Early last week, a 17 year old woman, carrying her first baby, was seen in the office for a routine ultrasound at about 18 weeks to confirm gestational age and assess fetal anatomy. During that examination, the baby was found to have a heart abnormality called an Endocardial Cushion Defect, or A-V Canal. This particular… Continue Reading
Prenatal Information
Heart Murmur – Harmless or Abnormal?
What is a Heart Murmur? A heart murmur is an unusual sound heard while a physician or other medical professional is listening to your heartbeat. Murmurs can be very faint or they can be very loud. Sometimes they sound like a whooshing or swishing sound. The sounds are made when blood flows through the heart.… Continue Reading
First Trimester Use Of NSAIDs Is Associated With Cardiac Abnormalities In Babies
Women who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) early in their pregnancies may be more likely to give birth to babies with congenital defects, particularly cardiac septal defects. These are the findings of a case-control study published in the August issue of Birth Defects Research Part B, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons. Many… Continue Reading
Trying to conceive? If YES, then keep reading…
Whether a pregnancy is planned or unplanned, it’s important for every woman of childbearing age to take folic acid, even if they aren’t trying to conceive. Birth defects occur within the first three to four weeks of pregnancy, so it’s important to have folic acid in your system during those early stages when your baby’s… Continue Reading
Some SIDS Cases Could Be Related to Heart Rhythm Abnormality
More than one-third of all cases of sudden infant death syndrome may result from a heart rhythm abnormality, the biggest SIDS study ever conducted concludes. Many cases of SIDS are thought to be caused when babies sleeping on their stomachs are suffocated by their bedding. Other causes, however, are largely a mystery, though experts have… Continue Reading
Further Research is Needed to Connect High Vitamin E Intake to CHD
I have read many articles over the past six months that link Vitamin E to heart defects. I didn’t feel comfortable posting any of them. I do, however, like this article. It provides the research info from the study but also gives the limitations of the study as well. It stresses the importance of needing… Continue Reading
5 Heart Conditions That May Be Affected by Pregnancy
The heart is the hardest working muscle in your whole body. So in pregnancy, because of the increased blood volume and extra strain, it is working extremely hard. Heart disease occurs in a small percentage of all pregnancies. Sometimes it is known before pregnancy, but sometimes it only becomes apparent during pregnancy. Obviously, because of… Continue Reading
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN)
Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) occurs when a newborn’s circulation system does not adapt to breathing outside the womb. While a fetus is in the womb, it gets its oxygen from its mother’s placenta through the umbilical cords, so the lungs need little blood supply. There is high blood pressure in the lungs,… Continue Reading
Fetal Circulation
How does the fetal circulatory system work? During pregnancy, the fetal circulatory system works differently than after birth: The fetus is connected by the umbilical cord to the placenta, the organ that develops and implants in the mother’s uterus during pregnancy. Through the blood vessels in the umbilical cord, the fetus receives all the necessary… Continue Reading
New Newborn Screening – NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS)
When a baby is born, new parents often wonder, “Will he be the next President of the United States?” or “Could she be the one to find a cure for cancer?” But the underlying question for many specialists is, “Is this child ‘at risk’ for developmental issues?” Until now, an answer to this question has… Continue Reading
