Heart murmur in 3 week old...What to expect?

Question

Last week we took my daughter in for her 2 week check up (even though she was almost 3 weeks old) The doctor told me she had a heart murmur and recommended we see a pediatric cardiologist. I called the place he recommended and we have an appointment on friday. What can I expect to happen at this appointment? Does anyone else have/had a child with a murmur? What happened? What do they do if it is a problem? Any info/experiences is appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

more times than not it doesnt really effect the child.. My sister and friend both have heart murmurs.

Answer 2

I don't know what you can expect at the appointment, just wanted to stop by and say... I had a heart murmur. When I was growing up I was always told not to do certain things, but I did them and was fine. Sometimes my blood pressure would get high when I did certain things (Like run the mile at school) but otherwise I was fine. My murmur went away, and I'm perfectly fine now. Please don't baby your child, it won't help the murmur. My primary care doctor told me that if I wouldn't have done things, to build my heart up, I'd still have the murmur and it would be worse and I'd have a bad heart when I get old. If she has a murmur and they say don't let her climb trees, let her climb them if she wants. I was a stubborn kid and wouldn't let people baby me. Thank goodness for my hard headed-ness! But don't worry over it, and don't lose sleep over it. She'll be fine! I am!

Answer 3

Don't freak out, sometimes they heal themselves.  The Dr will determine how bad it is and what may need to be done if anything.  Just take it one day at a time, chances are very good your daughter will be fine!  Best wishes

Answer 4

A heart murmur is not such a big deal. It just means that you have an irregular rhythm where your heart skips a beat. For example, most hearts beat "bump, bump... bump, bump." Whereas, a heart murmur might be more like "bump, bump... extra moment of silence... BUMP, bump."

I know because my sister has had one her whole life. The only difference in anything she's ever had to do is take a pill before going to the dentists office & having her teeth cleaned/ flouride/ x-rays. Otherwise, she's got no problems what-so-ever.

Answer 5

Try not to freak out to much most of the time the heal up on there own .  I have three children and two of mine have heart murmers. My oldest never had to go anywhere about it but my son had to go to a specialist and it looked kind of scary because they put these little patches all over his chest (I wish someone would have prepared me for that) But then they said everything would be fine and it would heal on its own.

P.S. I didn't find out about my son's untill he was 3 years old.  They did say that he shouldn't be around smoke or alot of candles or strong perfume.

Answer 6

Best case scenario, its not severe and will have limited to no effect. They should grow out of it  Maybe restricted physical activities.

Worst case would be need of a transplant.

Wish you the best of luck and hope there are no complications in whatever it is you need to do.  ( I am in no way a doctor and just know a little on this subject so please don;t take this a doom and gloom,  every case is different)

Answer 7

I believe that it depends on the size. If it is small they may just keep an eye on it, and it might jsut grow out of it. . If it is larger thy might have to do a procedure, and your child might have reduced activity

Answer 8

my oldest son had a heart murmur and he grew out of it by 6 months of age. I they will prolly just do a ultrasound so make sure there is no blockage in the heart. Most of the time heart murmurs are outgrown. If not they can cause anything from seizures and or just lack of oxygen for a few seconds good luck

Answer 9

my 78 year old grandfather has had a heart murmur his whole life and is healthier than i. hope it works out well for you and your newborn

Answer 10

My son was born at 25 weeks, 1 day, and therefore was under very close watch in the NICU.  One of the things he was checked for daily was a murmur.  We learned during this time that when babies are in the womb, they don't need to send blood to their lungs for oxygen, so their vessels allow the blood to bypass their lungs.  After birth, when the blood needs to go to their lungs, new vessels form but the old ones don't always close right away, which can cause a murmur.  This can be temporary or permanant.  She may just need to be checked periodically to see if the murmur is fading (i.e. the vessels are closing) or if she will have it permanantly.  In most cases, even permanant murmurs will not impact a child's life very much if at all.  (I'll be 30 this month, and have had one my whole life -- it's never impacted me one bit.)  

Answer 11

My son had a heart murmur and tachycardia from day one. Your first visit they will do history and then doctor will listen. Ususally they do nothing. My son is now 7 months old, and my mother is 50 who was also born with one. They most of the time grow out of it. Good Luck! she will be fine. God Bless

Answer 12

my daughter is 2 yrs old and had had a murmur since birth...this causes her no trouble on a day to day basis and she is checked every 6 months by her Paediatrician.

There are two types of murmur. one is called and "innocent" murmur. This is the most common and the one my daughter has. it is basically just an irregular rythem, and most children grow out of them by about 7yrs of age.

the other kind is slightly more serious, it can be caused by a problem with a heart valve etc, but again, very easy treatment.

I would try not to worry until you see your doctor...which i know is easier said than done. best of luck, let me know if i can be of any further help !!

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