One in every 125 babies is born with a heart problem which is more than 5,000 newborns each year in the UK!! It is a scary statistic and my girls make up 2 of 125. They were born with heart defects and have since had open heart surgery!
The baby heart’s charity Tiny Tickers wants to make sure that every baby is given the best possible start by increasing understanding of the real purpose of the 20-week scan.
The 20 week scan is one of the most in-depth health checks a baby will have during pregnancy and it’s the very best opportunity to spot heart defects before birth....
If you are pregnant, you can test just how much you know about it through an online quiz. At the end of the quiz you can also request an information pack which will give mums to be a check list on what questions to ask the sonographer at your 20-week scan giving you the confidence to protect your tiny ticker.
When I was pregnant with both of my girls their heart defects were not noticed....I have since found out by a couple of the best heart specialists that the defects would have been there when I had the 20 week scans....They were just missed. Maybe we were unlucky, maybe the people doing the scans were distracted by looking at my double uterus or maybe they hadn't been trained enough at looking for problems with the heart.
Tiny Tickers train sonographers to spot defects during routine pregnancy scans, support families with a diagnosis, campaign to improve service standards, raise awareness and support academic research.
Prenatal detection rates have doubled since Tiny Tickers was launched.
Early diagnosis of heart defects gives babies a better chance of survival and long term quality of life. Detection during pregnancy means the right medical experts can be on hand at birth, treatment can begin as soon as possible and parents can start getting the support they need from the start.
Tiny Tickers are aiming to reach all pregnant women with practical information which could save their baby’s life.
Please take a moment to take part in the Think 20. Think HEART quiz and then share it on your social media accounts....Together we can build vital awareness and reach the 1,000 babies sent home every year from UK hospitals with a heart condition that nobody knows about.
I didn't realize this was so common. Thanks for sharing #pocolo
ReplyDeleteIt's so scary that it is so common but hardly known about.
DeleteThanks for sharing this - really important information.
ReplyDeletehttp://lizziedailyblog.blogspot.co.uk/ #pocolo
Thank you!
DeleteWhen our boys were born they did have some heart problems as well. Being born at 25 weeks does have its drawbacks. Eddie had a tiny little whole in his heart, which was monitored but they decided not to intervene. Both boys also had pulmonary stenosis. Before Alex came home they did a procedure on him which is called a balloon valvuloplasty. They are now 5 years old and don't show any signs of their tiny tickets not working as they should. Sounds like they are doing some amazing work at Tiny Tickers! #PoCoLo
ReplyDeleteAww! Bless them.
DeleteI am so glad they are doing so well. That's great news x
Hi Kim, that is a lot of babies getting sent home with undiagnosed heart defects! Mums should know what to expect from their twenty week scan and it is only right that sonographers are better trained to pick up heart defects. Your girls always look so happy and healthy (I know that's only an outward thing), but I hope their heart defects don't impact on their quality of life.
ReplyDeletexx