Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist: This Birth Defect Is 10x More Common and Still Going Undetected

Most people think a 20-week ultrasound is about finding out whether they're having a boy or a girl.

Dr. Celeste Sheppard wants to change that.

A maternal-fetal medicine specialist, perinatologist, and founder of the Tiny Hearts Project, Dr. Sheppard has dedicated her career to solving one of the biggest blind spots in prenatal care: congenital heart disease. It's the most common birth defect, yet prenatal detection rates remain far lower than they should be—even though finding these conditions before birth dramatically improves outcomes.

In this conversation, we explore how an art history major became one of the country's leading advocates for improving prenatal cardiac screening, why learning to "look" may be one of the most important skills a physician can develop, and how medicine is as much about doctoring as it is about diagnosis.

We also discuss:

– Why congenital heart disease is more common than most people realize

– The five essential ultrasound views that can save lives

– How Tiny Hearts Project is training sonographers across the country

– Why many heart defects are still missed before birth

– The difference between being a doctor and truly doctoring

– How mistakes become the foundation for better medicine

– Why empathy, curiosity, and careful observation matter just as much as technology

One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Dr. Sheppard reflected on a patient she missed early in her career. Rather than hiding from that mistake, she allowed it to shape the physician, teacher, and advocate she would become. That humility—and her relentless commitment to improving prenatal care—is what makes this conversation unforgettable.

Whether you're an expectant parent, a healthcare professional, someone interested in medicine, or simply someone who appreciates thoughtful conversations about purpose and humanity, I think you'll take something meaningful away from this episode.

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💾 Save this to revisit Dr. Celeste Sheppard's insights on prenatal care, congenital heart disease, and the art of truly seeing patients.

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