Green, leafy vegetables rich in folate.
Ten tiny fingers and 10 tiny toes, baby Aliyah arrived at Wollongong Hospital this week just as mum Kim McGuinness hoped: perfect.
The Corrimal mum credits her baby's health in part to her folate-rich diet before, during and after pregnancy.
However, during Spina Bifida Week health officials have expressed concern that those who take the diet advice are in the minority.
Spina bifida is one of a number of neural tube defects caused early in a baby's development when the neural tube - an embryonic structure that "zips up" to form the brain and spinal cord - doesn't completely seal.
Southern Hospitals Network clinical midwifery consultant Alison Goodfellow said few babies were now born with the condition, partly because it could be detected at 12 weeks, giving mothers the option of terminating their pregnancy.
Despite the risk, Ms Goodfellow estimates the majority of women don't take the precaution of a folate-rich diet.
"I'd say almost up to one in three women on the ward at the moment didn't take folate," she said.
Folate is a B group vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, wholegrain breads, cereals and legumes.
Food sources alone are considered inadequate for deriving the 0.4-0.5g of folate recommended at the time of conception.
Women are encouraged to include folate in their diet and take supplements. South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service manager for women's and babies' health Deborah Cameron said most neural tube defects could be prevented this way.
"Research shows that seven out of 10 cases of neural tube defects can be prevented by women increasing intake of folate one month before pregnancy and during the first three months of pregnancy," she said.
"Taking folate before conception establishes high levels of folate for the first stages... ," she said.
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