Implantation at Birth

Hi! I'm new here. I am 32 weeks pregnant and the baby has complete heart block, which will require a pacemaker at birth. Anyone have experiences with implantation at or soon after birth? Thank you!

3 Comments

facebook

by crossettae - 2014-01-13 08:01:40

Are you on facebook? I am part of a young pacemakers club on facebook. There are a lot of people on there that have had children with pm implanted at birth. I have found that facebook group to be very helpful. (I have a pm, but have seen others on there talking about their children that have them) It might be worth checking out.

Yes

by Pacemum - 2014-01-14 04:01:07

My daughter who will turn 14 in a few months has been paced since she was a few months old. Her heart block was caused by a number of factors as she has congenital heart defects.

Living with a pacemaker from such a young age just becomes normal as they never know anything different.

You are fortunate that your child's condition has been picked up so that plans will be in place for your child's birth. It is very worrying for you though as it is not a nice thought to see such young babies need surgery. Really hard to see your child whisked away soon after birth for any sort of operation but it means that the condition can be treated. My daughter had her first heart operation at just two days old and looked so tiny as she weighed just 5lb 8oz at birth.

Pacemakers make such an important difference to lives of young children and we are very lucky to have this technology for our children.

Outcome

by CCG - 2015-08-10 12:08:03

Hi,
I hope everything turned out ok for you and your baby. I am 31 weeks pregnant and my baby has 2:1 heartblock. As of now, I'll just be monitored carefully and, of course, baby will be closely monitored after birth. So there are no plans as of now for a pacemaker. I'd love to hear your story. I have no idea what to expect in the weeks to come.
Thanks, colleen

You know you're wired when...

You can hear your heartbeat in your cell phone.

Member Quotes

I am 100% pacemaker dependant and have been all my life. I try not to think about how a little metal box keeps me alive - it would drive me crazy. So I lead a very active life.