Did you know?
1. "Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 1% of―or about 40,000―births per year." (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/data.html)
2. "Congenital heart defects are a leading cause of birth defect-associated infant illness and death." (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/data.html)
And, get this...
3. "Of all newborns who present for an autopsy without an explanation for their cause of death, nearly 40% will be found to have had congenital heart disease (CHD) which was not diagnosed while they were alive." (Weber, MA, Ashworth, MT, Risdon, RA, et.al., “Sudden unexpected neonatal death in the first week of life: autopsy findings from a specialist centre.” J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med., 2009 May;22(5):398-404)
Take action!
Know the signs of Congenital Heart Defects, and share them with the new moms in your life:
Tomorrow's topic: Pulse Oximetry Screening
1 comment:
These heart posts from you have definitely made me more aware than I ever was when pregnant with my two children. I actually found myself concerned at the ultrasound while she was checking for the heart. I guess at this point the best she could reassure us is that the four chambers are clearly distinct. I'll definitely be asking about Pulse Ox at the hospital though. Thank you so much for sharing yours and Ethan's story!
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