Week 19

19 week photos -





Week 19 was a bit of a hard one - but all is much better now. We had our Dr. appointment to review the ultrasound results and discuss how I am doing etc. All in all, baby and I are doing well. Gained 6 pounds so far....slow and steady...which my doctor says is good. The baby is the right size for his age etc. Then she read the ultrasound results and startled us with a weird announcement that our son has some bubbles (cysts) on his brain. Ummmm....what?? She didn't seem concerned and said that this is a common finding among babies in the 2nd trimester and that they don't affect anything and often times go away on their own. Basically, they are fluid-filled spaces in a part of the brain that filters spinal fluid (kind of like blisters or bubbles). They occur naturally as a result of that spinal fluid transfer between the brain and the spinal cord. However, she did make a note to have the genetic counselor follow up with us.

That afternoon I received a call from the genetic counselor and she explained that although this is a very common occurrence and most likely means nothing, that some researchers have found a small connection between these cysts and chromosomal abnormalities. However, she said that the ultrasound tech did a really good job of capturing all the features of our child including open hands, arched feet, the size of the baby etc., and all those things looked great (as opposed to a fetus that had a chromosomal abnormality - in which case, the fetus would usually be small for his age, have clenched hands and a rounded foot). She said that all in all, my chances for a normal healthy baby were very good (more than 99.5%). She did mention that I could move forward with the triple-screen blood test, to further check for these "soft markers". If that test came back good, then our chances of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality would go down even more.

This was not fun. Sean and I had decided at the beginning of our pregnancy to forgo the genetic blood tests for these types of things. Therefore, we skipped the first trimester blood screening. But after some discussion, we decided that I would just go in and do the triple blood test, because most likely it would come back negative and we could relax about it. Thankfully, we were called with our results a few days later and the blood screening showed that everything is great.

All in all, I feel that although it's really cool to be able to see your baby in an ultrasound, that technology has created another issue by showing people too much information. Of course to cover their butts legally, Doctors have to share this information with the parents, even if it's going to freak them out for no reason! I debated whether or not to even post this information. And the reason that I decided to do so, was to help other expectant parents (or future expectant parents) to understand that this could happen to them and most likely it doesn't mean anything. That most likely your baby is healthy and strong and will come out as a smart little person - with our without these bubbles on the brain. Apparently, autopsies completed in recent years have shown that many adults whom lived normal lives, without learning disabilities or other known issues, had these brain cysts. Apparently, they've been around forever, but now that the technology can see them, it throws up a potential for a red flag! However, it is just a normal human variation in fetal development and sometimes it goes away and sometimes it doesn't, but regardless, it is not known to be harmful to the baby and does not interfere with brain function.