HOW TO PREVENT CEREBRAL PALSY.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect someone's ability to move and command the way in which they hold or carry themselves. CP is caused by brain damage. This damage may occur during pregnancy, during delivery, or within the first few years of the child's life. Some causes of CP can be prevented. Because there are many different causes of cerebral palsy, many different methods of preventing cerebral palsy have been tried. Some methods of preventing CP only work for particular types of CP.

• Seek appropriate prenatal care as early as possible in your pregnancy. Proper prenatal care can help prevent premature birth, low birth weight, and infections - all of which could lead to CP.

• Do not use alcohol, tobacco products, or drugs during your pregnancy. This increases the risk of premature delivery, making your infant more susceptible to illness.

• Wash your hands frequently to prevent infection. Infections in the mother can cause inflammation or increase the risk for prematurity, which is a major risk factor for CP.

• The mother should be fully vaccinated.

• Having a multiple birth (twins, triplets, etc.) increases the chance of prematurity.

• Ask your doctor about treatments which are aimed at reducing CP in a newborn child, such as antenatal steroids, magnesium sulfate before preterm delivery, caffeine, and therapeutic cooling in neonatal encephalopathy.

• Have your infant vaccinated. There are numerous infections that can be prevented by having your child vaccinated. Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (bacterial meningitis) is a known common cause of CP. Rubella , better known as the measles, in early childhood can also be a cause of CP. Vaccinations against both these infections are important for your infant .

• Avoid head injuries. Take the following steps to protect your child from possibleb rain damage : Use the appropriate car seats and booster seats. Watch over your child in playgrounds. Never allow young children to climb on play equipment unattended.Make sure your child wears a helmet when riding a bicycle.

• Be on the lookout for signs of jaundice in your infant. A little jaundice is quite common in newborns. Left untreated it can cause Kernicterus, a type of brain damage that can cause CP. Look for the following symptoms: The baby's skin is yellow or orange in color, starting at the head and covering the body. The whites of the eyes have a yellowish tint. The child is fussy and is not eating normally. You have difficulty waking the child or getting the child to sleep at all. The child does not soil a diaper as often as normal.
• Seek immediate emergency treatment if you witness any of the following in your infant: Ceaseless crying at a high pitch. The body becomes bowed, with the head and heels bent backward and the body forward. Bizarre eye movements. A limp, floppy, or stiff body.