Interview AN42

Brief Outline:

Their daughter was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome, Tricuspid Valve, Coarctation of the Aorta, Transposition of the Great Arteries. Treatment' A banding operation at 22 hrs old, repeated at 1 week old. A cardiac catheter at 10 months and a CP shunt at 1 yr. Further palliative operations planned. Current Medication: Phenoxybenzamine Hydrochloride. More of this interview can be seen on the Congenital Heart Disease site as interview CHD06.

Background:

Child's age at Interview: 15 months. Age at diagnosis: During pregnancy (20 weeks). Parents marital status: Married. Occupation: Full time Mum, Father-Postman. Other children: One older child. The family live close by to a specialist hospital.

Discovering her baby had a heart condition made the pregnancy traumatic. She would rather not have known during pregnancy.

I met some people in the hospital and they says to me they found out after they gave birth. They said, "Oh I wish I had known while I was pregnant". I think I if I had had a choice I would rather have not known, because it was such a traumatic pregnancy which couldn't have been healthy for me or the baby, which is a shame really. Things could have been so different.

But then I suppose the other side of the coin is that they was prepared for her, they was ready when she was born, she didn't risk having a collapse or anything and they looked after her brilliantly, didn't they? You couldn't fault the hospital at all, they was absolutely superb.