The heart tots who fought and won
PICTURE the prime candidate for heart disease and you’re probably thinking of a middle-aged bloke with a beer belly and cigarette in hand.
But while that stereotype is true, some of those most at risk are at the opposite end of the scale – tiny newborn babies.
Congenital heart disease is one of the biggest killers of babies in the UK, the cause of one in 13 infant deaths.
Every two hours a baby is born with a serious heart defect, but only 50% of heart issues are picked up before the birth.
The charity Tiny Tickers works to improve early detection at the 20-week scan and teaches parents about their baby’s heart.
Jon Arnold, head of the charity and dad to Zoe, 10, who was born with a serious heart condition, says: “Only about half of these life-threatening defects are spotted during pregnancy. Our Think 20 campaign tells mums-to-be all about how their baby’s heart grows and what a sonographer will be looking for.”
Alan Cameron, Professor of Foetal Medicine at Glasgow University, says spotting defects early leads to better survival rates. He says: “Medical experts can be on hand at birth; treatment can start early and parents can get specialist support.”
Because 1,000 babies per year leave hospital without their heart defect being spotted, Tiny Tickers is running its ‘Think Heart’ campaign, see below. Here four mums whose babies had congenital heart problems tell their stories.