In womb Badycardia

10 years ago I gave birth to my son Andrew; who died from what the doctors said was bradycardia.  I declined any further medical examinations and testing.  I figured god gave him to me prefect I will give him back the same.  Andrew only lived about an hour.  The Dr.'s never explained to me what caused bradycardia.  I know that it is a decrease in the heart rate; in which, can be caused by physical activity and other factors.  However I want to understand and know what can cause this in a infant and one in the womb.  I did eberything the Dr. asked me to do during my pregnancy.  I didn't smoke or drink. I exercised, and ate right.  I know it has been 10 years, but time doesn"t heal the pain I have.  I have since had 2 other children who are happy and healthy, and I love them more than anything in this world.  I just want to know more about what happened to my Andrew.  The Dr.  who delivered him has since retired and moved away.  

                                          Thank you,
                                                 AndrewsMommy00

[ireneo]

I am so sorry for the loss of little Andrew. He may have been with you only a short time but he'll never be forgotten.

I'm not sure what happened. As in any creation of a new person, things just happen. His heart may not have formed quite right and he had rhythm problems. It's not always the Mom's fault. You did all you could to give him an excellent start. You see it all around you, babies born with various problems. For Andrew, it was his heart.

I don't have the medical answers you need. Perhaps a pediatrician could explain what might have happened.

Congratulations on having the other 2 children. Enjoy them as much as you can (kids can be a handful at times). They do change your life. I have 3 and can't imagine my life without them now. Even got my first 2 grandchildren last year. What a joy.

[AndrewsMommy00]

I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words and thoughts.
Yes I am very blessed and thankful for my 2 other kids; they are my life. They give me complete joy and happiness.
I am so happy to hear that you were blessed with 3 and 2 grandbabies this year.  That is totally awesome.  
I am doing some research on this, and so is my A&P Prof.
Again Thank you.

[ireneo]

Sounds like a good research project. Finding ways to prevent birth defects in children is a very good cause. Getting old and worn out (like me LOL) is not unusual but seeing a child born with problems just doesn't seem fair.

Take care.

[grendslori]

I just wanted to say how very sorry I felt reading your post about this beautiful little baby. It is always so hard to lose a child; it is always: what could have been. The loss so great never disappears, especially for a mother. There is always the reminders on the birthdays, how old Andrew would have been, who would have been his friends, what grade in school would he have been in at this point 10 years down the road. He's missed his first day of school, his first crush (probably on his teacher) his first true love, his wedding day....the list can go on and on. As a mother who did everything right, those thoughts, I'm sure still haunt you. He is still with you, a fine veil simply divides you and try to find comfort that Heavenly Father will reunite the two of you someday.

You are trying to understand the bradycardia Andrew suffered from. It may surprise you to know that 1 in every 100 children born today is born with some type of heart disease. There can be many reasons for the bradycardia that Andrew suffered from. The most common thing is something called Sick Sinus Syndrome, however this would have been easily rectified with a pacemaker. The fact you do not mention this being implanted, or at least an attempt to implant, tends to tell me that your son was in the process of returning home and pacemaker or not, he was not going to stay in this world. Again, I am SO sorry for the loss you have sustained. Enjoy the two children you have, cherish every moment you have with them and understand that even though little Andrw was only part of your life for a brief moment in time, in that time, he gave you a strength that few mothers will ever know. God bless you