Whether it's a bundle of joy all snug in pink and white, or a tiny baby boy nestled in mom's arms, every baby born in February at MedStar Washington Hospital Center will be sporting little red hats. It's part of the American Heart Association's Little Hats, Big Hearts project.
Each tiny cap comes with an important message for new mothers like Jamie. That heart health starts at birth.
"I knew it was Women's Heart Health Month," Jamie tells WUSA9's Andrea Roane. "But I didn't know it was for babies too."
"We all know about heart disease being the leading cause of death among Americans," says
Dr. Reginald Robinson, a cardiologist at MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute. "We don't know over 40-thousand cases of Congenital Heart Defects occur each year."
Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are the most common medical problems causing infant deaths in the United States. But a simple test can help spot CHD.
"It's called a Pulse Ox," says Dr. Robinson. "It's a monitor they put on a finger or baby's heel and it checks the blood flow, an indirect way of checking the oxygen level."
In our area the Pulse Ox test is mandatory for every baby before they're discharged from the hospital.
