heart murmer poor wieght gain

[danny06]

while in utero my ob found that my sons heart was skipping beats they did an eco and everthing apperd alright but they watched it closley. he was born 4wks and 1 day premature and was breathing fine and his heart sound fine. he is now 17 days ild and we are going to the dr every 4 days because he isnt gaint much wieght, 3 days ago at his appt the dr heard a heart murmer and this is the first time anyone has heard anything wrong with his heart since birth.  he wont eat more then 1oz at a time so they put him on high calorie formula, he sleeps alot and this is my 4th kid so i no babies sleep alot but he sleeps all the time, mabey awake 1 hr a day total and thats just to eat and half the time i have to wake him up to eat. this just dosnt seem normal to me at all. could someone pls explaine is skipping beats and a heart murmer the same thing? and any input would be great. also id like to add that for the last 4 mo of my pregnany i was on bed rest and taking 25mg of toprol xl (beta blocker) beacuse i developed a heart arrythmia (wide compex irregular tacycardia) thanks for any imput

[julianovak]

YEAY!!!!! happy yo hear good news!!!! my daughter is healthy but too LOVED to sleep i swear she slept for twomonths straight.

[danny06]

went to the dr today and he gained some wieght, i told them about the blue lips and they said he probubly holding his breath while hes eating and checked his o2 it was 100%, he still has the murmer but they said its faint and sounds like an innocent murmur but they will keep checking for it at every check up. and the sleeping all the time, well they told me to try and force him to stay awake by messing with his feet and keeping the house loud and with 4 kids that shouldnt be a problem, lol. but they said he looks healthy

[LosingMyMindInGA]

If his lips are turning blue at any point it sounds like he's not getting enough blood flow.  You definately need to insist on more tests.  

[danny06]

id also like to add that i have been noticing when he eats his lips turn a blueish color and after hes done they go back to pink within a few min. i will def tell the dr about this later today when i see him. i think i will request another echo to just be safe, thanks for your input

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Anything is possible, or they could have missed it.  Or the ped could be wrong.  BUT, with the things you have described it's best to make sure the doctors check him out as thoroughly as necessary to make you comfortable that all is all ok.  If tthe ped won't refer him to a ped. card. and you are not happy with that, then I would call one yourself and see what they say.  Just keep in mind, doctors are there for YOU, they are paid BY YOU.  

[danny06]

he sees his dr agin this afternoon so i will ask him about that. 2 1/2 wks before i had him they did a echo on him witch was clear. can something develop in a mo?

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I don't know much about heart problems but I agree with spade22.  You really should talk to his doc about further tests and talking to a pediatric cardiologist.  

[spade22]

Heart murmur and skipping beats (heart palpitation) are two different things.

A heart murmur is when a "whoosh" is heard between beats of the heart as a result from blood flow and can have a benign cause or can be from something more serious such as congenital heart defect.  

A heart palpation is when the heart beats in an abnormal fashion such as extra beats, or skipping a beat.

Since both palpitations and a murmur have been detected in your son along with the fact your sons sleeping patterns dont seem normal to you (and a mother often has a 6th sense about this type of thing) and he isnt gaining weight normally definitely require close monitoring.  Has his doctor recommended that you see a pediatric cardiologist or ordered any other tests such as ultrasound of this heart?  If not, you might ask if this would be appropriate in his case.