my baby has trisomy 18

[nolan_lexi]

Thank you for taking the time to read my question...my son is alittle over 9 weeks old now.
He was diagnosed in utero with trisomy 18 we decided to keep on with the pregnancy and now have
had so much time with him already! His medical conditions include a VSD and DORV hes had
2 ECGs and the doctor sees no heart failure...now im wondering how long will it be till they may see heart failure begining?

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

For babies with Trisomy 18, it is very difficult to predict how long they will live and how well they are doing.  Generally speaking, gaining weight and growing is a good sign.

[nolan_lexi]

Thank you so much....he has always breathed alittle harder than a normal baby i was told that its because his heart is working harder than a normal heart. Is this true?
he is 10 weeks old and about just alittle over 7 pounds. he was born at 4pounds 10ounces...i know he grows slower than a healthy baby..but if hes gaining wieght throughout the months is this a good thing?

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

"Heart failure" is a non-specific term that usually indicates too much blood flow going to the lungs and also that the heart is working extremely hard to pump blood because of pattern of blood flow.  Clinical signs of heart failure in a baby include increased rate of breathing or difficulty breathing, poor feeding, and poor weight gain.

If your son has had none of these symptoms so far, it might be because the structure of his heart results in a relatively equal balance of blood flow between the lungs and the body.  If your son is on medications for his heart condition, it might also be that the medications are working well to help him.

Under these circumstances, it would not be easy to predict when he might start to show signs of heart failure.  I'm sure you will continue to work with your son's cardiologist to help optimize your son's management.