A BUSY mum and fitness instructor from west Belfast is encouraging all women to take a folic acid tablet every day.
Fiona Shannon, the only woman handball player to hold three consecutive World Ladies Open titles, is throwing her support behind a folic acid campaign from Safefood, a body established after the Good Friday Agreement to promote healthy eating and nutrition on an all-Ireland basis.
Babies Know the Facts About Folic aims to encourage women to take folic acid supplements – whether they are planning a pregnancy or not – in order to help address Ireland’s high incidence rate of babies born with Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) like Spina Bifida.
Fiona is married with two daughters, Caragh (14) and Niamh (11). With both her pregnancies, Fiona didn’t start taking Folic Acid until she was around six weeks pregnant.
At 24 weeks pregnant, Fiona was told that her unborn baby had Spina Bifida, a condition in which the spine does not develop properly.
Niamh was otherwise healthy and well, but has faced a range of physical challenges in her early years and now wears splints to help her walk.
"With both my girls, I found out early on that I was pregnant so it wasn’t like either pregnancy came as a surprise," explains Fiona.
"But I didn’t start taking folic acid until after I found out that I was pregnant.
"Both my pregnancies were planned, but the importance of folic acid wasn’t really pushed as much as it is now, or I would have been taking it well before we had conceived.
"What I hadn’t realised is that the spine forms in the very earliest weeks of pregnancy, often before you even know you're pregnant.
"As a family, we've experienced first-hand how not taking it at the right time can impact on someone's life.
"Taking a folic acid tablet every day is so simple and so easy. It doesn’t mean you’re planning a baby. But it does mean when you have a baby, however far in the future that might be, you’re already helping to protect their health."
Results from Safefood’s latest survey in the folic acid campaign have revealed while more than 95 per cent of women are now aware of the benefits of taking folic acid, only one in three actually routinely take it.
Recently published Irish research has also shown that three out of four women who attend for antenatal care have not taken folic acid supplements at the critical time, which is before they become pregnant.
"We now need women to act on this knowledge," says Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, director of human health and nutrition with Safefood.
"It's encouraging that knowledge around folic acid is high and women know what it is, what it does and who should take it, but most women in the relevant age group are not taking this preventative supplement or not taking it before they become pregnant.
"For a healthy mum and baby, we simply can’t get enough folic acid from our food alone even, with fortified foods. Taking a daily folic acid supplement of 400 mcg is the only way to go.
"One reason why women are hesitant about taking folic acid is because it indicates they are actively trying to get pregnant.
"This mind-set needs to change as over 50 per cent of pregnancies here are unplanned."
Despite having Spina Bifida, Niamh is taking the condition in her stride and not letting it affect her too much as she moves into her teenage years.
Fiona added: "With Niamh, I found out at my 24 week scan that she had spina bifida. And while we were told the worse-case scenarios, we were very fortunate because her condition isn’t as severe as it can be for other children.
"Niamh’s great, very happy and outgoing but she does have her difficulties, in particular with her bladder and bowels.
"Niamh doesn't use a wheelchair now unless we're away on holidays somewhere but she does wear splints on her legs which I know annoy her sometimes.
"She’s doing really well in school but obviously there are some things I’m sure she wishes she could do. But one thing about Niamh is that she takes it all as it comes – she’s absolutely brilliant.
"She has taken everything in her stride, but as we’re coming into her teenage years, it can be hard when she’s picking an outfit because she wants to cover the splints.
"But despite all of that, she’s just your typical 'girly girl' – she loves her swimming and drama and doesn’t let anything stop her.
"We are so proud of her."
:: For more information visit Safefood.eu/folicacid or search for the hashtag #FolicFacts
