6mm nuchal and hydrops

[manitz]

has anyone got any experience of this? just got back from my scan and am waiting for the consultant to call tomorrow. i am 12+2, i have no idea what we will do but i would like to know if this is 100% a problem or just an indicator and the baby could be alright.

Thanks

Manitz- the increasing hydrops suggest worsening of the problem. Coarctation of the aorta is a heart defect. I suspect your consultant is intending to see you with all results and give you a complete (as it can be) picture.

This is a truly grim time when your hopes rise and fall and you know it's not good whatever.

I think they try not to add to this rising and falling by not giving a drip feed of results which can indicate possibilities and then dash hopes.

I suspect you are preparing for the worst. My thoughts really are with you (stranger though you are) as you face this :)

manitz I am really genuinely sorry for you. No words can sum up the bloody miserable sadness of it all.

As you have concluded, the fluid membrane around the baby is not a good sign. My DS2 had this and I'm not going to lie it is a major issue

FWIW I totally understand both the anger (which according to the therapist I saw after I lost my son is a very normal early stage of grief) and the desire to resolve this as quickly as possible.

I was absolutely adament that if there was anything wrong with this baby at the CVS I would have terminated immediately feeling like you that I simply could not risk a late loss.

The loss of your baby at 26 weeks was awful and no can blame you for wanting to protect yourself from that pain again.

I am wishing you all the strength in the world over the coming days. Look after yourself.

Hi Thanks very much for all your thoughts. Ive not been around for a bit as having a nice weekend with the kids and trying not to think about this.

Apparently the coarctation of the aorta on the report was a mistake caused by a computer glitch. I think it might have stuck around from my previous set of notes as my other baby had it along with a variety of other heart problems. i did wonder how she could see it as she said the baby was too small at twelve weeks to assess the heart.

Not that it makes a lot of difference at this point but still trying to piece together the jigsaw i guess.

Hopefully results will be in either tuesday or wednesday. Pretty sure of my decision at this point with few doubts.

Sarah i saw your previous posts on other threads. I'm really sorry for what you have been through so recently. x

Manitz- Best wishes
I am glad you managed to make the weekend good with the children :)

Hi Manitz - thinking about you, and for what its worth, totally understand your decision. x

Hi there. The waiting got to be really stressful and the hospital were a bit frustrating, not really telling me how or when things would happen. My mum persuaded me to just go in and get started with the termination and worry about results later.

Went in today and luckily they managed to get results also. The baby is a boy with down syndrome. This threw me a bit as I think that's the least problematic of the trisomy's so the most difficult to decide what to do about, I had also decided because there was a visible nose bone that the baby didn't have downs. We had 3 hours before a doctor was able to meet us. We really went through how we felt. DH was 100% for continuing with the termination but I was really sad about it.

We discussed and they gave us some stuff from the downs association, it was all very positive. DH almost agreed to keep it but I was still borderline. I don't know what is the right decision or if we have made the right one but we have started to terminate the pregnancy and the process will be over by friday. The decision came about because i didn't want to keep going with the pregnancy enough to overcome dh's extreme opposition (which I also understand) but mainly because the hydrops appears to indicate underlying health problems and a likelihood of stillbirth anyway.

Making the decision was the worst part as you are trying to anticipate how you may cope with things you cannot predict. And, frankly, on little information. I have found that they have used different terms to describe the hydrops, some with more serious implications than others. Also they are unable to give me definite answers to my questions and stats to help make my decision. I know that this is probably because outcomes can only be guessed at and that they cannot say how the baby will be or what state his health will be in but I feel i have made a decision based partly on gut instinct and partly on half understood facts. I don't mind this and I think we have made the best decision for us based on what we understand to be the facts at the moment.

A very emotional day. They want to monitor me as drugs take effect because of the possibility of rupturing so i have to go back in tomorrow morning and stay in for 3 days. I'm a bit scared as it sounds like a long time doing something pretty unpleasant but I suppose that is life. Thanks for sharing your information and experiences with me. As usual it has been really helpful during a time when I have had to assimilate information really quickly and make a really important decision. Take care all x

Manitz - you sound very clear and thoughtful and considered in this decision. I would have made the same choice. Best wishes and I really am thinking of you

My thoughts are with you Manitz. You have made the right decision for your family. I hope you get good support through the next few days. Remember to take good care, leave enough space for grieving. Come join us on the support thread, it does help.

Manitz, as witlesssarah said above, you have made the right decision for your family. Stay strong and take care. x

manitz Just saw your last post and FWIW I think you have made the best decision for your family.

You have obviously considered your position carefully and I wish you strength to get through the coming weeks, take care of yourself.

Hello Manitz, I hope that you are home and taking care of yourself. I was in the same position as you in may of this year and hope it helps to know I made the same decision. Like yours, my baby had worsening hydrops, and like you, whist it was difficult to understand the advice about the significance of this, we felt it was a sign that our baby was struggling and may not make it to full term. We had long discussions about what life would be like with a child with Down's Syndrome, but at the end of the day decided that was immaterial as we both instinctively felt that our baby would not make it.

I also strongly felt that I needed to spend the rest of my pregnancy bonding with my baby to comes to terms with the DS diagnosis; but I could only protect myself against the heartache of a late miscarriage / stillbirth by not bonding with my baby (after 3 early miscarriages I am pretty good at that in the early stages). The other factor was that I did not want my 4 year old to have to experience the death of a sibling.

I honestly do not know what I would have done if we got the DS diagnosis without hydrops. I have learned that until you are in that situation, you do not know how you will deal with it. I always thought that I would not have a CVS, but there was no hesitation; my baby had something wrong and I needed to know what.

At the time, I felt that I would not want to try again, but I felt re-assured by the advice I was given about future risks and am tentatively back on the TTC roundabout.

I wish you and your family all the best x

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. I have just spent half term in france with friends and family. Now I am back and i can't believe this happened to me. Perhaps this is a good sign?

Stripey, your description reflects exactly how I felt though I suspect I would always make the same choice. Its my second time though first time was more black and white. Now I've done it twice mainly I think I have to deal with that fact rather than the decision I made. I hope your ttc goes well. i had a healthy child after my first termination and it was not a particularly relaxing pg but i enjoyed it for what it was at each stage and really appreciate my lovely boy. x

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Bump x