Q: My baby is 3 months old and the doctor says that there is a murmur sound in his heartbeat. What is the reason for this murmur sound in the heartbeat? The baby's health is otherwise good. There is no sucking problem and the baby sleeps well for about 16 hours. He has also gained 2 kgs in the past 2 months (from 2.5 to 4.5 kgs).

A:Most murmurs in babies are normal (innocent) and will disappear with age. Sometimes your doctor is so sure that the murmur is normal that he or she may not even suggest an echocardiogram; but otherwise an echocardiogram is a safe test that will totally rule out any major causes for the murmur.