Urgent Help!! Fetus Detected with Echogenic Bowel

I have not gone through this situation myself, but a friend of mine had said something to me that fits. What would she do if the results were not favorable? Would she term. this pregnancy? If not then what is the point of risking it for the knowledge. If she has the room in her heart to love this baby faults and all then there you go, But if she know in her heart that they would not make good parents of a "special" child and cannot afford all the medical, then she might want to get the amnio. This gives her the answer, all clear or need to save $$$ get better job or term. what ever her choice may be.

This is a hard thing to discover about yourself, but it is something we all need to know when facing a situation like this. Can we handle a "special" child.

I hope this has helped and please do not judge her if her desicion is not what you would make for your self, we all have our limitaions and she needs to recognise them with your support.

The drs found a few spots on my baby's heart last week and we had to do an echogenic focus. The doctor told us thatit doubles the likelyhood that my son will have downe's. While "double" sounds horrible, it moved me from a 1 in 24,000 to 1 in 12,000 chance. A 1 in 1200 risk is still very low. Also echogenic focus is a "soft marker" for trisomy diseases, not a hard marker like an NT or AFP test or the other blood tests that moms do. Also I was told that about 30% of the Asian population will show these spots even though the baby doesn't have the disease, so that's another thing to consider. I would advise your friend to talk to her ob/gyn or a geneticist so she can gave a better understanding of the results of her panel of tests before she makes any big decision. Hearing the chances of your baby having a disease just doubled is scarry, but I think it's important to understand the whole picture rather than focus on the results of one test.

And I hope everything turns out well for your friend.

I am going through something similiar myself ( they found an EIF on the liver) from everything I have been told and researched the majority of the time (if you have no other signs) these things usually fix themselves by the 26th week. The Drs (by law) have to tell you all the poss and it all sounds scary. I look at it like this, there is nothing they can do even if they find something out and I would not term my pregnancy, so other than the gentic blood test (done to me) which does nto put any risk on the baby,I am getting no further tests. I will continue with monthly ultrasounds and let the chips fall where they may. I want to enjoy y my pregnany and not get stressed out about all the what ifs because its all pertty much a guessing game unitl the baby is actually born. Hope this helps (HUGS)

I am sorry to hear that your friend is having difficulties with her pregancy. I hope that it all works out in the end.

This is a hot topic amoung mommas as you are finding out I am sure! Here is what I was always told about getting this amnio testing. The reason for testing (acording to my doctor) is not so that you can terminate the pregnancy. The true reason is so that you can be prepared for it. I personally live in a SMALL town with no special neo-natal unit in our hospitol. So the purpose for most people is so that the doctors can know that there MAY be something wrong and be prepared for it when the baby is born. If my test would have come back "not normal" then I would have been scheduled to deliver at a hospitol that had specialized care for my situation. This is why its so important to know before delivery.
There are many many more risk factors when delivering a baby with ANY specail needs and I would want to be as prepared as I could as to not have to worry about any added stress during delivery. After its born all you want to do is snuggle and love it, not worry unneccesarily! Anyways, just my opinion on this super hot topic!

I'd be happy to speak with your friend. My youngest child has Down's and had many birth defects including a severe bowel defect. He had 10 surgeries in 10 months. He's been through so much but now he is fine and is the love of our lives. We feel so blessed to have been chosen to raise such an amazing human being. He feeds our spirits. Just holding him fills us with peace and energy. It's like raising an angel.
I didn't have an amnio. I didn't want to risk it and I knew I would take the cards dealt without question.
Blessings,
C.

I went through amnio twice and for me it was completely painless. It is more the thought of the long needle that is scary, and the fact that you have to remain low-key for 48 hours afterwards to prevent possible miscarriage that is hard. And then the waiting for results. But both times results were good and I have 2 healthy daughters. The other poster hit it on the nose: if you would not terminate no matter what the news, then do not risk any further tests. If the news is needed to determine how to proceed, then have the test. There is a low risk of miscarriage, but I have not heard of any in my immediate circle of friends. The worrying is probably going to be the hardest part of all. Good luck to her.

So sorry to hear that. My sister has a baby with Williams syndrome and didn't know he had it until he was almost 2. It wouldn't have changed her mind at all about having him if she knew what he had it when she was pregnant. He's a wonderful child and adds so much joy to the family. The medical bills have been enormous but there are programs to help with that.
It sounds like your friend's odds for having a Down Syndrome baby are slim. I personally don't really believe in the testing. However, I was talked into doing the APT (?) when I was pregnant.
One other thing, my mom was told my sister might have Downes and she didn't. Not sure if my mom had the amniocentesis. Can they tell for sure from that test?