The day after I gave birth, my pediatrician checked my baby. She heard heart murmurs on my daughter’s heart. Because of this, she referred my baby to a cardiologist. The cardiologist performed 2D Echo and confirmed that our baby has PDA. I was shocked because I thought PDA is a grave disease but the cardiologist told us there’s a possibility it will close on its own. I didn’t have any idea about PDA so the cardiologist explained to me and my husband. I’m going to continue sharing my daughter’s PDA story after the definition of terms.
For better understanding, let’s define the words in the term Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).
Patent means open.
Ductus arteriosus is an extra fetal blood vessel that joins the aortic arch and pulmonary artery.
Now let’s define the term Patent Ductus Arteriosus.
It is a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) or heart problem where the ductus arteriosus remains open days, weeks or months after birth. “The PDA lets oxygen-rich blood (blood high in oxygen) from the aorta mix with oxygen-poor blood (blood low in oxygen) in the pulmonary artery. As a result, too much blood flows into the lungs, which puts a strain on the heart and increases blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries.” (kidshealth.org)
Children with PDA:
have breathing difficulties
have poor weight gain
gets tired easily
What’s normal?
Normally a ductus arteriosus closes after birth. All babies while developing in the uterus have a ductus arteriosus that allows oxygen-rich blood not to pass through the lungs to proceed directly into the body. Their lungs are not used because they get oxygen directly through their mother’s placenta. At birth when the umbilical cord is cut, the placenta is removed. “The baby's lungs must now provide oxygen to his or her body. As the baby takes the first breath, the blood vessels in the lungs open up, and blood begins to flow through them to pick up oxygen. At this point, the ductus arteriosus is not needed to bypass the lungs. Under normal circumstances, within the first few days after birth, the ductus arteriosus closes and blood no longer passes through it.” (www.stanfordchildrens.org)
References:
kidshealth.org
My Daughter’s PDA Story
After the explanation of the cardiologist, I felt a little bit at ease. The cardiologist said we’re going to observe our daughter first for a month or so. If she still hears heart murmurs on the next checkup, she will prescribe medications. If medications won’t be effective, then the last resort would be an operation.
I was hoping we won’t resort to an operation. After one month, we went back to the cardiologist for a checkup. She could still hear heart murmurs. She asked us if our daughter perspires easily or if her lips turn dark when she cries. She advised me to continue breastfeeding my baby and to be updated with her vaccinations.
During the next checkup, she heard faint heart murmurs so she didn’t prescribe medications. She just checked if our baby is gaining well. When we had another checkup, the cardiologist did the same thing. This time she didn’t hear any murmurs. She requested for a 2nd 2D Echo to check if the PDA has closed. When our baby turned 4 months, we went back to the cardiologist for a 2D Echo. It’s confirmed that my daughter doesn’t have PDA. I was ecstatic when I heard the news. It's truly a wonderful blessing from above.
Comentarios