Baby with a Congential Heart Defect

sammyc2407

I am pregnant with my second child and my first child was born with 3 heart defects that required surgery when she was 4 days old. Layla is now almost 4 and has done remarkably well. We have our fetal echo on February 26th and the last couple of weeks I have been nervous that this baby may have heart problems as well.

Has anyone had a child that had a CHD and then the next child didn't?

Ladymouse

One of my best friends is one of four kids, and she is the only one with a CHD.  I know she has at least one little brother.

sammyc2407

I have done some research and from what I can tell that it is rare to have more than one child with a CHD, I have just been having these dreams lately that have me paranoid, I am sure for no reason. Thank you for your inputs!

DahliaFlower

Yes.  My first had a severe complex cardiac defect and sadly did not survive.  My second was a perfectly healthy boy.  We had prenatal echo at 22 weeks and repeat echo when he was about 3 months old.  

Best wishes to you!

nye373

My first had a heart defect and my second had no sign of any defects whatsoever. The chances of another child having a defect are so slim. Hoping the best for you. I know how stressful it is!

LexiSophie55

My first had a CHD that was corrected at 5 months old.  He is a happy, energetic 2 year old now.

We just had our Echo for the pregnancy.  Everything checked out perfect.  

I was told by the cardiologist that two siblings with heart defects is very, very rare.  It's hard to find a lot of literature about it...it just doesn't happen.

I will add that I was incredibly nervous and scared going to our appointment last week.  I cried every day for a week.  There was nothing I could do about it, but I was still so scared of something being wrong.  Once you have that bad experience (a negative anatomy scan), it is hard to forget it.  

It is okay to be emotional - just try to stay positive.  It also helped to keep my mind off of it.  It should be exciting - but for Mom's like us, it is terrifying.

emilybrez

My older sister was born with 3 congenital heart defects in 1986. She didn't survive. I was born with a murmur that went away on its own as I grew. My brother was born with a very small VSD that also healed on its own. Our issues were so minor compared to our sister.

I am 18 weeks into my first pregnancy. My anatomy scan is in 2 weeks and I will also have a fetal echo at the end of January. I was told by my OB that the heart defects are not genetic. They are doing the echo as a precaution based on the family history.

I am so happy to hear your daughter is well and I hope everything goes well with your echo. I would try not to worry too much.

emilyo15

This is a huge fear of mine. I had a congenial defect that when undignosed until I was almost 30. Open heart surgery is not a walk in the park. I don't want my child to have to go through this. I do think that typically defects are not to be genetic. I think that sometimes genetics do play a roll.