Congenital heart defects cause a wide range of symptoms. Your baby may have only mild
symptoms and tire easily, for example. He or she may have life-threatening
symptoms, such as
severe difficulty breathing. Or your baby may not have
any symptoms that you notice at birth but may have them later as he or she
Symptoms usually go away after the defect is corrected. A
congenital heart defect that is repaired at the right time is less likely to
permanently affect your child's growth and development.
Common symptoms include:
- Difficulty breathing.
This often is noticed when your baby is active, such as during feeding or
- Poor weight gain. When most of a
baby's energy is spent pumping blood to the body, little is left for eating and
growing. Your baby may tire when eating and may take longer than expected to
- Sweating, especially
on the head. You may notice that your baby has damp hair and cool, moist skin.
- Fatigue and fussiness. Your baby may be too
tired to play and may sleep most of the time.
- Dehydration. Signs of dehydration include having dry mouth and eyes and having dark and strong-smelling urine.
- Sudden weight gain or
puffiness and swelling of the skin, seen most often around the eyes and in the
hands and feet. These symptoms may be most noticeable when your baby first wakes up. The
weight gain or puffiness can be caused by fluid retention that is related to
poor blood circulation.
Symptoms of blood flow problems
Blood flow problems caused by heart defects can mean that
your baby gets less oxygen. This happens mostly in children who have
cyanotic heart defects ("blue babies").
If a baby has trouble getting oxygen or the heart is working extra hard, symptoms include:
- A bluish tint (cyanosis) to
the skin, lips, and nail beds. This becomes worse when your baby cries or eats.
- Slower-than-expected growth and development (with more severe
congenital heart defects). Your baby may weigh less, be shorter, and take
longer than expected to learn skills such as standing and walking.