First-time mom raising awareness on heart health after ordeal nearly took her life and her child's
LONG ISLAND (WABC) -- On National Go Red Day, a new mother is hoping to raise awareness about cardiovascular health, in particular when it comes to women, after suffering a frightening heart-related ordeal just before giving birth to her son several months ago.
Three-month-old Rowan has a birth story he will probably hear for the rest of his life.
"He got to be in a helicopter," said Rowan's mother Morgan Sanchez. "They had all the best doctors there just to make sure that you were OK."
All births are miraculous, but Rowan's is a little more so.
"The fear that one of us may not make it, both of us may not make, it was honestly terrifying," Sanchez said.
Sanchez, 31, of Farmingdale, her husband Chris, and their doctor explain a situation they hope other future moms don't take lightly.
"She was complaining of palpitations for some time, and they were deemed to be just pregnancy related," said Northwell Health Cardiologist Dr. Evelina Grayver.
Sanchez actually had an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial tachycardia, and it wasn't till she was about to be induced in Bay Shore that things took a frightening turn.
"She could have potentially died, and so could've the baby," Dr. Grayver said.
Sanchez, still pregnant, and very short of breath, was airlifted to the cardiac unit at North Shore University Hospital, where she had an emergency C-section and then a procedure called an "ablation" to fix the arrhythmia. It all happened within 48 hours.
They say at the time, her heart function was barely 15%, and doctors say, it's important to know that cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of women, is also the leading cause of death for new moms. And pregnancy is the "mother of all" stress tests on the body.
"So being able to listen to your body and being able to advocate for yourself is really the greatest message," Dr. Grayver said.
"Don't ignore anything, because it could save your life. It could save your baby's life," said Rowan's father Chris Sanchez.
Morgan Sanchez's doctor calls her prognosis now phenomenal.
These new parents are joking that Rowan will certainly hear a lot about helicopters when he grows up, and on this "Go Red" day in February, Rowan is wearing his heart on his onesie.
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