How should we care for our baby who was born with a congenital heart defect?

See your doctor: Keep in close touch with your baby's cardiologist.

Depends on deformity: Some congenital cardiac deformities are minor, others are quite serious. Your pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist will be working with you to teach you to provide the best care for your baby. Never be afraid to call with questions. No newborn parent's question is ever trivial.

Depends on defect: Some, like the VSD can close on their own in the first year & need nothing more than monitoring by your pediatrician.Some are life threatening immediately after delivery and require immediate transfer to a tertiary hospital for surgery.Find out from your treatment team. Take notes often and keep contact numbers for treating physicians available at all times along with a list of any medications