Told baby has abnormal heart?

1mae2016 · January 2016

The OB that saw me yesterday ended our anatomy scan with the words "don't worry about it though" Which, naturally, made me worry even more, especially now that I can't remember what he called this heart defect. Yesterday was my 20 week scan and I got to see my sweet little baby girl all wiggly, like always and we looked at her spine, heart and various other organs. The tech stayed over her heart for a very long time but I figured it was just for measurements. However, the OB that went over the results said that the baby will have echocardiograms done at every visit until birth to keep an eye on "a blip in the heart that is usually associated with other disorders or defects". He didn't say murmur, he didn't say defect, and he also really didn't clarify when I asked for clarification. He did however say that because my blood work came back completely normal with all of my tests that it is something that should fix itself before birth. However, this doctor, who is not the one who will be delivering my LO, has seemed like he may not know what he's talking about the last couple of times I've visited with him, even when I had him for regular checkups before pregnancy. So, my long winded question is, have any of you ladies had experience with something like this? Did it go away on its own? If not, was your baby still ok?

gemini2005 · January 2016

No experience but is there any way you could ask to be sent to a specialist? I would be concerned that he's not providing you with enough information. If it were me, I would want to know specific details. Best of luck to you.

js8812 · January 2016

Maybe ask if he thinks a fetal echocardiogram should be done. These are typically done by pediatric or perinatal cardiologists who know exactly what they are looking at. I'm so sorry you received this news, especially being so vague.

GoatSnakeMouse · January 2016

I'm sorry you are having to worry about this. I don't know about the diagnostic stuff, but I do have a friend whose daughter was born with a heart defect about a year ago - it's since been corrected and now she's doing great. If you didn't know about it already, you'd have no idea that anything every happened. :: Hugs ::

Sunshinebins · January 2016

I'm sorry you are going through this! Can you call your normal OB and ask about the results? They should have them and could probably give you a better explanation of what is going on and what you need to do (if anything)

Healthy baby heart vibes!

finnybooboo · January 2016

I agree with prior posts to call and ask more questions just so you have a piece of mind. Even if they think it's not something you should stress about, unless you have the full details, that's not easy to do. There are many scary things that can go through your mind with even the mention that something can be wrong - serious or not. You deserve a better explanation!

saraleigh2 · January 2016

Get a second opinion, ask for the name of it or what they are watching for. There are a lot of different congenital heart defects out there and yes some go away on their own and aren't very concerning while others require more care. Sounds like you just need more information right now, I would ask for a referral to a specialist (as already stated) or request a copy of your records from that ultrasound and take it with you when you go for your second opinion. All the best!!! Try not to worry too much until you know more

lalala2004 · January 2016

I'm shocked you weren't referred to a specialist or a high risk pregnancy doctor. I would ask for a referral, or get a second opinion somewhere else.

rufflifephilly · January 2016

Maybe the heart isn't big enough yet to do the tests they want, so they don't want to scare you when they aren't 100% sure there is even a problem. As the heart develops it could change and they can more clearly diagnose or treat.

diabeticmom · January 2016

I'm a high risk so in my first pregnancy they sent me for two fetal echo-cardiograms and both were normal. When my son was born he was found to have atrial septal defect and ventrical septal defect. Both essentially holes in his heart. He had open heart surgery at 6 weeks and is doing amazing now. He's turning 4 in March and is just like any other normal almost 4 year old.

I've also gone for a fetal echo-cardiogram with this pregnancy and again it turned out normal. I specifically asked the cardiologist about the possibilities of this baby having ASD and VSD and she said that all babies have holes in their heart at this stage in development. For most babies the hole will close by the time they're born.

Personally I would get referred to a specialist that knows what they're talking about in fetal cardiology. It's always best to get as much information as you can from someone who is knowledgeable.

doozer1345 · January 2016

We went through this with DD including the word blip from the specialist. It was right around the time you are now. We went to a specialist once and were monitored every time we went in afterwards. It was a non-issue by birth and DD is healthy as a horse. They said it is a common occurrence and will work itself out. FX this is the case for you. What you've said is pretty identical to what we were told with DD as well. GL

dshannah · January 2016

If they do not think a fetal echo is necessary, it's probably something very un-worrisome! But ask another doctor at the practice if they think you should get one. DH was born with coarctation of the aorta with a bicuspid valve (there are usually three valves in the heart and his only has two, which puts extra pressure on his aorta, which is, because of the same genetic trick, slightly deformed) and it used to be fatal but is no longer (thank goodness!) due to medical advances. DH has to take medications and there are some activities he can't do, but is otherwise totally normal and healthy. DH might need to get his aorta replaced some day, but if DS has the same thing, it's likely that the surgery he has to fix it will be a permanent one. Which is all to say that even if there is a significant defect, it likely will be able to be rectified!!

1mae2016 · January 2016

Thank you guys so much! It really helps put me at ease knowing that some of you have had experiences. I am calling Monday for clarification (they closed early yesterday). He did say they would do a fetal echocardiogram once a month to monitor it but did not refer me to a specialist. Thank you for the support and love

whattalife525415 · January 2016

diabeticmom, my DD was also born with DORV with a VSD. Glad your little one is doing well!

Sometimes there isn't much they can do at this point, in our case we needed our baby to be born before Dr's could fully assess. They should be able to explain fully and in the most normal language as needed (the names of conditions alone is crazy). Dr's drew pictures of the issues also which was helpful. Hoping that it will correct itself but glad you know now.

JennyS86 · January 2016

My daughter's cardiologist gave us a link to a website that explain her heart defect with pictures. She walked me through the website so that I could also explain it to DH. She's an awesome doctor!

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