Read about the five most common congenital heart defects among children waiting for adoptive families, as well as potential challenges, treatment plans and stories from Holt families who have adopted children with a heart condition.

Congenital heart defects are problems of the heart’s chambers, valves or blood vessels that develop before birth. This condition encompasses a broad range of defects, most of which affect how blood flows through the heart or through the blood vessels near the heart. Some defects may cause blood to flow in an abnormal pattern, while others completely or partially block blood flow.

A baby may be born with just one, or several heart defects, some of which may need little or no medical treatment even through adulthood. Others are more serious and can endanger the life of the child — either immediately to the newborn, or over time. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical to the lifelong health and wellbeing of a child born with a congenital heart defect.