heart murmur?

CLL1001

We have an appointment next week with a cardiologist because DD's pedi heard a murmur. Can anyone tell me what I should expect from this appointment? What tests they do? etc.? I got a reminder letter in the mail today that said the appointment may be 2 hours long! It's not that I mind I guess I just didn't realize and now I'm just getting nervous about the whole thing (been waiting almost 2 months for this appt). TIA!

andthatmakes4

I'm not sure what would be different for a baby, but I found out that I had a murmur a few years ago.  My appointment with the cardiologist was really simple.  I'm not completely sure what the test was but I would describe like a sonogram.  They could see and hear my heart.  If the same test was on my baby, the hardest part would be getting her not to grab the little wand thing. Good luck and hope it is stress-free for you.

bluejetta

DD has one.  We saw a pedi cardiologist a few months back and all he did was an EKG and listen to her heart.  He said it was mostly likely something that will resolve with time.  Our pedi is keeping an eye on it and if still there at her 1yr appt we will go back to the cardiologist for another opinion.  I was definitely nervous and still am a bit but given that both cardio and pedi say are fairly common I'm trying not to worry.

T&P

SharonB222

I think initially it would just be an EKG, weight, etc.  I had a childhood heart murmur that went away (common); on the other hand my friend's babe has a heart murmur indicative of a birth defect and is being monitored (uncommon).

chibride4

I've had a heart murmur my whole life and (don't panic) it eventually lead to an open heart valve repair nine years ago. Due to my history, my OB recommended ECHOs (which is pretty much identical to an U/S, only it focuses on the heart chambers) when both of my LOs were in utero. Luckily, they didn't turn up anything. I suspect that your LO will need an ECHO and perhaps an EKG, along with an office visit to discuss family history. Two hours seems a bit excessive. Good luck!