I am a healthy mother of 2 year old, 17 weeks pregnant with baby boy. Yesterday I had my 2nd tri-mester ultrasound. The ultrasound tech said everything looks amazing and the babies heart rate was great. My doctor called me this morning to tell me that there appears to be extra tissue in/on the heart that she wants to have checked further. She is sending me to a Perinatologist for an echo-cardiogram on the babies heart. I am completely stressed out and worried it is something terrible. I was wondering if anyone else had a similar situation or diagnosis? I was given very little information other than it COULD be nothing or it could be a sign of something serious. Any info is greatly appreciated.
First I want to say that most of you were exactly right. Everything was fine. Basically the U/S 's are soo advanced now that they can see everything and so they tell you EVERYTHING, and worry parents to no end only to tell us NOT TO WORRY! Our baby does have a spot on his heart but his heart is beating and developing fine other than that. Our AFP test came back really low, which is great and we have no other markers. So we are coming down from our scare and trying to focus on the baby being perfect when he is born in 4 months. I want to sincerely thank everyone who is on this site that was kind enough to respond to my question/concern, all the answers really helped eased my mind. Thank you soo much this is a site every mom should know about!
I don't have any answers for you just positive thoughts being sent your way.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, and after having the ultrasound as you did.... I was told that it "appeared" that my daughter's heart was not formed correctly in the heart chamber.
I had to see a Pediatric Heart Specialist... for an echo cardiogram.
During that exam... I was told that my daughter was fine. They saw NO deformity whatsoever. None. And they were surprised... these were 2 very highly experienced respected Doctors, who looked at me, during the exam.
I feel, it was a miracle... we were very very scared and I was soooooooooooooooooooo stressed out. In my life, I have experienced a very few things, that I can only attribute to it having been some kind of miracle. My daughter is now 7 years old... and just fine and healthy.
Sometimes ultrasounds are hard to see very definitively... thus a follow-up with a Specialist is necessary. It is the proper protocol.
I wish you the best. This is just my experience... and so I can totally understand how you feel. Genuinely.
take care,
Susan
A good friend of mine had something similiar happen to her when she went for her 20 wk ultrasound. The tech found something wrong with the heart (something about a hole in two chambers). Her OB sent her to have a level 2 ultrasound done and turns out there was nothing even remotely wrong!
I wouldn't stress out over it until you know there is something worth stressing over. Ultrasounds are notoriously blurry and difficult to diagnose a problem with. A more detailed ultrasound will hopefully be able to give a better picture of what is going on.
Good luck to you!
Okay-one huge bit of advice I can give you, do not worry until there is a reason to worry.
With my 3rd pregnancy everything was wacky-and I got the same referal, and her heart was fine, and then there was fear of anemia, and everything was fine, and I had 1 dt tell me i was having a boy, and another tell me I was having a girl-and everything was fine. So, I cant tell you everything will be fine, but, right now, you do not have a reason to worry. It is out of your hands. You can pray, you can wait for an experts opinion, or you can worry. I think you need to do what is best for your baby.
Good answers. My son's heart was backwards and not found until surgery. Good to make sure but sounds like nothing to worry about. There was nothing to be done, fortunately, about my son and he is healthy and 6'2" 20 year old today.
And it could be that the picture is just not a good one. Your doctor is being appropriately careful. They just need a better and/or different picture. Worrying will not do your baby any good.
Don't stress. I have had SOOOOO many friends have untrasounds and were told so many things and then they stressed about it...and once the baby was born, all was PERFECT. One was told to abort for anecephaly - having no brain - she wouldn't - and he is one of the smartest kids. Another was told at her 17 week u/s that her son had a clubfoot. I told her that it was wrong - it was a hunch, but the baby's not even 1/2 way done growing. She didn't believe me, of course, and why would she? The omnipotent u/s told her so - it's like a magic 8 ball. Anyway, she spent months doing research and looking at surgery options, etc. A few months later, ooopps, the u/s was wrong - baby was perfect. Yet another was diagnosed with enlarged kidneys and were going to have to have sugery immediately after birth. Baby was fine.
Another one was told her son was perfect over and over and over again...and he ended up needing open heart surgery 2 weeks after he was born.
Just breathe. It is what it is, but very often that early, the baby is fine and certain organs just grow faster than others....so....it could be something but 4 months from now, your baby might just be born absolutely perfect! I bet it is!
Hi M.,
At my ultrasound, my doc found what appeared to be a cyst on my baby's brain (I forget what the condition is called now). She told me that she didn't want to worry me, but did want to tell me about it. Same sort of thing: could be something, could be nothing. She told me absolutely NOT to worry, that she just wanted to tell me because she saw it. I totally freaked out, of course. I started to let it really, really worry me. As mothers, how can we not? Well, it turned out completely fine at the next ultrasound, it had resolved itself. So the only thing I can tell you is to not stress yourself out about it (take it from me, I know just how difficult this is!!). Stress is the last thing your baby needs now. Think positive thoughts, say some prayers and immerse yourself in your life until your echo-cardiogram. I'm keeping you in my thoughts!
