How do i help manage my child's heart birth defect?

Variable: Some defects like small ventriculoseptal defects close all by themselves and require no intervention, others like hypoplastic left heart require transplant. Unfortunately how you manage the defect depends upon the exact nature of the disease.

Get Good Advice: The best way to help manage a heart birth defect is to first identify the problem. Then seek advice from a qualified pediatrician or if more complicated, a pediatric cardiologist. Some heart birth defects actually disappear with age. Some are permanent, but harmless. Others require more intense therapy or even surgery.Your doctor can guide you.

Educate yourself: Because there is a wide range of heart defects, the best thing you can do to manage your child's defect is to learn as much about it as possible. Your child's pediatric cardiologist can inform you about what to look for as signs that your baby may be having more trouble and may need to see the doctor. Learn about the baby's medications, and if surgery is needed learn about it before it happens.

Develop a logbook: One of the best things one of my patients mom's did over the years was develop a log book.In it she always had detailed information about each physician involved in her daughters care.There were updated schematics of what the heart defect was, and what shunt/repairs were in place. There were med lists and when started/stopped. The other data was always quite helpful when I needed to review it.

All of the above: The answers you have received are very helpful. The specific care depends on the heart condition your child has; I would leave that to your child's cardiologist. But educating yourself and creating a log book can be especially helpful.