Simple test that could save newborns....

The month of February is Heart Awareness month!  Every day during the month of February I will post a different picture and story of a different heart warrior or heart angel!!  I hope you enjoy their stories!!!  

What do you know about Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)? Congenital means that you are born with the heart condition. Did you know that it took so many sweet, innocent lives every year? 

One of those sweet children happened to be my child, Heart Angel Lily Grace! We did find out about Lily's heart during my pregnancy so we were all ready for her fight to live.. not all parents get that lucky!  


Now about this picture: "Pulse Ox Screening"-A simple screening test could pinpoint babies who are at risk for heart defects and potentially save their lives, according to a new study.

The test -- called a pulse oximetry test -- consists of sensors placed on a baby's hand and foot to check the baby's blood oxygen level. If it's too low, a heart ultrasound is conducted to detect any congenital (present at birth) heart defects.

Fifty percent of babies with congenital heart defects are identified during pregnancy, but that percentage could go up to 92 percent if this blood oxygen test was utilized, BBC News reported.

The "test is simple, painless and quite cheap -- picks up warning signs even in babies that seem healthy," study researcher Dr. Andrew Ewer, M.D., told BBC News. it can also pick up other health problems, like infections and breathing problems.

Congenital heart defects are extremely common, affecting 1 in 100 babies in the United States.
Some symptoms of a heart defect can be seen or easily detected but this is not always the case. A simple pulse ox reading would have saved so many babies that passed away too soon because their heart defect was undetected. Lily's heart defect was detected by ultrasound but not all children are that lucky.

Here is one mother who lost her sweet baby and she could have been saved if the pulse ox reading was mandatory.. https://www.facebook.com/Coras.Story?group_id=0

When my niece Lyla was born I asked one of the nurses if they would do a pulse ox screening on Lyla and she said.. that's not standard if the child presents like their heart is fine.. You see it is not mandatory in all states yet.. It kind of upset me because.. Neither did Cora... and she passed away 5 days later.. we need to educate and bring awareness to this!!