Transcription
I had always heard for years that they always told patients with tetralogy of Fallot, "We can't have babies." So, I would have to be one of those people that could kind of prove him wrong and say, "I can do it with the right care."
These animals, with Mom and Brody, Brandy, who was born with a heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot, which is one of the more common heart defects, we did the appropriate testing so that we knew that she could successfully and safely make it through a pregnancy without significant complications.
Everybody knew exactly what was going on with me in my situation throughout the entire nine months with each pregnancy. Your heart disease can change and worsen, and she stuck with it. She came to the follow-up testing and appointments as we had advised her to do.
My first pregnancy was exciting. It was planned; everything was smooth. I knew exactly what was going to happen. They really kept it very, very stress-free for me.
With my daughter, Amy, they actually discovered that she had a VSD. For patients that have known congenital heart disease while they're pregnant, around 20 to 26 weeks gestation, we'll actually do an ultrasound on the baby's heart to look for heart defects in the child. As scary as it was for him to tell me that day, it was comforting to know because had I not had the care, you know, and the extra caution because I'm a patient with it, it would have come as a surprise. Where instead, we had a plan.
Brandy is a patient who has taken the ideal course of treatment and care throughout her life. Certainly, lifelong care and routine follow-up is the best course for everyone. We know that doesn't always happen, and so we're here to provide you with the options of treatment and how we can best improve the state of your heart health at the time we do meet you.
My doctors told me, "You know you have to take care of yourself, and if you don't take care of yourself, you're not going to be well enough to take care of the kids that you have."