Congenital heart defects are the biggest cause of death for newborn babies. Researchers at the Nebraska Medical Center are putting a multi-million dollar grant to work on ways to prevent defects.

As a child, RN Michelle Vitamvas had to be extra careful because her life depended on it. "They limited exercise and activity then because there just weren't a lot of good therapies."

She was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a broken heart. “I've had three open-heart surgeries to repair that defect." Congenital heart defects are by far the most common birth defect in the U.S. and the most common cause of death in newborns.

Reserachers at the Nebraska Medical Center are looking in chicken embryos for answers to help humans. It's a close match.

"Problem is that eight-out-of-10 times, when a child is born with a congenital heart defect, there's no known cause,” says UNMC Vice Chancellor Dr. Thomas Rosenquist. He and his team are looking for gene mutations and possible environmental reasons that put a baby at risk.

He says babies that don't get enough folic acid or vitamin B-12 in the womb may run a greater risk of problems with heart development, which is why moms-to-be need to stay on top of their diets and vitamins.

"Especially very early in pregnancy, the kinds of defects we're talking about occur in the first six weeks of pregnancies," says Dr. Rosenquist.

It's advice Michelle is taking to heart. Her defect repaired, she's now healthy and active, looking toward the future and a baby of her own. "I'm looking forward to that day, hopefully very soon."

Dr. Rosenquist says mothers-to-be should also avoid smoking, drinking alcohol and taking certain kinds of cold medicines to give their babies a healthy start.