What to do if your child’s heart is beating abnormally fast or irregularly A child whose heart is beating fast or irregularly often won’t have the vocabulary to describe what’s happening. While an adult may be able to say “I am having palpitations”, children may describe vague chest symptoms, a fluttering or racing heart or…
Although it can be unsettling if your child feels dizzy or faints (also called syncope), it is usually not due to a serious underlying heart condition. “Although feeling really dizzy or fainting certainly can be uncomfortable, usually it can be treated with some self-awareness, behavioral changes and attention to nutrition and hydration,” said Christopher L….
After trying to get pregnant for five years, Kaitlyn Goff of Nelson County, Kentucky, couldn’t have been more excited to welcome her baby boy into the world. At that point, she knew something was wrong, and doctors confirmed her baby had a heart defect. “It was heartbreaking,” she said. “We finally got pregnant,” Kaitlyn said….
At 18 weeks pregnant, Brittany Walden learned she was going to be a “heart mom.” Her baby’s growing heart showed some abnormalities. After months of Brittany meeting with specialists and more scans, Emery Walden was born in October 2020 with a heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with pulmonary stenosis. HLHS is a…
Imagine yourself in the shoes of an expectant couple visiting their OB/GYN for their 20-week pregnancy ultrasound. Thrilled to see tiny images of your baby on the screen, the mood changes as the ultrasound sonographer notices something abnormal. You go through a roller coaster of emotions as you learn the health of your baby is…
Southern Indiana are getting the sophisticated pediatric heart care available at Norton Children’s without having to leave their hometown. Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, has an extensive network offering pediatric cardiology testing and follow-up care at 16 cardiology offices, 30 tele-echocardiography locations and six fetal echocardiography locations across Southern…
About 1 in 7 U.S. teens have high blood pressure or elevated blood pressure – conditions that often have no symptoms and can lead to serious heart issues as they grow into young adults. Obesity is more common among teens with high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teens with high…
Baylor Rusher was born in March 2021 with several heart defects — double-inlet left ventricle, great vessels transposition and stenosis of the pulmonary artery. It all started with a routine ultrasound. Chelsea Rusher, who was pregnant with her son, Baylor, was getting a 20-week anatomy scan. During the scan, the provider noticed a complication: It…
It’s not a matter of how much heart you have, but how much heart you give. That is true for Johnathan Young. He was born with half of a working heart. Johnathan, age 11, is the youngest of Greg and Jill Young’s three children. When Jill had her 20-week pregnancy ultrasound, the clinician noticed something…
The commonly-known “goal” for healthy blood pressure in adults is 120/80, but this guideline does not apply to many children. “What is considered a healthy reading for adults could indicate an unhealthy blood pressure for some children,” said Jyothi M. Matta, M.D., pediatric cardiologist with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of…
Community members have an opportunity to send children who are patients at Norton Children’s facilities a Valentine’s Day greeting. The greetings can be selected at NortonChildrens.com/Valentine. From Feb. 1 to 10, 2022, people can choose from seven different Valentine’s Day cards with heartfelt messages on the front and fun kids’ activities on the back. The…
In many cases, preventing heart disease in children can be accomplished with lifestyle changes. Preventable heart disease in children is increasing, likely tied to a widespread increase in childhood obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 children ages 6 to 19 is obese. Children in the U.S. typically…