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Antenatal tests

Not looking good

4 replies

ClareZee · 28/10/2010 13:28

Hi all,

You may remember me from a few weeks back. We had a nuchal measurement of 6.7mm at our 12 week scan but the subsequent CVS and full karotype found no chromosomal abnormalilites. At 16 weeks our early anomoly scan looked very positive - all structures normal and nuchal much decreased - and the early cardiac scan found nothing of major significance and all functioning well. Until now...

Three weeks later, we had our next heart scan yesterday and were devastated to be told the situation had dramatically deteriorated. The baby has severe hydrops - with severe skin oedema,fluid in the nuchal area again and in the abdomen. The heart is showing very impaired function and we've been warned there is a very high risk she won't make it much longer.

At the moment, the doctors can't tell us why or what exactly is happening, so we're sitting it out and praying for a miracle, although realistically we know it doesn't look good.

Just three weeks ago it all looked very likely we'd be ok so it's hard to understand how such a dranatic change has come about. Because our nuchal was so high originally, they seem to suspect it is all still linked but we have had blood taken to test for any possible infections that might have caused the hydrops. It could also be linked to the heart - it is unclear if a heart problem has caused the hydrops, or it the hydrops that has affected the heart. We hope they will also look again at our CVS sample to see if there is any more genetic information they can take from this.

I don't know if anybody out there has been through anything similar and would have any information that might be of use?

I'm hoping to speak to someone at the hospital later today as there are so many questions that we were too upset to properly ask yesterday. What's so hard to take in is that even now, with all this going on, our baby girl appears to be entirely normal structurally - they haven't found anything obvious wrong.

X

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quechelle · 28/10/2010 14:26

im sorry i cant be of any help to you, i just want to let you know my thoughts are with you and your daughter. i hope you get all the answers your looking for when you go to the hospital. stay strong and good luck at the hospital appointment

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quechelle · 28/10/2010 14:26

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chubbly · 28/10/2010 20:06

Hi ClareZee, did they mention fetal anemia? It's linked to hydrops and the heart can deteriorate with it.
Try and write all your questions down before you go -if it's too much just let them read through your queries.
Take some time for yourself too - it's a lot to deal with. I hope it goes well at the hospital tomorrow.
xx

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ClareZee · 28/10/2010 22:11

Hi Chubbly,

They did mention aneamia but the consultant didn't find anything to suggest this was the case for us. I think they think it's most likely to be connected to the original high nuchal and something to do with the heart.

Spoke to one of the main midwives today and she was very nice. They've offered to have one of the community midwives visit us twice a week to listen for baby's heart beat between now and the next scan, which will make the wait easier.