One thing I forgot to mention in the last post is that I felt the baby move starting right around 16weeks and 0 days. It was only a light flutter and I only felt it once in a while but now that he is moving a bunch more I am positive that is what I felt.
After finding out that we were having a boy I was able to finally go out and by little baby clothes. I knew I probably would be getting clothes at baby showers and from family friends but sometimes it is hard to stop yourself! My mom and I were also able to start looking at all the other necessities that we would need strollers, high chairs, car seats, toys, and a whole bunch more. We didn't buy anything immediately but it was a lot of fun to see what was out there as well check the safety standards and make sure that when we decided to buy something it would be the best that we could get.
On Sept. 29th when I was 18weeks6days we had our diagnostic ultrasound at the doctor's office. Even though we just had the last ultrasound about 2 weeks earlier I was excited to see our baby again. Again my Mom, Andrew and I arrived at the doctors office a few minutes before my 3:30 ultrasound. Unfortunately the ultrasound tech had a couple of emergency scans that day so she was running late. Finally around 4:20 we were brought back to the ultrasound room. Unlike the last place this room was a lot smaller and barely fit the 4 of us. This time when the ultrasound tech got started the baby was fast asleep and was not moving much for us. We were able to get a good shot of his heart beat and then the tech started doing her measurements. I think she had to measure the leg bone, the arm bone, the head and a few other measurements. When she arrived at the head she paused for a moment and mentioned that she saw a Choroid Plexus Cyst, and although she saw them in quite a few cases she always had to recommend a level 2 ultrasound when she saw them. She was very calm about the finding and at that moment I had no idea what that was so I didn't panic too much, I was worried though. As she finished up the ultrasound she went to get the nurse that would give us the referral to Maternal Fetal Medicine where they do the level 2 ultrasound. I also made sure to do my Quad Screen blood work that day.
(Ultrasound pic at 18weeks 6days, good spine shot)
After finding out that we were having a boy I was able to finally go out and by little baby clothes. I knew I probably would be getting clothes at baby showers and from family friends but sometimes it is hard to stop yourself! My mom and I were also able to start looking at all the other necessities that we would need strollers, high chairs, car seats, toys, and a whole bunch more. We didn't buy anything immediately but it was a lot of fun to see what was out there as well check the safety standards and make sure that when we decided to buy something it would be the best that we could get.
On Sept. 29th when I was 18weeks6days we had our diagnostic ultrasound at the doctor's office. Even though we just had the last ultrasound about 2 weeks earlier I was excited to see our baby again. Again my Mom, Andrew and I arrived at the doctors office a few minutes before my 3:30 ultrasound. Unfortunately the ultrasound tech had a couple of emergency scans that day so she was running late. Finally around 4:20 we were brought back to the ultrasound room. Unlike the last place this room was a lot smaller and barely fit the 4 of us. This time when the ultrasound tech got started the baby was fast asleep and was not moving much for us. We were able to get a good shot of his heart beat and then the tech started doing her measurements. I think she had to measure the leg bone, the arm bone, the head and a few other measurements. When she arrived at the head she paused for a moment and mentioned that she saw a Choroid Plexus Cyst, and although she saw them in quite a few cases she always had to recommend a level 2 ultrasound when she saw them. She was very calm about the finding and at that moment I had no idea what that was so I didn't panic too much, I was worried though. As she finished up the ultrasound she went to get the nurse that would give us the referral to Maternal Fetal Medicine where they do the level 2 ultrasound. I also made sure to do my Quad Screen blood work that day.
(Ultrasound pic at 18weeks 6days, good spine shot)
We went home that day with a referral to call MFM and hoping that we would get the results of the quad screen back soon. As soon as I got home I went straight to Google and looked up what a Choroid Plexus Cyst was and what it could mean. As soon as I started looking at exactly what it was and meant I was scared. I wanted to get into do the level 2 ultrasound as soon as possible at that point. Most of the results on Google when you search for Choroid Plexus Cyst or CPC is that it is a soft marker for trisomy 18 or Edward's Syndrome, a fatal or limited life span chromosomal issue where most babies die in the first month of life. The more I read the more I learned about what this CPC could mean. My baby only has a small unilateral cyst where a lot of times babies will have bilateral cysts and they can measure from small to very large. So this was good news. I also found out that about 1-3% of the population had these cysts when they were in utero and all of them disappear by 28 weeks. Of the 1-3% that have the cysts a percentage have Edwards syndrome, but for most there is nothing wrong and the baby will be completely normal. Of the percentage that have Edwards syndrome most will have other markers that show up on the level 2 ultrasound and most will have abnormal quad screens. It is very rare that a baby will have an isolated bilateral CPC and have Edward’s syndrome. Some of the other markers that will show up in a level 2 ultrasound for Edwards syndrome are clenched hands (the baby is physically unable to extend the fingers), club feet, heart problems, smaller than normal size, misshaped head and other physical abnormalities can also be linked as soft markers for Edward’s syndrome.
For the first 2 days after the diagnostic ultrasound I felt like I was in a fog. I was worried sick that something would be wrong with my baby and the decisions I would be faced with. I didn't think I would be strong enough to wait around for him to die (if he had Edwards syndrome) but I also didn't think I could make the decision to terminate especially since he was moving so much and felt so alive. I would start crying randomly throughout the first 2 days whenever I thought about the news that may be coming. I know Andrew was worried as well but he was being strong for me reassuring me that everything would be alright and that our baby was healthy.
On Thursday Oct. 2nd while at work the nurse from my doctor's office called with the results of the quad screen. They all came back normal! I felt such a relief that at least we had that going for us and that he must be fine. It was such a weight off of my shoulders. I still was waiting for the level 2 ultrasound that was coming up on Monday 10/06 but I was not thinking the worse case scenario at every turn. I even went to start my registry the Saturday before the appt. with my mom.
My mom and I went up to the Lynnwood Babies R Us to register, Andrew definitely did not want to come with us as I think he can only handle about 15 minutes of a baby store. It was a chance to get excited again about the baby, and to plan for when he arrived. We registered for all sorts of things, from bath items, toys books and the smaller necessities. It was a lot of fun and overwhelming at the same time - there is so much stuff that babies need. As my mom and I were finishing up registering she received a call from my Aunt. My cousin (who was due within a couple of days of me) just found out that her baby had a fatal chromosomal issue. It was the worst news we could get. I felt so bad for my cousin as she was living what I was fearing would happen to me. She was faced with so many unimaginable decisions and I had a tiny glimpse of what she was probably feeling. At that point my mom and I headed home as we were no longer in the mood for registering.
Finally Monday afternoon came and we (my Mom, Andrew and I) were waiting in the MFM waiting room. They called us back pretty quickly and brought us to an ultrasound room. For the level 2 ultrasound a tech will measure every part of the baby including internal organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys and give the pictures and report to a doctor. The doctor will also come in towards the end of the ultrasound and take a look at the baby himself and let you know what their findings are and as well as their recommendations. The tech got started and we could see that the baby was definitely active again; he was moving around and changing positions as she was taking her measurements. I became more and more comfortable as the scan went on and the soft markers that I was looking for came back normal. The feet were perfect and his fingers were all stretched out on his hands. His size was also perfect for his age. His heart was the last thing that I was looking for and it came back perfect! Finally I could relax a little. When the doctor came in he took control of the ultrasound machine and started looking around. Finally he looked at us and said that everything looked perfect and that although we were at a slightly higher risk than the general population for Edward’s syndrome with my age and the lack of soft markers in the ultrasound we only had a 1/400 chance that anything could be wrong. He said that we were welcome to do an amnio but he wasn't recommending it. With the chances of miscarriage due to an amnio being from 1/100 to 1/200 it was not worth the risk. I was completely satisfied that everything was fine with the baby. And I was so thankful!!!
(Babies hand with extended fingers!)
For the first 2 days after the diagnostic ultrasound I felt like I was in a fog. I was worried sick that something would be wrong with my baby and the decisions I would be faced with. I didn't think I would be strong enough to wait around for him to die (if he had Edwards syndrome) but I also didn't think I could make the decision to terminate especially since he was moving so much and felt so alive. I would start crying randomly throughout the first 2 days whenever I thought about the news that may be coming. I know Andrew was worried as well but he was being strong for me reassuring me that everything would be alright and that our baby was healthy.
On Thursday Oct. 2nd while at work the nurse from my doctor's office called with the results of the quad screen. They all came back normal! I felt such a relief that at least we had that going for us and that he must be fine. It was such a weight off of my shoulders. I still was waiting for the level 2 ultrasound that was coming up on Monday 10/06 but I was not thinking the worse case scenario at every turn. I even went to start my registry the Saturday before the appt. with my mom.
My mom and I went up to the Lynnwood Babies R Us to register, Andrew definitely did not want to come with us as I think he can only handle about 15 minutes of a baby store. It was a chance to get excited again about the baby, and to plan for when he arrived. We registered for all sorts of things, from bath items, toys books and the smaller necessities. It was a lot of fun and overwhelming at the same time - there is so much stuff that babies need. As my mom and I were finishing up registering she received a call from my Aunt. My cousin (who was due within a couple of days of me) just found out that her baby had a fatal chromosomal issue. It was the worst news we could get. I felt so bad for my cousin as she was living what I was fearing would happen to me. She was faced with so many unimaginable decisions and I had a tiny glimpse of what she was probably feeling. At that point my mom and I headed home as we were no longer in the mood for registering.
Finally Monday afternoon came and we (my Mom, Andrew and I) were waiting in the MFM waiting room. They called us back pretty quickly and brought us to an ultrasound room. For the level 2 ultrasound a tech will measure every part of the baby including internal organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys and give the pictures and report to a doctor. The doctor will also come in towards the end of the ultrasound and take a look at the baby himself and let you know what their findings are and as well as their recommendations. The tech got started and we could see that the baby was definitely active again; he was moving around and changing positions as she was taking her measurements. I became more and more comfortable as the scan went on and the soft markers that I was looking for came back normal. The feet were perfect and his fingers were all stretched out on his hands. His size was also perfect for his age. His heart was the last thing that I was looking for and it came back perfect! Finally I could relax a little. When the doctor came in he took control of the ultrasound machine and started looking around. Finally he looked at us and said that everything looked perfect and that although we were at a slightly higher risk than the general population for Edward’s syndrome with my age and the lack of soft markers in the ultrasound we only had a 1/400 chance that anything could be wrong. He said that we were welcome to do an amnio but he wasn't recommending it. With the chances of miscarriage due to an amnio being from 1/100 to 1/200 it was not worth the risk. I was completely satisfied that everything was fine with the baby. And I was so thankful!!!
(Babies hand with extended fingers!)
(Healthy baby moving around in womb)
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1 comment:
Oh Erika. I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I just love you guys so much. If you ever need to talk about anything at all having to do with the pregnancy or being a mommy please don't hesitate to call me. I'm so there for you even though I know sometimes you need to process and go through things alone first. You just made go and hug Jax. Life is a miracle. Sometimes you forget. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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