Ask the right questions at the A/S

singingirl96 · February 2014

Hello ladies. Since many of you are going for your anatomy scan around this time, I just wanted to take a few seconds of your time to spread a little awareness about Congenital Heart Defects. Since it is the most common birth defect and it affects 1 in every 100 births, it is important to ask the right questions. Many birth defects go undetected and the sooner it is found, the better the chances of survival.
I can't emphasize this enough: Before you leave the hospital with your child, please request a pulse ox reading. It takes 45 seconds, and it could save your child's life. This is very important even if your child looks healthy and everything looks great. Ask for a pulse ox reading. It measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. Anything over 96 is normal.

February is Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Month.

Did you know that CHDs kill more children than all childhood cancers combined?

My son is 1 in 100.

kmawb · February 2014

Thanks for that @singingirl96. Even though I had my a/s yesterday (and didn't specifically ask those questions), the u/s tech went over all 5 of them.

taylorjeanne84 · February 2014

Thanks for posting this. Both of my OB's daughters had CHD's and have undergone surgeries. One of them goes to my son's preschool and they have been raising awareness all month. This is something I never knew about until recently.

singingirl96 · February 2014

alwaysnc4me said:

My babe wouldn't give all her measurements at our scan last week. Would this still be useful to ask when I go back on the 7th at 23 weeks? Or is that to late??...

Most certainly. In fact, since the heart is a little bigger, they'd have an easier time seeing all 4 chambers and all of the arteries better. So ask all these questions then.

Don't want to scare you... When I went with my son for his A/S they said they couldn't get all of the measurements of the heart because the baby wasn't cooperating (I now know this was BS). When I went back they did a more in-depth scan of the heart and found his defects.

Chances are, they want you to return because they want to re-measure some things they aren't too sure about. Or, it could be nothing.

Ylvelill · February 2014

Thank you for sharing that.

JayBzo · February 2014

awesome info - I would never have known anything about this so I appreciate it. I feel like there is so much I don't know!

loupgarou · February 2014

Thank you so much for sharing this. I haven't had my a/s yet, so I'm definitely going to ask.

singingirl96 · February 2014

Yeah... I know what you ladies mean about not knowing about any of this stuff. I certainly didn't either until my son was diagnosed.

There are great hospitals that detect this stuff on their own without you having to ask... which is how its supposed to be! But unfortunately that is not the reality. Since being involved in this community, I've known of too many cases where babies are sent home with a clean bill of health.... just to turn blue and be rushed to the hospital in severe cardiac failure. Some survive, but some dont!

I know of a child with the same condition as my son. He went undiagnosed until he was 2 years old. He had his heart repaired then, but the damage had been so great that not only did he need another surgery in the future, he's been on several heart meds since and can't do any sports.... on the flipside, since my son was diagnosed in utero, he was able to have his surgical repair done on time and will grow to have a healthy life with no restrictions and no meds... this is why finding out something is wrong is very important BEFORE any symptoms arise.

ashcross · February 2014

Thank you for sharing. And he is adorable btw.

DarlingCakes · February 2014

Thank you so much for posting!

littlemissmarla · February 2014

Thanks for the info!! I will be bringing this up at my a/s!

TugboatSheila · February 2014

Thank you, I have mine next week so I took a picture of this so I'd remember to discuss it.

PregsMcSnoozalot · February 2014

singingirl96 said:

Don't want to scare you... When I went with my son for his A/S they said they couldn't get all of the measurements of the heart because the baby wasn't cooperating (I now know this was BS). When I went back they did a more in-depth scan of the heart and found his defects.

Hmm, ok, yeah, this scares me. I had my A/S at 18wks on the dot and the tech looked at the heart for a second and then moved on...didn't take any measurements. She didn't take any measurements of any of the internal organs, actually, she just did the head & belly circumference and measured all the long bones, told me I had "beautiful cervix" and placenta previa

Then she made an appointment for me to come back at 21 weeks for the rest of the anatomy scan. Any thoughts? Do you think this was a scenario where "bs" was going on, or did she really need me to come back later for the rest of the measurements?

rboisvert · February 2014

I am 1 in 100. When I was born the surgery that I had at two days old was experimental. Care for CHD's has come out of the stone age in just 30 years. Because my children have a 1 in 10 chance of having a CHD we get a fetal echo done but I still demanded a pulse ox reading because there are some defects that just aren't there until after birth. The way the heart functions in utero is different than after birth when your oxygen comes from the lungs. There are two pathways that are meant to close after birth as well as a few other defects that are just too hard to detect in such a small heart. This is a critical, non-invasive test that will hopefully become the standard of care soon.

Jandamay · February 2014

Thank you for sharing this information, my A/S is next week so I will be sure to make sure these things are checked.

hope1017 · February 2014

I'm impressed at how much information I'm learning from you all. Thanks for sharing, as a FTM I didn't know this and will keep this in mind when I got to my scan this Friday.

ksuRN09 · February 2014

Yeah....this scares me. They couldn't see the heart or the face at all at mine yesterday. However, she showed me how the baby was laying and you really couldn't see the chest or face because baby's arms were in the way. It's kinda nice to know about this but now I'm going to be freaking out for the next 3 weeks.

As far as the pulse ox after baby is born goes, I think most hospitals check the pulse ox on the right wrist and one of the feet on all babies 24-48hrs after birth. It's become a standard of care in a lot of hospitals because it catches so many heart defects that would otherwise go unnoticed until there was a problem.

singingirl96 · February 2014

PregsMcSnoozalot said:

singingirl96 said:

Don't want to scare you... When I went with my son for his A/S they said they couldn't get all of the measurements of the heart because the baby wasn't cooperating (I now know this was BS). When I went back they did a more in-depth scan of the heart and found his defects.
Hmm, ok, yeah, this scares me. I had my A/S at 18wks on the dot and the tech looked at the heart for a second and then moved on...didn't take any measurements. She didn't take any measurements of any of the internal organs, actually, she just did the head & belly circumference and measured all the long bones, told me I had "beautiful cervix" and placenta previa Then she made an appointment for me to come back at 21 weeks for the rest of the anatomy scan. Any thoughts? Do you think this was a scenario where "bs" was going on, or did she really need me to come back later for the rest of the measurements?

Hi. I don't think you need to get concerned. I'm glad you're going back through. My A/S was very thorough, and it sounds like yours was much quicker than mine. Maybe it was because they saw something wrong with my son... i'm not sure. Whichever way, ask these questions during your next scan. AND ask for a pulse ox before leaving the hospital with your son. You should be fine

singingirl96 · February 2014

rboisvert said:

I am 1 in 100. When I was born the surgery that I had at two days old was experimental. Care for CHD's has come out of the stone age in just 30 years. Because my children have a 1 in 10 chance of having a CHD we get a fetal echo done but I still demanded a pulse ox reading because there are some defects that just aren't there until after birth. The way the heart functions in utero is different than after birth when your oxygen comes from the lungs. There are two pathways that are meant to close after birth as well as a few other defects that are just too hard to detect in such a small heart. This is a critical, non-invasive test that will hopefully become the standard of care soon.

I'm so glad you're a survivor! 30 years ago many of the kids who are thriving today wouldn't have had a chance! My son wouldn't live past the age of 3 (AVSD) if he didn't have surgery. I'm so glad that technology has improved leaps and bounds. There is still such a long way to go.
How did your children fair? Do any of your children have a CHD? Since my son has a CHD, the chances of this next baby being a heart baby has increased to 5%. I know the chances are still low, but I'm really hoping that everything is ok this time around. I won't find out until my A/S on Feb 25. Can't wait. I'm on pins and needles.

shanaynerz · February 2014

Thank you so much for sharing. My A/S is next week so I'll try and remember to ask.

LilyanaG1 · February 2014

Thank you so much for this helpful information!!! I am going in today for for my a/s. Wishing you and your family all the best

fmb2011 · February 2014

Thanks for the info! It's much appreciated even for a mom doing this for the 4th time

TRyan86 · February 2014

Thanks for sharing that! As a FTM I honestly don't even know what they look for at the A/S. Now I will have some questions

Knbh · February 2014

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I wrote down all the questions so I can ask them when my US takes place. You ladies are the best!

EllaSmella · February 2014

Thank you for posting this. My A/S is next week, so a great reminder. Can I also say your little boy is the dang cutest thing ever! Always makes me smile when I see his pic in your signature.

cowgirljennifer@hotmail.com · February 2014

Awesome information!! I was born 26 years ago with a heart defect called Truncas Arteriosis. I have had 4 open heart surgeries and so far am doing great! I will have to have more, but it is just part of who I am. I am currently pregnant with my second child and so far things are going great. My child has a slightly higher risk but nothing horrible. I will be getting the normal A/S ultrasound and then also will be getting a fetal echo to check babies heart. They told me that it can detect major issues but there could still be a chance the baby could have something mild. My first child didn't have any defects and is doing great at 2 years old.

Try not to stress to much. Medicine has come along way and it is just amazing!! Good luck ladies!

singingirl96 · February 2014

cowgirljennifer@hotmail.com said:

Awesome information!! I was born 26 years ago with a heart defect called Truncas Arteriosis. I have had 4 open heart surgeries and so far am doing great! I will have to have more, but it is just part of who I am. I am currently pregnant with my second child and so far things are going great. My child has a slightly higher risk but nothing horrible. I will be getting the normal A/S ultrasound and then also will be getting a fetal echo to check babies heart. They told me that it can detect major issues but there could still be a chance the baby could have something mild. My first child didn't have any defects and is doing great at 2 years old.

Try not to stress to much. Medicine has come along way and it is just amazing!! Good luck ladies!

wow, you're a heart warrior! So glad you are doing well! Happy heart week!

July15Mama · March 2014

Thanks for bumping this I never got to see it and still haven't had my a/s!

Littlebean312 · March 2014

I have a appointment with a pediatric cardiologist for an ultrasound just to doublecheck Jr's heart make sure everything's good as I was born with a hole in my heart that cause a murmur.

singingirl96 · March 2014

Glad you all are finding this helpful. I went for my A/S and so far everything looks good with my little girl's heart. I go on Tuesday for a fetal echocardiogram at my son's pediatric cardiologist just to be sure there is nothing they missed at the A/S. Since I'm at a higher risk, this scan is recommended. I'm cautiously optimistic, but still scared.

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