LEBANON — The birthing pavilion at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is going red in order to raise awareness about heart health and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect for newborns.
As part of the American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts program to acknowledge American Heart Month, infants born during February will receive a handmade hat, crocheted or knit by a volunteer for the American Heart Association. More than 200 hats will be given out in New Hampshire, with 80 destined to babies delivered at DHMC.
“As we help families grow, the ability to expand awareness regarding heart health is so important to us, and we believe providing these little red hats is a great way to do so,” Jennifer Robtoy, clinical nurse supervisor at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said in a news release. “We are thankful that the American Heart Association has created this program to help keep our families healthier from birth.”
Congenital heart defects are structural problems with the heart present at birth. They result when a problem occurs during heart development soon after conception, usually before the mother is aware that she is pregnant. Defects range in severity from simple problems, such as holes between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, such as complete absence of one or more chambers or valves. Luckily, it is possible to fix most congenital heart defects, and there are an estimated 2 million survivors of congenital heart defects in the United States.
One of those survivors is Jenna Emanuele, of Hartland. When Jenna was born at Dartmouth, she weighed just 5 pounds and needed immediate surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. Today, Jenna is a happy, healthy 15-year-old, but her father remains involved in raising awareness about heart disease.
“Heart disease affects so many of us, and you can walk by people every day and never know,” Daniel Emanuele said.
This year, Daniel Emanuele, who is a senior vice president at Mascoma Bank, helped support the Little Hats, Big Hearts initiative at the hospital.
“Visiting with the wonderful caregivers in the DHMC Birthing Pavilion brought a flood memories and emotions,” he said in a news release. “We are truly blessed, as we remember the challenges Jenna faced and cherish the wonderful care the Dartmouth-Hitchcock team provided during what was undoubtedly the most unnerving time of our lives.”