spina bifida to sacral dimple and tongue tie.

[Anonymous]

I can't figure out who is a bigger idiot. OP who thinks her child has birth defectS or the coworker.

I actually think the coworker is tired of OP discussing these "birth defects" and is messing with you.

Your child is fine. You? Get some help.

[Anonymous]

No one is making a leap. When you have a baby with a sacral dimple the doctors tell you it might be SB and to monitor. As for the link that says the dimple needs to be surrounded by hair or discolored skin, I wish it were that simple. My sons looks very bland- and both the ultra sound and MRI have confirmed it's SB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one is making a leap. When you have a baby with a sacral dimple the doctors tell you it might be SB and to monitor. As for the link that says the dimple needs to be surrounded by hair or discolored skin, I wish it were that simple. My sons looks very bland- and both the ultra sound and MRI have confirmed it's SB.

Yep. This is what the doctors told us about DS's sacral dimple. He doesn't have SB but we did watch it/him as instructed.

[Anonymous]

Many of you who have posted here are absolutely heartless. How could you possibly stomach writing some of the nasty things you have put in this thread? And to a worried new mother? Shame on you! Disgusting!

OP, I can relate to what you are going through. I have a child who was born early and with health problems and I was absolutely convinced it was my fault. Please, please, please try to be gentle with yourself. Here is the reality: while you cannot know with certainty one way or the other, there is a very, very, very small chance that anything you did or did not do changed the outcome. And, what you are dealing with very likely could end up being nothing. I had a tongue tie, as did my child. I never even thought of it as a defect; just something some people have.

You are going to have to pace yourself and realize you won't get answers right away, so in the meantime, do what you CAN do - love your baby, be the best mom you can be, and enjoy this experience. These early days with your baby are precious, so do everything you can to savor them. Don't waste them with useless worry.

Thinking of you, OP. Take care.

[Anonymous]

According to the Mayo clinic a sacral dimple has no known causes. I think you can breathe easy now.

My kid's disability also has no known causes. I know I would agonize over it if it did. Not knowing of a cause is one of the little things I am thankful for.

Known cause or not, PP is right it does no good to dwell on it.

Hugs.

[Anonymous]

OP, of course it's not your fault! I am pretty sure my mother didn't take any prenatals back in the 1970s and I do not have it - SB is fairly rare and has always been fairly rare even though prenatal vitamins are a relatively new thing. If your crazy coworker was right, everyone over a certain age would have SB because prenatals haven't been invented when they were in utero!

There is nothing you can do to prevent a genetic condition that appears before you even know you are pregnant. Ignore your trouble-making coworker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, of course it's not your fault! I am pretty sure my mother didn't take any prenatals back in the 1970s and I do not have it - SB is fairly rare and has always been fairly rare even though prenatal vitamins are a relatively new thing. If your crazy coworker was right, everyone over a certain age would have SB because prenatals haven't been invented when they were in utero!

There is nothing you can do to prevent a genetic condition that appears before you even know you are pregnant. Ignore your trouble-making coworker.

The reason they were invented was to support the decline in nutrition over the last hundred years or so preceding. Before that, most people had no choice but to eat whole grains, more vegetables, etc. because that's what was available. The wide availability of white flour and white sugar caused a lot of malnutrition, and linked to birth defects. Only when we figured out that some nutrition needed to be added back in to "fortify" the products did these become less common.

OP's coworker is nutty and rude and unhelpful. I remember being similarly worried over my daughter because she has a certain type of birthmark and for a while it seemed one leg was longer than the other - got her checked out and she was fine. We never did determine why we couldn't get the same measurement for each leg, but she had asymmetric creases in her legs so Dr. suggested an X-Ray - her legs are the same length after all. She's 3 now and walks, runs, and looks fine.

OP please don't beat yourself up over this. Tongue tie is really NBD and as for the dimple, I know they are very common and keeping an eye on it is all you can do. Don't stress over things that can't be changed.

[Anonymous]

Oh my, I think my DC has a sacral dimple! Serioulsy, I never knew what it was, but he was a small indentation on his lower back with some discoloration, but it was never pointed out to me and I never mentioned it to his dr. Guess what? He's a bright - straight A - natural athlete - perfect in every way - 7 yr. old. I never knew what that was on his lower back and didn't care. OP, we all have something that makes us individuals and unique, and it sounds like your child is perfect. Please don't worry.