I heard you were expecting your first child, congratulations! I'm sure this is a very exciting time in your life and you must be anxious to find out boy/girl.
I wanted to share something with you. Did you know heart defects affect 1 in 100 babies? Don't worry though! There are some questions you can ask and a test to help check your baby's heart.
At your 20 week ultrasound, take this flier with you to help you ask about your baby's heart.
I know finding out the sex if your baby is the most exciting time! I was nervous and excited with both my pregnancies to find out. What I wish I knew then were these questions and maybe we wouldn't have been surprised when my second son was born with heart defects.
There is also a test to help detect heart defects after birth. It is called pulse oximetry. It is quick and painless and you can hold your baby while it is done. This is another thing I wish I knew about when I was pregnant. Don't you want to feel the extra security of knowing whether your child has the most common birth defect? Every mom I have told this to has assumed it was done already, but that's not always the case. In most places you have to ask for this test, but that's ok! I have another flier to help you ask!
I hope you don't mind me sharing this with you. I'm not trying to scare you, only educate you. When you are a new mom there are a lot of scary things when it comes to babies! I simply want to help ease those worries by letting you know a few life saving tips.
1: ask about your baby's heart at your 20 week ultrasound
2: ask for pulse ox
Not to hard to remember right?!
And just in case, here are the signs of a possible heart defect for you to be aware of. I hope you never have to refer back to this.
With all my love,
Corbin's mama