Test for Tommy - every newborn baby deserves the test that could help save their life.

Imagine if you were about to have a baby. Now imagine you’d heard that there was a test that could be carried out on all newborn babies – a quick, easy and painless test that could help detect potentially life-threatening heart disease. You’d want your baby to have that test, wouldn’t you?

Tiny Tickers, the baby heart charity, thinks so too and that’s why they have created their latest campaign, Test for Tommy. The campaign is named in memory of baby Tommy, who died from undiagnosed heart defect at eleven days old. And by ‘test’, they are referring to pulse oximetry testing.

Tiny Tickers BBC Lifeline Appeal

Airing Sunday 21st May 2017, 4pm on BBC 1 & Wednesday 24th May 2017, 1pm on BBC 2

Every two hours a baby is born in the UK with a serious heart condition. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the biggest killer of babies in the UK, causing one in every 13 infant deaths. Early detection of heart defects means babies will get the treatment they need from the first opportunity – which can save lives, improve post-surgery survival rates and lead to a better long-term quality of life.

Tiny Tickers is the only national charity with a focus on improving the early detection, diagnosis and care of babies with heart conditions. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect and it is Tiny Tickers’ ambition that no baby should ever die with an undetected heart defect.

Protecting your baby’s heart

Many of us associate the 20-week scan with either finding out whether we are having a boy or girl, or getting a new scan picture. But it’s also the most in-depth health check a baby will have during pregnancy. And it’s the very best opportunity to spot defects before birth.

Think 20. Think heart. is a new campaign that helps expectant and new parents to protect their baby’s heart – starting with the 20- week pregnancy scan.

The majority of babies are born with a healthy heart. However, unbeknown to most of us, heart defects are the most common birth defects in babies. They are also one of the least talked about.