Heart disease during pregnancy can present a wide spectrum of potential issues. From simple cardiac complications like palpitations, or heart “fluttering,” to advanced heart failure eventually requiring hospitalization, heart conditions in pregnant women can be complex and dangerous. Some symptoms may arise from the regular changes that take place during a normal pregnancy, such as extra heartbeats and shortness of breath due to the growth of the placenta and uterus. However, it’s vital for your physician to recognize when something is out of the ordinary.
Several safe, non-invasive tests can be performed to help clarify a potential cardiac diagnosis. An...
It was like any other beautiful, sunny day in Texas. My husband and I had just settled down in Texas, and we couldn’t wait for this day. It was time for my 20-week pregnancy scan, and just like any other expecting parents, we couldn’t wait to find out if we were having a little boy or girl. This was our first baby together, so it’s safe to assume we were pretty excited.
We arrived to our appointment to begin the ultrasound, and I remember the technician asking if we would like to know the gender of the baby. We both said “yes!” The technician started the scan and almost immediately said “congratulations, you’re having a girl.” We were ecstatic. However, the scan...
Photo by Smiley Pool Photography
Elon Musk is building a rocket to transport people to Mars and a supersonic rail to make traveling long distances on this planet less time-consuming and more environmentally friendly. Biomedical engineers are using 3-D printers to create intricate parts needed in a moment’s notice in surgery. Anyone with a smart phone can order items from books to clothing to gourmet food and have it delivered in less than an hour. We are living in incredible times of innovations all to make life simply better. Yet with all of these incredible advances, we still have not...
At 24 weeks, we discovered our little guy had hydronephorsis. His bladder was full and the urine was backing up into his kidneys. We were terrified! We searched endlessly for answers, and looked for any hope and help we could find.
At the time Google directed us to a different fetal center. There we received a very glim outlook. A horrific picture was painted for us and our baby’s future. We felt helpless, scared and were given very little hope. We continued to search for help and answers.
Our prayers started to be answered as we found Texas Children’s Fetal Center. When I was about 26 weeks into my pregnancy, we met with Florence (our nurse support and...
Dec. 6, 2016 is the day that changed our lives forever. It was the day I was going in to hear my sweet baby's heartbeat at our local hospital in Louisiana and to find out everything was OK … but to my surprise I had an ultrasound done that showed Eli's bladder was very enlarged and completely filled with urine and it had no way to escape.
I found myself in complete heartache and pain because I had no idea what this finding would mean for our son, but I knew it wasn't good. We were seen by a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist the very next day who diagnosed Eli with LUTO (lower urinary track obstruction). It is a condition that's very uncommon. It happens to 1...
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