How eating disorders can affect your pregnancy
Every year, 10 million American women deal with an eating disorder. While many of these women will stop having periods because of their low weight, some will still menstruate and become pregnant. How...
View ArticleYour child could have patent foramen ovale and not know it
The foramen ovale has an important role in the health of the fetal circulatory system. During fetal development, this hole in the wall between the heart’s upper chambers allows blood to bypass the...
View ArticlePregnancy complications and your midwife
With the various types of obstetric providers that can care for you during your labor and delivery, some women choose to be seen by a midwife. Different categories of midwives exist, but the bottom...
View ArticleWhat is Tetralogy of Fallot?
Tetralogy of Fallot is a complex congenital heart defect (e.g., present at birth) characterized by the presence of four heart problems. Babies born with this heart defect have: A large hole in the...
View ArticleWhat are heart murmurs in newborns?
Many parents will be surprised to learn that a heart murmur isn’t a disease. Rather, it is a symptom of an underlying condition. If your child has a heart murmur, your pediatrician will hear it while...
View ArticleHow to take care of your heart during pregnancy
Your heart is working overtime during pregnancy, supporting healthy circulation for you and your baby, so it makes good sense to take a few precautions to protect your heart health. At its most basic...
View ArticleDiagnosis and treatment of muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy can be a devastating diagnosis for children and their parents. The progressive muscle condition causes long-term changes in a child’s functioning, which can leave him or her...
View ArticleHypoplastic left heart syndrome
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a serious congenital heart defect that affects development of the left side of the heart. This rare condition affects the heart’s mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic...
View Article8 ways heart defects can be diagnosed in newborns
Doctors often diagnose congenital heart defects in the womb or during infancy, when symptoms, the mother’s medical history, or routine tests or physical exams reveal the abnormalities. But not all...
View ArticleWhat is a ventricular septal defect?
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital heart defect that occurs during fetal development. Babies born with a VSD have a hole in the septum (wall) that separates the heart’s lower chambers,...
View ArticleIn California, science beats out personal beliefs
Remember that measles epidemic this past winter—the one that sickened over a hundred people and had millions worrying about this vaccine-preventable disease? California sure does, and it just did...
View ArticleHow do I administer infant CPR?
All new parents should obtain CPR certification, if possible. Infant CPR classes are generally inexpensive, and depending on where you live, you can find a convenient one through a local hospital, the...
View ArticleScreening for congenital heart disease in newborns
Heart defects in newborns are among the most common birth defects in the United States. Heart defects occur during fetal development when the structures of the heart don’t develop normally....
View ArticleWhat is coarctation of the aorta?
Coarctation of the aorta describes a narrowing of the aorta, which is the major artery carrying blood from the heart to the body. The congenital condition constricts blood flow from the heart to the...
View ArticleHow pregnancy affects your heart
Pregnancy causes profound changes in your body, including ones that affect your heart as your body works to produce and supply enough blood to keep your developing baby healthy. During the first 5-8...
View ArticleWhat are atrial septal defects?
A normal heart has a muscular wall known as the atrial septum that separates the organ’s upper chambers, or the left and right atria. If there is a defect in this wall, it’s known as an atrial septal...
View ArticleCauses and treatments for sudden arrhythmia death syndromes
Each day, hour, minute, and second, your heart is beating to a regular rhythm that provides life-giving oxygen, blood, and nutrients to your body. If something occurs to disrupt the normal heart...
View ArticleHow to recognize a cardiac defect in newborns
While major congenital heart defects are sometimes diagnosed before birth through imaging studies like a fetal ultrasound, in most cases, doctors only diagnose a congenital defect after the newborn or...
View ArticleCardiac development in babies
A new baby’s heart begins to develop as early as week five of pregnancy (3 weeks after conception) when the tube of muscle forms that will someday be the baby’s heart. This first primitive structure...
View Article9 common cardiac defects in children
Congenital heart defects are the most common types of birth defect, affecting nearly 40,000 infants in the US each year. These conditions—which form in the baby’s heart while it’s still developing in...
View ArticleWhat is an amniotic fluid embolism?
An amniotic fluid embolism, or AFE, is thankfully an extremely rare complication of birth. It only occurs in about 1 in 40,000 deliveries, but it can be deadly, with a 20 to 60 percent mortality rate....
View ArticleWhat is Hashimoto’s disease?
Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease in which a child’s own immune system attacks his or her thyroid gland. The disease interferes with the thyroid’s ability to produce thyroid hormones and...
View ArticleAmniotic fluid embolism – diagnosis and treatment
An amniotic fluid embolism, or AFE, is thankfully an extremely rare complication of birth. It only occurs in about 1 in 40,000 deliveries, but it can be deadly, with a 20 to 60 percent mortality rate....
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