Heart Murmur in 2 Month Old

My second son had a test for this at Beaumont when he was a bit older. He was fine, didn't have one. I heard from a lot of parents at that time that it was a common concern but the tests often come out negative.

Hi N.,
I am a mom of three kids and two of my kids have a heart murmur as well as my husband has one (family trait). My oldest, a girl, was found at her 1yr well baby check up. At the time we lived in Wichita KS and the doctors office had the EKG machine so she was tested there every year until she was three. then we moved to metro MI and when she was four and it was time for a recheck her doctor send us to Children's Hospital to see a pediatric cardiologist where we where told that she has an innocent heart murmur and to let medical personnel that see her know about it but no further special treatment is needed (i.e. antibiotics before dental care). When my youngest was born his murmur was found as a newborn and at about one to two months we were send to Oakwood Hospital where they did the imaging EKG and he then saw the Pediatric Cardiologist at 1 yr. and at that time we were told he to had an innocent murmur. Then when he was 3 1/2yrs he fell and needed stitches and I took him to the emergency room the doctor heard his murmur and I had completely forgotten he had a heart murmur because it had been so no big deal. I have two kids with a heart murmur and they were checked by cardiologist when they were little but other than when they have new medical history forms is it an issue. I hope this helps with any fears. M.

I am just checking my email before I am leaving for work so this is going to be short. I have 6 yr old triplets. My daughter was diagnosed with a heart murmur at 18 months old when I switched from my family dr to a peditrition (sp?) Yes it is normal to see a pediatric cardiologist for a heart murmur to see if it is innocent (suppose to be there) or not. My daughter has a pulmonary fistula. Right now she goes to the PC to be checked every 2 years to see if it has closed. It hasn't so far but other than her having to take a large dose of antibiotics before going to the dentist she is a normal child. It does not slow her down in any way. If you want to contact me I would be more than happy to talk to you further about it. ____@____.com

My daughter sees Dr Suarez at Toledo Hospital.

Hugs
M.

My husband was born with a heart murmur. I don't think there is anything that you can do for it. He's lived with it his whole life and is very healthy. Infact, his heart pumps out a better percentage of blood than the average heart does. The only thing the doctor told us to do is to get it checked every few years the older he gets.

Both of my children have had heart murmurs that doctors have heard at different times...I'm sure your doc just wants to get it checked out to be sure. My daughters is always more evident when she has a cold. My son is just over 2 months so we're still in the "monitoring" phase of it. Just to ease your fears, I had a friend in high school who had a heart murmur and she was on the basketball team with me, so it doesn't have to be anything serious. Good luck!

Whenever there is a heart murmur in a child, the doctors have to take precautionary steps to avoid lawsuits. They probably just want to make sure everything is OK. Most of the time, it is just fine. Worst case scenario, they might find one of the valves in his heart not closed, and have to do a minor procedure to fix it. They just go in through the leg, and put a device in the artery up to the heart, and close it. They won't do that until he's older though. My daughter had hers done at 9 months. It's just an overnight stay.

Hi, N.

An issue was detected by an enlarged nucal fold in my son's neck during my pregnancy but didn't require anything to be done at the time. When he was born, he was 9 lbs 2 oz and seemed healthy and strong. However, he had a heart murmur and they detected it at each well-baby visit and when he wasn't gaining much weight, he was sent to a Ped Card at 1 year old. He seemed fine, didn't turn blue while nursing/eating and I figured since he was so big at birth, his growth was just plateauing a bit. He had an ECG and they saw what they thought was Ebstein's Anomaly where the lower right chamber's valve is lower down in the chamber, making that chamber quite a bit smaller than normal. There was also a small hole between the upper two chambers. We took him again for a sedated ECG b/c he was so squirmy at that age and they got a better look and confirmed Ebstein's. It seems to be a mild case and his body is doing fine right now. We've gone 2 times during the last year for follow up checks and now he doesn't have to go again until one year from now. So chances are even if your son has an issue, it may not require medication or surgery. In our case, it is simply something they need to keep an eye on to see how his body handles it as he grows. My son is happy and healthy and hopefully surgery will never be required. Praying for you!

N.,

My little sister has a heart murmur as well. Her dr also requested further testing from a specialist. The specialist said there are good heart murmurs (causing no harm) and bad murmers (ones that could potentially cause problems.) Hers turned out to be "good". My sister is completely healthy and has had no problems as a result of her murmur. I really don't know anything else about it. I hope this helps in some way.

N.,

My daughter's peds dr heard what she thought was a heart murur (at her 2mth check up) and they wanted us to go the the pediatric cardiologist to get it check. They actually sent us the next day, I was so scared.
The Pediatric cardiologist was wonderful (he is thru St.John and was rated a top dr in Michigan) - he did all kinds of testing and they found she has a hole in her heart (med size) which can close anytime. She also has the narrowing of one of her valves. We saw the Peds cardiologist at 2mths, 8mths, 14mths, then 26mths and then we don't have to go back for a year 1/2 (so she will be 3 1/2). She is a very very active little girl - she has no problems and no restrictions and she does not have to take meds before the dentist (they changed that requirement last year). She may have to have surgery (not open heart) to close the hole if it does not close on it's own but that is years away.
Try not to be worried (I know easier said than done) but get a good dr and do your research on what they say. If you are nto happy with that dr get a second opinion.
If you want email me ____@____.com and I can give you my dr's information.

Good luck and keep us updated

I took my daughter in when she was 3 weeks old for her 2 month check up (yeah, I know but we had just moved, and very glad we did now!). The doctor heard a murmur. He said he was going to call the ped. cardiologist to make us an appointment because it could be nothing, but he wants to be sure. This was on Jan 30. 2006. 2 days later, in the cardiologist office, we found out she had to have surgery... 1 week later, she had it. She was exactly a month old. She had what is called coarctation of the aorta. The aorta was smaller in one part and it was putting a lot of pressure on that side of her heart (the pumping side), making it twice as big as the other side because it had to work so hard to get blood though there too, that it grew stronger, in a bad way. The pediatric cardiology surgeon corrected it with a closed heart surgery (large scar from about her nipple to the middle of her back!). Now, almost 5 years later, she is still very healthy, no problems and we see the heart doc. once a year. He says she will need to have a balloon catheter open it up sometime before she is 10, but that was an upped age from 6 a few years ago!
I think it was more serious than the doc.'s let on, since a week after knowing the prob she had surgery. I think she would have had a heartattack, and it would have been written off as SIDS. I thank God for the doctor that caught that murmur, cuz I wouldn't have my baby girl if He hadn't put my daughter under his care!
I know you wanted to hear stories of people saying that it isn't a big deal, but it certainly can be! Don't ignore it. Now the same doctor did hear a murmur in my oldest child's heart at his visit later, which he had an appointment with this doc. after his little sis's surgery. But the doc. said that a lot of people have murmurs, but they usually don't indicate anything. He then went on to make the sounds of a normal heart then the sound my daughter's makes. It was a big difference, I even got to use a stethescope to hear it. He said that doc's are trained to know which ones are normal and which ones are not, and the ones that are not they send to the cardiologist. And you never know, they can be sending you down for a normal one that just sounded a little off, and no worries, but yes they do send you if it sounds off. Just to make sure, or in my daughter's case, and I am sure many others, to save their lives.

p.s. Doc's usually won't say if your child has a normal murmur, I am not sure if that is b/c it doesn't mean anything and don't want the parent to worry or what, but probably.

Yes, please have it checked out. Heart murmurs at that age usually go away with time, but it probably is good to get a baseline now, for comparison sake in the future. Your doctor will probably just keep an eye on it. If the murmur does not go away, your child may need to be premedicated for dental work or surgeries. My son's murmur went away, so don't worry too much. Take care.

My sister had a heart murmur and outgrew it as an adult. Many people are born with heart murmurs. I'm sure the doc just wants to check it out to be safe. Good luck!

R.

N.

I have a 20mo daughter and when she was about 16mo the ped. found a heart murmur as well. I was nervous since she has always been just fine and it always sounds serious if it involves the heart. Any way I took her to my naturopath and he checked her out and said she was fine. I do not remember the percentage of kids that have heart murmurs and they typically grow out of them around 12 or so without having any physical restrictions.

I know that not everyone with a murmur is fine, but from what I have found out, the majority of kids grow out of it and are just fine :-)
But it never hurts to get it checked out further

Hope that helps put you at ease a little

All three of my children have heart murmurs and they're all benign - of no medical consequence. I know it's frightening, but from what I understand a lot of children have heart murmurs which are no problem at all. Also, when you see the pediatric cardiologist, find out if your child would need antibiotics before visiting the dentist. If it's a harmless murmur he probably won't - my kids don't - but just be safe.Good luck and enjoy your baby and daughter - Alison

My daughter had the same thing happen. They send you to the specialist just to make sure that it is in fact a murmur. After our visit the doctor just rules on what type of murmur it is and let's you know for sure that they have one for future reference. The doctor informed us that she had several murmurs and most will probably subside as she gets older but, she may have one or two of them for the rest of her life. Murmurs are not a big deal, medical professionals just want you to be informed. So, for instance; if you take them them to the ER with a high fever their hearts will be pounding and sounding very stange to them at the ER. Just make sure to inform them that your child does have a murmur or they may freak out. Hope this helps you!

J.

Hi,

When my daughter was born she as well had a heart murmur and, our dr.referred us to a specialist and,this was within the first week she was born.We took her in and they told us everything was fine and that alot of babys are born with it and that eventually it just goes away after a while. She is now three months old and when i take her in for her checkup her pediatrician says that its still there but very slight. I hope that this information is helpful.

Sincerely Mona!!

It's a normal request. My son had a heart murmur and we went to a ped cardiologist for 2 years and he is fine now. If you had a c-section this is common because babies often have a hole in the heart where normally it would have closed by coming down the birth canal. You'll feel better having it checked out. Good Luck

N., Hi my son was premature and they found a heart murmur in him. We went to the dr at 3 months and have to go again when he is 9 months. As far as I know, they are not too critical. OUr son has 2 holes in his heart which are causing the murmur. We were told because of the size of the holes he will be completely fine and live a "normal" healthy life, they may actually close as he grows.
Good luck, I hope everything goes well.

I was born with a heart murmur as well. It is completely normal for your pediatrician to recommend a pediatric cardiologist. I was seen by a Cardiologist until the age of 16. My doctor told me that I could do any normal activity like any other kid, and I did. I ran, involved in Martial Arts, and play outdoor sports, and have 3 beautiful kids. You would be surprised how many children are born with a heart murmur. Good luck and its something to keep an eye on, they wanted to do heart surgery on me, but that was years ago. Good luck with your son, he'll be fine.

Hi, I read some of you advice and I want to say that we had to go to a specialist for the same thing. You got great advice from everyone, but one thing I want you to know is if you breastfeed to have a plan, if your baby takes a pacifier, great! I had my 8 week old screaming and moving around. I nursed her before we did it, and she would not take a pacifier. The tech that was doing the ultrasound on her heart kept asking me if I could give her anything. It was horrible for me. Now that I have five kids I would get up on the table and nurse her, but I was not there in my parenting then. Just something to think about. Hopefully you get someone more understanding! Good Luck, my daughter is great now, she still has a heart murmur, but she has no restrictions and had no surgeries. I hope you have the same luck!

One of my children was born with 3 holes in her heart. One between the atria, and 2 between the ventricles. 2 have closed on thier own, and one is pin-hole sized. We have no restrictions, or treatment other then the dentist thing. She is 8 now, and the ped. cardiologist said there is still a small chnce the last one could heal on it's own, but with her older now, not very good.

I hope your evaluation goes well. It at least puts your mind at ease, and you know what is the cause.

H.

N.,

Our son's doctor sent us to a cardiologist to check out a heart murmur. While it is quite common and most kids outgrow them by the age of two, we felt better getting it checked out.

The cardiologist was great with us and with our son-he explained what he was seeing and told us to come back after our son turned two just to make sure that all was well.

Good luck.

I know that you are probably frightened. I am a nurse, so perhaps I can reassure you. Many babies have murmers that turn out to be nothing, but only a cardiologist can tell you it if is an inconsequential murmer, or a sign of a more serious problem.
Normally,in the womb, there is open circulation through holes (either atrial sepal defects or ventricular septal defects)in the heart and between some of the larger blood vessels( patent ductus arteriosus). Usually they close at birth. If your baby's did not, there are some medications that speed the closing. In severe cases, surgery fixes it. That is unusual, since the medication usually does the trick. There are a few other, rarer problems, that one trip to the cardiologist will rule out. Some murmers just require watching and no treatment unless they worsen.

Hope yours is one of the inconsequential ones. L.

I would assume that it is normal. I've never experienced this, but I would listen to your baby's doctor and good luck!

I have a heart murmur that doesn't require any care. You can hear it better when I'm pregnant (increased blood flow). I was told that a vast majority of people have a murmur and it's nothing to worry about. I do have a son born with 2 holes in his heart. We see the pediatric cardiologist every couple of years to see how well those are closing up. I would get it checked out just to be exactly sure what your dealing with but most likely you'll be told it's nothing to worry about.

Since you have a medical background, I'm sure you know the importance of keeping it all in perspective. My son was dx with a heart murmur as a child but no followup was scheduled, other than the next routine office call. Eventually it either righted itself, or he outgrew it because no Dr. has detected it and he is now almost 18.

I can only assume (I do not work in peds) that it is because of his age. My best guess would be to rule out a heart defect that may have been missed at birth or earlier. As you know, the earlier a problem is dx'ed, the easier it is to correct. I am curious, however, and it'd be great to hear the outcome...

~L.

My daughter had the same thing. Our doctor told us they told us about it at birth but she didn't. We only found out at about 2 months old. Which upset us because there are major heart problems in my husbands family. She sent us to a pediatric cardiologist. We did all the tests and the doctor kind of looked at us like what are you doing here because the heart murmur was so small. He told us to come back in a year but between that time her regular doctor never heard the murmur again (She's 2 now) so we haven't been back. I think its best to take her just for peace of mind that it isn't anything major and if it is it is sometimes easier to fix early on. Also from what I have read a lot of children will outgrow heart murmurs.

At about 4 months, my son's pediatrician heard a heart murmor and wanted us to follow up with a pediatric cardiologist. We did, and it turned out to be an innocent heart murmor and no follow up is necessary. My son is almost 3 and sometimes they hear it and sometimes they don't. If for no other reason, you should see a cardiologist for piece of mind. Too many children are are having problems at older ages because they never knew they had treatable heart problems! The docotr we saw was Dr. Cutler. She was very kind, explained everything to us and made us very comfortable. I have since had other friends who have had to see her for the same issue with their children and they haev all been very satisfied. Here is her info:

Pediatric Cardiologist
Nancy Cutler, M.D.
3535 W 13 Mile Rd #707
Royal Oak, MI 48073-6769
###-###-####
(Medical Building at Royal Oak Beaumont)

my daughter is now 7 and perfectly healthy....when she was born the dr. heard a murmur so she saw the cardiologist in the hospital and at 2mths, 6mths, 1yr, and2yrs. they did an ultrasound and an ekg(I think that is ith right letters) just put some sticky things on her chest and hooked some wires to them, she had 2 holes one was closed by 1yr 2ond by 2yr. I was told most holes close by themselves but some require surgery......I repeat MOST are nothing,so I wouldn't waste time worrying until the cardiologist says to.

N.,

My daughter's heart murmur was a PDA Patent Ductus Arterios (I hope I spelled that correctly). This is the one that's supposed to close shortly after the baby is born. If it doesn't close then the cardiologists will follow it to make sure it closes on it's own or they recommend surgery.

My daughter's didn't close on it's own so they did a heart cath when she was almost three years old to place a coil or spring device in the spot to close it off. The surgery took around four hours and she spent the night in the hospital and was released the next day. The incisions were so small I can't even see them now (she's almost seven). Scar tissue will form around the coil and won't even be detectible if she had another heart cath. Now, it can only be seen on an X-Ray. We followed up with the cardiologists until she was five, per their recommendation and now everything is good to go.

My daughter was thought to be asymptomatic (no symptoms)but she woke up from the surgery a different child. We thought she was just very laid back but she came out of the surgery with so much energy we thought they gave us the wrong child. :) It was wonderful to see her feeling better.

I wouldn't worry too much. It's probably just a follow-up to make sure it closes. Most of them do and don't require surgery these days.

Good luck and hang in there and enjoy your children. :)

The docs found a heart murmur in our daughter, but not until she was 2. They did send us to a pediatric cardiologist and put her through tons of testing. I'm not sure what they will do with a 2 month old. It was actually really good because those specialists really know what they are doing and it made us feel at ease and get some answers that a pediatrician might not know. Good luck.