Baby Is Awaiting a Heart Transplant After Doctors Dismissed ‘Grunting’ Noises

A newborn is awaiting a heart transplant for a life-threatening condition after doctors dismissed her parents’ concerns that something was wrong.

Stephanie Mulhall-Atkinson, 37, and Justin Atkinson, 33, welcomed their baby girl, Sloane, in October 2024, according to The Daily Mail. The couple almost immediately noticed that Sloane was making an unusual “grunting” sound, but doctors assured them that everything was normal.

‘We raised concern [about her grunting noises] to many different doctors and nurses while we were in the hospital for five days post-birth, including the pediatrician. They all said that her lungs sounded clear, so she was fine and that she was just a vocal baby making normal baby sounds,” Stephanie told the outlet.

However, about six weeks later, Stephanie said she and her husband noticed a “faint blue tint” around Sloane’s mouth and immediately took her to the local ER, where doctors asked them if she had always been making the grunting noises. 

“We were then told that it actually is a sign of distress and not normal at all,” Stephanie told the Daily Mail, adding, “Everything escalated from there.”

Doctors eventually performed an echocardiogram on Sloane and later informed Stephanie and Justin that their baby’s heart was “barely pumping.”

“She was rushed up to the PICU [pediatric intensive care unit], sedated and intubated immediately,” Stephanie recalled.

Doctors ultimately told Stephanie and Justin that Sloane was suffering from a condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy, which is caused by a genetic mutation that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.

They also said that Sloane was in the late stages of heart failure and would require a heart transplant, Stephanie told the Daily Mail.

“There are no words to describe those first acute days and weeks, and hearing that your tiny baby needs a heart transplant. It was an out-of-body experience. Your brain cannot comprehend that,” she added.

Stephanie told the Daily Mail that realizing Sloane had been showing signs of discomfort and distress for weeks made it all the worse.

“For the six weeks we had her home, we just thought her noises were cute. Finding out that it meant she had been in distress that whole time was unbearable,’ Stephanie said.

Sloane is currently on a life support device and has been living in the hospital for over six months while awaiting her transplant.

In a GoFundMe established to help support the family as they focus on Sloane’s condition, Stephanie described the past seven months as “truly a nightmare,” but also a timeframe “mixed with some of the most beautiful hope and kindness.”

“Our girl went from happy, smiley and chatty to intubated in the PICU within a matter of hours. The shock of a lifetime,” she wrote, stating that “mama’s intuition” is what caused her to rush to the hospital that fateful day.

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Stephanie added, “How do you even begin to process except by holding onto ALL the hope. Our girl will be OKAY. She has to be. Her life will be long, full, and beautiful. We know it. This will be her story to tell one day.”

The family’s GoFundMe has reached over $25,000 towards an ultimate goal of $36,500 as of Saturday, July 26.