Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)
December 29, 2009 by Christine
Filed under Awareness & Hope
Cora Mae McCormick
Today I am honoring Cora Mae McCormick a beautiful baby girl who lost her life when she was just five days old to an illness called Congenital Heart Defect, or CHD.
Cora was born November 30, 2009 and was called home to Heaven on December 6, 2009. Her Mom Kristine has written a beautiful blog in memory of Cora and is on a mission to bring awareness to this disease.
Please visit her blog today, the one month birthday of daughter Cora, and post a rememberance for her parents.
In her blog, Kristine writes:
“Cora died in my arms suddenly and unexpectedly while breastfeeding December 6. She was only five days old and was born November 30 just a few days before her December 4 due date. One moment I looked down and saw her peaceful face growing sleepy from breastmilk. A matter of seconds later, and I looked down to a limp, pale baby, face covered in blood, with no movement. I screamed, jumped up and realized she wasn’t breathing.”
New Mom’s are insanely cautious about watching their children for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and often attend parenting classes so they’ll feel confident bringing home a new bundle of joy. Yet Mom’s are not prepared for the worst imaginable nightmare-Congenital Heart Defect. Cora’s story brings awareness to this disease as her Mom Kristine is available on Twitter and her blog, encouraging new Moms to be aware of this illness.
According to the parents support group Little Hearts, Congenital Heart Defect is present at birth. Some people refer to this as Congenital Heart Disease or Childhood Heart Disease and all use the abbreviation CHD. Cora was born a healthy baby with no signs of defect and Apgar scores of 9. Yet her illness is more common that we think:
- Approximately 40,000 babies are born each year in the United States with a CHD.
- That equates to 1 out of 125 babies born with a heart defect.
- It is the #1 birth defect with more occurrences than Spina Bifida, Down syndrome or hearing loss yet many are not aware of this condition.
- There are about 35 different types of congenital heart defects
Source: Little Hearts
Many congenital heart defects have few or no signs or symptoms, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. A doctor may not even detect signs of a heart defect during a physical exam. Severe cases may unveil a few symptoms, such as rapid breathing, bluish skin tone, and fatigue-difficult to diagnose in a newborn. In some cases,
Heart defects can cause abnormal blood flow through the heart that will make a certain sound called a heart murmur. Your doctor can hear a heart murmur with a stethoscope. However, not all murmurs are signs of congenital heart defects. Many healthy children have heart murmurs. Source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Both of my children were born with a heart murmur following a difficult delivery in my first child and repeat C-section in my second child. The hospital doctors monitored my newborns with a stethoscope and concern in their voices, warning that the baby had a heart murmur. After two days in the hospital, both babies were sent home and never showed any sign of CHD.
Depending on the type of murmur your doctor hears, he or she may order further testing such as:
- Echocardiogram or transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
- Cardiac catheterization
- Chest X-ray
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- MRI
Source: WebMd
In remembering Cora on her one month birthday today, her family has asked that we show acts of kindness in her memory. My act of kindness for Cora is to bring awareness to Congenital Heart Defects and to ask each of you to pray today for all parents affected by CHD.
More Information on Congenital Heart Disease
Little Hearts Parental Support Groups
Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Day
Congenital Heart Information Network
If you know a family with CHD, please reach out in support and in the memory of Cora. Post a comment on her Kristine’s blog and share compassion with this family in memory of their beautiful daughter. Steven Curtis Chapman says in his song Heaven is the Face, “Heaven is the place where she takes my hand and leads me to You.”
Remembering Cora,
I can’t even fathom going through something like that. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.
When I gave birth to my first child (now 19) they kept me and the baby in the hospital for a week. two weeks if a c-section is required. Now the insurance companies want the mother and baby (if born healthy) out in two days. The majority of CHD’S dont show up in 2 days of birth. I feel that if newborns are to be released, it should be mandatory to have all tests for the heart done before a baby is released we should start an online petition requiring all these tests become mandatory. Sorry for your loss.
Thank you for posting pictures of Cora and sharing her story. My Little girl Kimmy is 9 months old and has multiple CHD’S.