Thinking of having a baby?
If you have DBA or are involved with someone who has DBA, having a child can be a very
difficult topic. While we can't tell you the best decison, we can provide you with some
information that may help.
From what we know, a person who has DBA has a 50% chance of having a child with DBA.
You can have  invetro fertilization, where the genes "thought" to cause DBA can be removed,
but as we know, not all genes causing DBA have been identified. Therefore, IV is not a perfect
science.  As science advances, it may also be a good idea to store your child's cord blood "just
in case." You never know what the future may bring. Here are a few links that you may find
useful. As always, if you find a site that you think would be useful, please e-mail me and we
will post it as soon as possible.
To e-mail a link click here
Experiences of those who had DBA and had children

     I do not have dba but my husband does and is in remission. When we first were married we had a son
that weighed 9 and 1/2 lbs. While carrying my father in law was a little insistant to let the doctors know that
Bob, my husband, was anemic as a baby. We did not know anything about dba at this time. Our son was
born fine. Then a few years later we had a daughter. No problems. Then I became pregnant again. I was 9
months pregnant and went into labor. We go to the hospital only to find out that our third, a son, has no
heartbeat but I'm in labor. We had a stillborn son. An autopsy revealed nothing. We still did not have any
idea about dba. This is because my husband was on steriods the first 6 yrs of his life and then went into
remission. At the time it was not called dba by his doctors. We did not have to deal with dba. Then I
became pregnant again and doctors monitored me more closely. Our fouth, a daughter, delivered 5 weeks
early. They induced labor as she was not moving as much and her heart rate did not look
quite right. Within an hour of her birth she received her first transfusion. She has needed transfusions every
few weeks for the past 10 yrs and maybe the rest of her life. It wasn't until her 4th child that we
heard about dba. Then receiving sparse records for my husband from when he was a child and doing blood
tests confirmed that my husband has dba but is in remission. The records also states something about my
father in law and trouble with blood as a baby.

    Now we know , through tests, that my husband is the carrier and probably our 3rd child, a stillborn, had
dba and our 4th has dba. It's a difficult decision to make not having a child of your own knowing you have
the potential to give them this little known disorder. I also know that need, urge to want to experience a
child growing inside. I asked my husband years later, after our 4ht, if we had known when we married that
he had this disorder and what all was involved, would he had had children. He very quickly stated NO. In
the beginning of this situation with our 4th, I think he may have felt a little guilty at times. He would never
admit this but there were times when I believe he felt this was all his fault. I have never felt this way. We
have made 4 beautiful children. In a way I guess I'm lucky he didn't know because I was able to experience
birth 4 times. We have also been able to make wonderful new friends from within the dba family.

    It's the most difficult decision a man or woman can make knowing you have a 50/50 chance of passing
this on to your child. I would strongly suggest praying , praying and then praying again. Realize too that
there are many many children born already that need someone. I think God doesn't always put our children
inside of us. Sometimes He needs someone else to carry them. You may already have a child that someone
else has carried for you that you just have not met yet . Look at all your options very carefully and talk to
the doctors. I'm pretty sure that if you contact Dr. Lipton, Dr. Vlachos they can give you good info. If you
talk with them and still aren't sure and have more questions or even the same ones talk to them again. They
know how hard this is and I know that they have hearts of gold. They are more than happy to help you thru
this process.

    We are all here for you as well. There's a wealth of info amongst the parents and adult patients here
(DBA Support Group on Yahoo). Utilize them. BE STRONG. all good things come to those who wait. You'll
find the right decision for you.


God Bless
Lisa Gunderson