Any experience of babies born with hydronephrosis (dilated kidney)?

[highwireact]

My baby, due in Dec, has hydronephrosis on one side. We have been told it is likely to need an operation in the first couple of months of life. Have also been told it is a routine op and that as one kidney is fine not to be worried, though we are of course.

Anyone had this with their babies and can you tell me how it all went please - the tests, the op, whether you had to stay in hospital longer when it was born etc.

Thank you

[HobbitMama]

Yes, my DS1 had bilateral hydronephrosis and DC4 had a little swelling at the 20 & 28 week scan - seems to have resolved itself though.
It is a fairly common occurrence, and I do know that they're changing the parameters for what counts as 'normal' measurements at the moment.
Essentially, the swelling could be caused by several different things - the ureters could be blocked, twisted, too small, it could be reflux, where the valves don't work properly so the wee flows back up from the bladder, there could be a blockage past the bladder in the urethra - there's loads of causes.
My son had loads of x-rays and nuclear tests, which sound very scary, but actually it wasn't horrific - they inject a radioactive isotope dye in order to see how the wee flows and how quickly it drains. We ended up having tests every month for about 18months, when they decided he was big enough to operate on the worst kidney. The other one seemed to sort itself out. He's absolutely fine now, (8 years old) and only has an ever-dimishing scar to show for it.
It wasn't a pleasant experience at the time - it IS your baby, and you are bound to worry and google about it all. I personally found it good to be armed with information when I went to discuss things with docs, but if you're likely to get more scared, then don't!
H/n on one side is fairly common, and we were told he would need an op soon, but I do think it's dependent on the cause of the blockage/slow flow.
Birth wise - not much was different from normal, other than he had extra checks by a paed in theatre, got put straight onto antibiotics, and had a scan (I think!)
Hth - and good luck!

[annbenoli]

My son was diagnosed with this on the 20 week scan. I worried myself silly and when he was born he had an ultrasound scan and he was normal, it had righted itself they said. Try not to worry, if they are born with it they have antibiotics to prevent damage to the kidney, which they give anyway as a precaution.

[highwireact]

Thank you both - had managed to put it to the back of my mind especially as doctors discharged us after scan at 30 weeks until post birth. Am on the home stretch now and it keeps popping back into my head. But really helpful to hear your experiences so thank you.