January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month!

There is Good News for women and babies. There are some inexpensive and simple things women can do to prevent a significant number of birth defects.

Folic Acid. Folic Acid is a B vitamin that you should take if you are a woman:

• In your reproductive years (from about 15 to 45 years old)
• Capable of becoming pregnant
• Planning a pregnancy--or in the early months of a pregnancy.

Why should you take Folic Acid? Folic acid is important if you may soon become pregnant or you are in the early weeks of pregnancy. It can help to protect your unborn baby against birth defects of the spine and brain, like spina bifida, or "open spine."

How much folic acid do you need? The U.S. Public Health Service urges you to consume 0.4 milligrams of folic acid every day. But you should not take more than 1 milligram daily unless your doctor or a health care provider tells you to.

Where do you get it? Folic acid is found mainly in green leafy vegetables, beans, asparagus, citrus fruits and juices, whole grain foods and liver. However, it is difficult to get enough folic acid through diet alone. You can make up the difference by taking a multivitamin supplement.

When should you take it? You never know right away when you are pregnant. Sometimes weeks can go by before you know. But you and your baby need folic acid most during the period that starts one month before you conceive through the early months of pregnancy. So taking one multivitamin a day now (even if you are not pregnant) can reduce the risk of some serious birth defects if you become pregnant soon.

Do not consume alcohol. When you're pregnant, everything you eat or drink goes to your baby. If you drink any kind of alcohol -- like beer, wine, wine coolers, liquor or mixed drinks -- it reaches your baby right away. Alcohol can hurt your baby. It can keep your baby's body, including its heart and brain from growing right.

If you drink while you're pregnant, your baby could be born with fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS for short. Many babies with FAS are mentally retarded. Some have faces that don't look normal. Others have heart problems.

Your baby could be born with some but not all of these problems. This is called fetal alcohol effects or FAE. Babies with FAS or FAE, alcohol-related birth defects, may have health problems for the rest of their lives.

Research shows that even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risks of birth defects. So the safest choice is not to drink at all during your pregnancy.

In fact, it's best to stop drinking before you try to become pregnant. Three weeks after you conceive, your baby's important organs are already forming. But you may not even know you're pregnant yet. During that time, alcohol could affect your baby's developing brain and body. So if you are thinking about getting pregnant, you should stop drinking before trying to conceive.

After your baby is born, you should still avoid alcohol if you are breastfeeding. Alcohol could reach your baby through your milk. This could cause problems in your baby's development.

How To Stop Sometimes, it's hard to stop drinking alcohol. But pregnancy is a really good reason to stop. Many places can help you. Here are some you can call:

• 1.800.ALCOHOL (1.800.252.6465) -- a national help and referral line for people suffering the effects of alcohol and drug abuse.
• Your local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter in the white pages of the phone book, or (in Marquette County #249.4430)
• 1.800.NCA.CALL (1.800.622.2255)--The National Council on Alcoholism

Remember, by choosing not to drink during pregnancy, you are helping your baby get a healthy start in life.