Think 20. Think HEART.
I remember chatting to a close friend of mine before her 20 week scan and her telling me that she was pretty relaxed with it being ‘just a box ticking exercise really’. I knew this not to be the case; as the baby heart’s charity ‘Tiny Tickers’ latest campaign Think 20. Think HEART busts this myth.
One in every 125 babies is born with a heart problem – that’s more than 5,000 newborns each year in the UK. Tiny Tickers wants to make sure that every baby is given the best possible start by increasing understanding of the real purpose of the 20-week scan – the very best opportunity to spot heart defects before birth.
Mum Lauren with baby Mason, who had surgery at 4 weeks old to fix his heart and is now an adventurous 2 year old. Mason was born with Tetralogy of the Fallot -a heart defect, which was thankfully detected during Lauren’s pregnancy.
So if you are pregnant, go to www.think20.org.uk to complete an online quiz and find out how much you know about the 20 week scan. At the end of the quiz you can request an information pack with a check list on what questions to ask the sonographer at your 20-week scan giving you the confidence to protect your tiny ticker. Please take a moment to take part in the Think 20. Think HEART quiz and then share it on your Facebook or Twitter. Together we can build vital awareness and reach the 1,000 babies sent home every year from UK hospitals with a heart condition that nobody knows about.