Spinal Bifida?

What is it exactly? My friend's little brother just had a baby with his girlfriend and I just read on her status that the baby girl (Brooke) was born with spinal bifida and i'm not exactly sure what it is or how it affects the baby. Anyone care to explain it to me? Thank you in Advance!

Very sad smurf. lol It's basically when you have an incomplete closign of the embryonic neural tube..It can leave your spine exposed because your back never closes, basically. Vertebrae and your spinal cord aren't fully formed and isn't fused together which can lead to weakness of the legs, paralyzed from the waist down, club foot...You can get the hole surgically closed but since it was exposed, there has already been damage done. (This is spina bifida in the lumbar region) There is also spina bifida that can happen near your brain stem which leaves the neural tube open at the cerebrum and can leave the brain unfused which can create a smurf ton of problems.

I have a very good friend who has spina bifida. He has been in a wheelchair since he was a toddler. iin his lumbar region so he is paralyzed from his thighs down. It's very sad but he gets around like a pro now since he doesn't know any better. He's a "normal" person 100% except he can't use his legs.

what the above posted posted. It's pretty sad and scary.
My friends daughter was born with it. They were told she would never walk. Well she had her first surgery at 3 months old, 2 more followed and she was WALKING by 1 1/2!!! She is now 3 years old

It also depends on the degree.

Andrew has it and he's just fine

Quoting Mj's Crazy Mama♥:" It also depends on the degree. Andrew has it and he's just fine"

Well she has already had 2 surgeries so i'm guessing it's on the more severe side. She got air lifted to Seattle for the surgeries from Spokane.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Nova and Nessa's Momma:</b>" Well she has already had 2 surgeries so i'm guessing it's on the more severe side. She got air lifted to Seattle for the surgeries from Spokane."</blockquote>


  poor baby.

just because a child has spina bifida does not mean you should feel sorry for them or say poor baby.. my son is 3 and has spina bifida he has had 4 surgeries 1 to repaor hos back 1 to put in his shunt and 2 revisions. my son is wheelchair bound but is a very happy go lucky little boy. the term spina bifida means split spine. it happens within the first 7 weeks why your pregnant. i was only 20 weeks when i found out what was wrong with my son. the dr told me my nest best would be to terminitae my pregnancy but i did not and to this day he is my whole world he has changed my life in ways most people only dream of. i will not let people pitty my child as he does not need pitty he needs to be looked at like he is a normal child.