View Single Post
  #9  
Old November 18th 05, 01:57 AM posted to misc.kids.pregnancy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default nuchal fold in 20 week ultrasound causing distress

"k_raps73" wrote in message
lkaboutparenting.com...
I recently had my ultrasound at 19 weeks and 6 days. The baby's
maeasurements indicated that he was bigger than the gestational estimated
date that was calculted. My doctor told me the baby was measuring at 20
weeks and 5 days. Everything was normal, i.e. his limbs, spine, brain and
heart. My quad test which was done at 16 and a half weeks came back
negative as well (normal). However the doctor noted that there was one
abnormality in the ultrasound and that was a nuchal fold found at the back
of my baby's head which measured much bigger than it should for a 19 week
and 6 day old baby! She said this could be a marker for a downs baby. She
offered us the option of an amniosynthesis and even abortion at a later
part if we choose to. I was apalled and very much distressed. I told her
that my quad test results were good and that there was no history of downs
in my or my husband's family. She told me that chances of me having a
downs baby was 1 out of 47. They want me to come back for an ECG of my
baby's heart in 5 weeks which I am going to do. I even asked the doctor if
the measurement of the nuchal fold was bigger because the baby was much
bigger than the calculated due date.She said that the measuremnt would
have not mattered had the baby been 20 weeks or more (as per his
measurements and not the previously calculated date of 19 weeks and 6
days).I cried when I came out of that doctor's office and having been
trying to stay positive. I console myself with the fact that the
ultrasound images look normal and my quad tests were negative. However I
am still so worried, I can't sleep and need advice on this topic.


As the mother of a child with Down syndrome, I can tell you that from
talking with my friends who also have babies with Down syndrome that they
almost always ran small for gestational age so the fact that your baby is
measuring larger than gestational age is a good sign.

I can also tell you that nuchal translucency is *not* as reliable an
indicator as they'd have you believe, because I have a friend who relied on
it in her 3rd pregnancy (her 2nd child has Down syndrome) and her 3rd also
had Down syndrome after being told all along that the nuchal fold
measurement was fine as were all the subsequent monitoring ultrasounds (she
was part of a study to determine how effective these procedures were as an
indication, not very).

Thirdly, don't bother with the ECG. I had one during my 2nd pregnancy
because I had gestational diabetes (2nd time) and it can increase the
likelihood of heart defects. I was having twins and both twins showed no
signs of heart defects when they did the ECG. My duaghter with Down
syndrome was born with 3 holes in her heart -- tiny ones, but ones that we
were told they had looked for and told us didn't exist.

Lastly, I can tell you that my daughter has brought us much joy and many
wonderful people into our lives. I can't say her brothers would agree with
that; she's just an annoying sister to them, Down syndrome or not. ;-)

Leigh in raLeigh