So, "awareness" weeks and months: What do you think about them?
Everyone knows about Breast Cancer Awareness month (October), but did you know that there is a National Ground Water Awareness week (March 6-12, 2011), a Brain Awareness week (March 14-20, 2011), and--my new favorite--a Handwashing Awareness week (December 5-11, 2010)? (My friend just told me on Facebook that yesterday was National Spaghetti Day. Which is a bummer because we would have had spaghetti last night, except I didn't have the noodles. So I used my boiling water for mac'n'cheese.)
(And did you know that I can't type "awareness" without first accidentally typing "awesomeness"? You have to admit that's pretty, well, awesome.)
(And can we have a "Keryn Has Gorgeous Hair, So Let's Teach Her How to Do It Awareness Week?")
Anyway, apparently this week is Folic Acid Awareness week. Are you all aware of folic acid?
Folic acid (vitamin B6) is an important nutrient during early pregnancy, because low levels of folic acid can lead to neural tube defects (spina bifida and anencephaly) in the embryo. (Now you see why I care about folic acid.) One study has shown that "women who take folic acid supplements during the course of pregnancy can dramatically reduce the prevalence of infant neural tube defects by 74%" (Milunsky, 1989).
You shouldn't wait until you know you are pregnant to take the vitamins, either. Neural tube defects occur in the first four weeks of fetal development, so if you are planning on becoming pregnant, you should just start taking them. (Plus, your hair and nails are healthier when you take prenatals, have you noticed?) The cheap, over-the-counter type are just as effective at getting you the folic acid as anything else, so don't worry about cost.
Prenatal vitamins don't stop every occurrence of spina bifida (I took prenatal vitamins while pregnant with Gee), but they definitely reduce the numbers. Because most of the time spina bifida shows up in families with no previous history of it (like ours), you never know what might happen. Taking the vitamins is a pretty simple preventative step!
And that is your PSA for the year from Keryn!
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I've been taking prenatal vitamins since trying to conceive Cora. I wasn't really aware of the whole folic acid thing, though, until you and Gee. And then a good stillbirth mommy friend of mine lost a second son shortly after Patrick was born to anencephaly, which I'd never heard of until then. Though I've had no problems so far, I decided to add an extra folic acid supplement to my regimen a few months before we decided to start trying this time (at my friend's request). I actually think of you and her every day when I take it.
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