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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen you contact your baby's doctor about your concerns, he or she may ask you to schedule an appointment or immediately refer you to a heart specialist for children (pediatric cardiologist). This will depend on the severity of the signs and symptoms you have described over the phone.
Because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment and to know what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
Preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time together with your baby's doctors:
- What kinds of tests will my child undergo?
- What are the options for treatment? What are the possible complications of treatment?
- What is the long-term outlook for my child?
- What impact would a heart defect or the subsequent treatment have on another condition my baby has?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your baby's doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your child's doctor will likely ask you the following questions:
- Does your baby ever appear blue?
- How long are feeding times, or how much does your baby drink?
- How often and how long is your baby sleeping?
- How does your baby respond to touch?
- Have you noticed changes in any of these behaviors?
When your baby was born, your baby's height, weight and head circumference were recorded, and these measurements are taken at all regularly scheduled appointments with your child's doctor. He or she will repeat these measurements during a special appointment and determine if there has been any delay in growth.
Your baby's doctor will also listen to your baby's lungs to assess his or her breathing and the possibility of fluid in the lungs. The doctor will listen to your baby's heart to determine if there are irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia) or an abnormal whooshing sound caused by turbulent blood flow (heart murmur).
For babies with truncus arteriosus, much of their medical care is provided by a pediatric cardiologist along with a pediatric cardiac surgeon and often a whole team of specialized staff.
