Blue Lips??

My daughter at 10 months had an episode of blue lips and under the eyes when she walked across the floor. They diagnosed her with Athsma. It wasn't a big deal, they did x-rays in the ER. She was put on a nebulizer, and now at 15 (today lol) she has an inhailer. I was a new mom and only 19, I was scared to death, but I had a great pediatrition, and it all worked out. I hope you have the same luck.

C.

Hi J.,

At this point it's senseless to tell you not to worry because I'm sure you are doing just that. But keep in mind that the doctor didn't hear anything (she probably discussed it with her colleagues and decided to play on the safe side and have an expert take a look), the prenatal tests showed nothing and she seems to be thriving. While this is in no way a guarantee, it should give you some peace of mind.

That said, let me say that if it does turn out to be heart related, the things that doctors can do these days are miraculous. My son was born 20 years ago with a heart defect and had surgery when he was 6 weeks old. Today, knock on wood, his heart seems fine. But if they could correct what he had two decades ago, I can only imagine what they can do today. Another thought is that many some defects don't need surgery and can be outgrown. I outgrew the heart murmer that I developed as a preteen.

Please let us know what happens.

CJ

I have mitral valve prolapse, which was diagnosed as a child because my lips turned blue when I slept or exerted myself. I was followed by a pediatric cardiologist all through my childhood and now see one yearly. I never was limited in my activities and I was very active in sports. When I got winded I just had to rest for a few minutes. I know heart issues can be scary but it seems pretty common and many times don't cause any problems. The ultrasound is just like what you had when pregnant, she may not be happy about it, but it won't hurt her at all!

Hi J.,
I am a mother of a "heart baby" and know how scary it can be. Even the the name "pediatric cardiologist" can make you break into cold sweats. In my experience these doctors are amazing!!! Your doctor just wants to be careful. The echo(ultrasound) itself is super easy. It is just like the ones you had during pregnancy. It will help if she is sleepy just so she will lie still but even that isn't a big deal. Don't put any lotion on her before you go in case they want to do a cardiogram (just so the tabs will stick). Try not to worry. Remember, you had lots of prenatal ultrasounds and they checked the heart. They caught my sons heart defect when I was 20 weeks pregnant. Focus on how healthy she is and try not think about it.
S.

This may not be the same thing, so please forgive me if I speak out of turn!
My son was born with two holes in his heart that one very thorough nurse caught right before we left the hospital. She thought she heard an abnormality when checking his heart and she said "I just want to be sure." As shocking and worrisome as that is to hear, especially as a new Mom, consider the alternative. Again, not knowing if it's the same thing, it's always better to catch anything early.
My son went to a pediatric cardiologist for echocardiograms (?) for the first 18 months of his life until, thankfully, the Dr.'s said the holes had closed on their own. (Apparently, it is a very common accurance with newborns). You couldn't have told me then not to worry, so I wouldn't tell you now. But their diligence in monitoring every aspect of his heart health,as well as their answering every question with compassion and care, gave me much peace of mind in those worrisome times.
Just make sure you have faith in your doctors, know that there is excellent care available, with amazing technology behind it and be thankful that they are as thorough as they are!
PS - My son is a healthy and VERY active 6 year old now!

Hi Hon, I worry about my kids regularly anyway, but in your case, I wouldn't get too stressed out until after the cardiologists appointment. Don't worry until you know what to worry about. And now that I've said that, just know, that no matter what anyone says you're still gonna worry that's what, we as parents, do. Also, I wish you all the best and hope everything works out ok for you.
K.

My son had episodes where he turned blue - his lips, hands and feet, from about 6 - 18 months old. He had all kinds of tests on his heart, lungs, etc. and they found nothing. Does this happen often? For Andrew, it was normally when he got cold. It lasted for 15 minutes or so, then went away. While I think it is smart to get everything checked out thoroughly, this may not be anything serious.

First and foremost it sounds like you should speak with your pediatrician regarding the reason for referral for pediatric cardiology. On another note there are various causes of bluish lips and it is possible that your pediatrician is being cautious and ordered cardioloy consult to help rule out one possible cause. I work in prenatal medicine and can say that second trimester ultrasounds are great tools but can be limited in what is detected esp depending on gestational age at time of ultrasound and center where scan is performed. It certainly never hurts to explore every avenue of possible causes. I remember by pediatrician ordering extra labs on my son due to his anemia of unknown origin and akthough many possible causes were unlikley the tests were still ordered. Hope all works out okay.

The first think I think of with blue lips is heart. An ultrasound or echocardiogram of the heart is a painless and quick procedure and it will give you a definite answer if your daughter has any heart issues. Try not to worry but look forward to the test to rule out any issues that need attention. Dr's are miracle workers and if they do find something they will fix it. The sooner you know the better. Good Luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed it's nothing.

Hi J.

My son's daycare provider was also concerned about my son b/c his lips turned blue. I can't remember exactly how old he was at the time, but I know he was less than one year. (He's 8 now).

We went to see our pediatrician and he made an appointment for us with a pediatric cardiologist.

Everything came out normal for him. I think that most pediatricians don't have the proper equipment to monitor the heart as well as the cardiologist, so that is probably why the referred you and not b/c of anything they found on the ultrasounds.

I hope everything works out!

Hi J. -

Many pediatricians today are so concerned with getting sued that will check for the worse case scenario. This happened with my daughter 3 times and my husband and I were totally freaked out thinking that my daughter had irreversible problems. My suggestion would be to have her checked out it can't hurt. However, I am not sure where you live but I would demand that your child be seen by an MD at Children's hospital. We went to several hospitals with my daughter and no one had a clue except Children's. Also, if your daughter does have a cardiac problem - you would want her to go to the best Child Cardiac Specialist in the nation. In the meantime why not try supplement breastfeeding with formula to insure that your daughter is getting enough iron. Maybe this will resolve the problem. Good luck - my prayers are with you - I know what it's like to have a MD throw out some horrible diagnosis to a first to a first time parent.

Hi J.,
When my daughter was four days old we were sitting in New England Medical Center waiting for a Cardiologist. Around her lips would and still do turn blue. As you experienced her pediatrician took her O2 stats and they were fine. Even still to this day my daughter who is three turns blue frequently. She has what is called circumoral cyanosis. Until last month we saw a Cardiologist every six months with many echos and ekg's. There is no explanation except a small shunt that never closed since birth. I wish you and your daughter the best of luck. I know this must be a scary experience for you.
Good Luck,
Jen

J.,
My daughter had several heart problems due to prematurity (born at 26 weeks, weighing less than 2 lbs after 12 weeks w/o amniotic fluid). She had 2 open heart surgeries before she was even 3lbs.

It is a very good thing that your Dr. is doing a complete exam. The majority of the time that babies are refered to see a specialist it is for screening and preventative care. Many times there are no abnormalities (and your prenatal u/s is a good thing to focus on since they are usually very accurate). When there are abnormalities it is best for Dr's to catch them early on.

There is a wide range of things that can cause babies lips to turn blue (both of my babies had blue lips and for completely different reasons). One possibility is that often with very young babies they have a PDA murmur. It is a shunt that is open during pregnancy that is supposed to close when the baby takes their first breath. Often with premature babies, and occassionally with full term babies this shunt does not close. There are a few simple medications that (most of the time) work. In other cases, such as with my daughter the medication does not work and they go in and surgically close the shunt. I was completely amazed that they were able to close my daughter's PDA when she was not yet 3 lbs. It is a surgery that is done commonly, so the outcome is usually very favorable.

There are many, many other options ranging from normal development with a strange benign behavior to the more serious spectrum.

Please do not worry. Write down any questions or concerns you have ~ pedeatric cardiologists are usually really great at answering questions ~ they realize it is a stressful time for Moms. Our most recent visit for the cardiologist at the Children's hospital resulted in an echocardiogram and an EKG ~ both were completely normal (and the Dr actually expected them to be normal). Her Dr ordered the tests to be able to tell me everything was normal and to reassure me... and also to show her other physicians that her lack of weight gain is not being caused by her heart (now we get to move on to other organs).

See what the cardiologist has to say, then go from there :)... and keep enjoying your new little bundle!

I wish you well.

A.

My first thought was, "Was it cold in the examining room?" That said you are under good medical care and do not be too concerned with. Have you ever noticed the color change at home?

Be careful with the iron thing. It causes constipation.

First of all, don't worry until the doctors tell you to worry. they are only trying to rule out any problems. With my oldest (now 23) I had a Horrific week waiting for tests to see if she had leukemia. She didn't, Thank God, but I understand what thoughts are going through your head. Just pay attention to the doctors and be thankful she is so healthy and developmentally on-target. This way, if there is a problem, she will have a head start on tolerating treatment and recovery. Good Luck.