Connecticut Children's Blog

“Nothing can prepare you for the moment when you realize you will not be able to hold your newborn,” says Marisol Casado. But there it was: Just 20 weeks into pregnancy, a routine ultrasound showed an abnormality in her baby’s heart. “The second my doctor told me, my heart dropped. I could feel it in […]

At the age of 5, Jenna-Lee loves learning from her teachers at school and is excited to head back to the classroom this fall. She also loves dancing, playing piano and belting out her favorite songs. She can often be found helping to care for her younger brother, Indio, age 3, and engaging in spirited […]

Diana and Jarrod Perry remember sitting in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Connecticut Children’s, hearing that their newborn daughter needed open-heart surgery – and that her condition was so unique, specialists from the Divisions of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, Neonatology, General Surgery, Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery were working together to create a whole new […]

The American Heart Association recommends children ages 6 to 17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Preschoolers and toddlers need even more than that. But it’s also winter in New England – which means it’s freezing outside.     Want more articles like this from pediatric experts you […]

Olivia Belfonti wasn’t even born yet when her parents, Tricia and Arnold, knew there was trouble—serious trouble—with their baby. Tricia was 19 weeks pregnant when an ultrasound showed that Olivia’s heart had only one ventricle. Instead of the normal arrangement, where one side of the heart pumps oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the rest […]

For Siaana’s family, every day is a day of thanksgiving. Siaana, a sweet little girl who just turned 5, was diagnosed with a rare heart defect in November 2014, just days before the Thanksgiving holiday. Her parents, Annie and Ajay of Wethersfield, were shocked to learn that their 10-month-old daughter had a congenital heart condition […]

It was October 21, 1996, and Shari Cantor had just given birth to her fourth son, Jacob, at Hartford Hospital. At first Jacob seemed to be perfectly healthy. “I was sitting there with this beautiful baby with a perfect Apgar score,” Shari says. “But then one of the nurses came to look at him and […]

It’s been more than six years since Marina Tribuzio and her brother, Pete, were born, weighing just over 1 pound apiece. Both babies, who were born three months early on August 11, 2012, faced a host of challenges that premature newborns often face, but Marina was also diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect known […]

By Adria Giordano, Gabriella’s Mom As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, our home becomes a sea of red hearts… from cookies and decorations, to candy and card making, I tend to go a bit overboard during this time of the year. Hearts are kind of a big deal in our family. A very big deal. And […]