Prenatal Information

Cord Blood Banking & CHD

Cord Blood may help repair children’s heart defects, according to the American Heart Association and Cord Blood Registry. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood may provide the raw material to repair the hearts of thousands of babies born each year with defective heart valves. Cardiologists from the University Hospital of Munich report they are aboutContinue Reading

Facts about Birth Defects

About 120,000 babies (1 in 33) in the United States are born each year with birth defects. A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism (body chemistry) present at birth that results in physical or mental disabilities or death. Thousands of different birth defects have been identified. Birth defects are the leadingContinue Reading

Vitamin A and Heart Tissue Formation

The process of heart tissue formation in humans takes place in two phases in the fourth week: the First Heart Field (left ventricle and both atria) and the Second Heart Field (right ventricle and outflow tract). The research group at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California conducted a study whichContinue Reading

NICU Parents – Trauma May Last

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or P.T.S.D. — a mental illness more often associated with surviving war, car accidents and assaults, is now being recognized in parents of sick or premature infants in the NICU. A new study from Stanford University School of Medicine, published in the journal Psychosomatics, followed 18 such parents, both men and women.Continue Reading

Understanding Prenatal Testing for Some Birth Defects

In 2007, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommended that all pregnant women, regardless of age, be offered screening for Down syndrome as well as the option of diagnostic testing. Screening and diagnostic testing options should be discussed with a doctor and/or genetic counselor. What is a Maternal Blood Screening Test? Maternal BloodContinue Reading

Best Prenatal Care Begins Before Conception: A Doctor’s Perspective

I was talking with a reporter the other day about routine pregnancy care and the first question she asked me was, “When in pregnancy is it best to make your first doctor’s appointment?” She was caught off guard when I told her, “That’s easy. Before you ever get pregnant!” We have preached for a longContinue Reading

Be Proactive!

You are your own baby’s advocate! Information is empowering for expecting parents. Identifying heart issues before birth can allow expecting parents to meet the doctors who will care for their baby after delivery. Treatment options can be discussed ahead of time, and medicine can be given to pregnant mothers to help deal with any fetusContinue Reading

Some Fertility Treatments Linked to Birth Defects

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that infants born as a result of assisted reproductive technology, or ART — such as in vitro fertilization and the use of donor eggs — are two to four times more likely to be born with certain types of birth defects thanContinue Reading

CHD a Risk With Single Umbilical Artery Pregnancy Complication

What is Single Umbilical Artery? Normally, when the umbilical cord develops, it forms three vessels: two arteries and one vein. However, in some cases, just one artery develops. Precisely why this occurs is not entirely known. It is suspected, though, that one artery may simply stop growing as it develops or perhaps that the primordialContinue Reading

Folic Acid during pregnancy & CHD

There is a decrease in the number of babies born with serious congenital heart defects in Canada, following obligatory enrichment of grain products containing folic acid. It is common knowledge that the consumption of folic acid prior to conception and in the first months of pregnancy diminishes the risks of spina bifida and other neuralContinue Reading