A health writer shares their experience being diagnosed with life-long heart defect and murmur during their third pregnancy.
s a mom of two, I always imagined a third pregnancy would feel like a breeze, even though it had been a decade since I was last pregnant. My first two pregnancies felt easy, with my only “complications” being early contractions with my first, and some sciatic nerve pain with my second.During this pregnancy, I learned something about my body I never knew before: I have a hole in my heart, and it's gone undiagnosed and undetected my entire life.
While lying down hooked up to monitors in the ER, my heart rate spiked, alarming the nurse writing down my information. “Yes, and I’ll pass out in 30 seconds.” though, is for a pre-existing heart issue like atrial septic defect to be discovered during pregnancy. My situation is rare, but it can happen. Some people may need surgery or medication to treat atrial septic defect and its symptoms, but because mine was small and wasn't posing immediate threats to my health or my baby, doctors chose to monitor me closely instead. An extra level of care was required because it added a layer of risk to my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum quality of life.
“Having that support person, who knows you and knows how to seek help in those moments, is so important,” says Brenton. This doesn’t mean my risk of a future health issue is gone, though. Many people who have heart-related health issues during pregnancy can have complications post-birth and later in life, per the. Because of this, I have to get an ECG and blood work done regularly. And if anything feels off, my doctor will refer me for a Holter test again.
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