Heart Murmur

[PnkPolkaDots]

Hi ladies,

I'm not currently pregnant and probably won't be for while, but that's not the point of this post! Last night I went to urgent care for a tight chest/trouble catching my breath. It ended up being severe acid reflux, but the physician who saw me also detected a heart murmur. I have never been diagnosed with a heart murmur before! I do know that when I was born, I had difficulty with a heart valve and turned blue. My mom said that they checked my heart at all my checkups and never told her of anything abnormal. Also, two years ago I had an EKG done, and it didn't pick up anything abnormal.

Has anyone had any experience with heart murmurs? I know I really should see a specialist for more information, but I am so scared right now about how this will affect my future pregnancy and birth experience. Frankly, I worry that my heart valve isn't working correctly and that the stress from pregnancy and birth (especially birth!) on my body will simply be too much for my heart. I have this vision of me pushing during birth, and my heart simply exploding from so much stress and me dying right there. Is that even possible?

 

[staralfur]

My doctor found a heart murmur when I was pregnant - I hadn't had been diagnosed with one before that.

She sent me for an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to make sure it was just the extra blood flow from the pregnancy and not something structural. You said you had an EKG, but it might put your mind at ease to request an echocardiogram so that you know they've actually LOOKED at your heart and found everything to be structurally okay.

My results came back normal and I gave birth with a heart murmur with no issues whatsoever.

 

[Eleanor ace]

I have a valve disorder,one of my symptoms is a heart murmur (comes and goes, it has been detected at various times in my life but not at others). In my last two pregnancies I developed tachycardia (fast heart rate) and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). With my 1st pregnancy it was just chalked up to pregnancy induced tachycardia and the arrhythmia wasn't looked into. With my 2nd pregnancy I got quite poorly and that's when it was looked into and my condition was discovered. It was scary, I was told I might have to deliver early so I could have treatment but it all worked out, medication worked a treat and once LO was born I was a lot better. This time around I have had checks before getting pregnant to make sure that I'm "heart healthy" as my doctor puts it and so far my heart has been fine- I was already experiencing cardiac symptoms by this stage with my other children. Knowing what we were dealing with really seems to be making a difference as it has meant I can get my heart into a better shape with medication, make diet and lifestyle changes and generally get into a better position to have a healthy pregnancy.
I would really recommend having tests done to check whether your valve is still an issue- I know that often babies have valve issues at birth and they rectify quickly so it may be that you are just experiencing an unrelated heart murmur, but knowledge is power . If you need it you will be under a consultant during pregnancy who will make sure you get the best care and that your delivery can be tailored if needs be.
I've not experienced any issues with my heart during labour bar a fast heart rate and have had 2 good deliveries, if it helps!

 

[babifever]

I had a heart murmur at birth, and every once in a while a doctor will find it. I was just talking about it with my doc this week regarding the baby, he said heart murmurs are harmless....its just a echo, can't remember his exact words....