Single umbilical artery, anyone else? (SUA)

vcabbyw

I just found out that our 20wk ultrasound showed our baby boy has a SUA. Has anyone else experienced this? I left the midwife office being told not to worry. When she mentioned that it increases stillbirth rates slightly, I lost it. Google is only mildly reassuring. Seems I have a 20-25% chance of running into some issues including IUGR.  But I did do some extensive genetic testing which gave me really low odds of chromosomal defects. Guess it doesn't matter though, it is what it is. 

I have an ultrasound scheduled to track his growth. Just yesterday I was thinking to myself "please, don't be a giant baby!".
Which is silly now, he can be as big as he needs to be.... 

I'm also in the middle of a whole house remodel. I sold my last house mid April. Just adds to the stress of it all. I just hope he doesn't need to come early ;(

And please share with me, good or bad. I can take it....

von1976

IUGR means the baby will likely be small for his size, not the other way around. I saw a single umbilical artery during my OB clinicals for nursing school--both mom and baby were fine. I don't know how reassuring that is, because that may or may not be the case for you, but I would listen to your medical team. You might consider checking in with an OB for a second opinion if you aren't seeing one already, since they are trained to deal with special cases like these, whereas midwives are not. I'm not saying your midwife is wrong--she may have experience with this--but it might put your mind at ease to see someone more specialized.

vcabbyw

You may be right that talking to a specialist may ease my mind a little bit more. They probably see more cases.

Regarding IUGR. I had a friend give birth to an 11lb baby. Which made me start worrying how big he may be. I left this appt with my midwife thinking how silly it is to worry about him being too large. Id do anything now to let him grow as much as he needs.... 

blaf322

My friend had the same and her LO is perfect. I know at least one other person mentioned having this as well but can't remember who. 

ibabyloveb87

I don't have any advice but seeing a specialist always sounds like a good plan if you don't feel like you're getting enough information. Hope everything continues to go well for you and try not to stress!! 

lmno304

One of my twins has severe IUGR. This Thursday we were given very bad odds of her survival, about 2%. Hers is caused by poor placenta quality and absent diastolic flow, meaning she isn't getting adequate blood flow in between heartbeats. It comes and goes though, week by week, she just continues not to gain weight because of the poor flow. Just a short read on SUA doesn't sound too terrible, but I understand the urge to panic. There is A LOT of comforting info out there about IUGR, don't let my story scare you out of the hope, faith and confidence you need to get through this. I do recommend seeing at least an MFM specialist even though you have ruled out chromosomal abnormalities. The extra attention and info they can give you is beyond helpful, and you will be thankful you have them on your side. Think of your OB as your dr and your MFM as your baby's dr. Ask your OB for a referral, they're usually near the hospital and work with you to decide if and when your baby is better out than in.

waterfall213

I don't have any experience but I agree with seeing a MFM (maternal fetal medicine) doctor. They'll be able to monitor you and baby closely and will have more experience than a midwife. I'm high risk so I'll be seeing the MFM every other week starting in third tri. 

LauraPCOS

I have a single artery umbilical cord (also known as 2 vessel umbilical cord).  I was scared shitless when I found out because it took me so long to get pregnant.  My OB said this is common in about 2% of all healthy pregnancies.  Some of the risks are low growth, kidney and heart development issues (due to the kidneys and heart developing at the same time as the umbilical cord so it's felt if there is a problem with one, there could be a problem with all), and yes unfortunately a SLIGHTLY higher risk of stillborn.

My OB sent me for a fetal echo ultrasound so we got to see the baby's heart and saw that everything has developed normally and strongly there, kidneys got extra focus during measurements to make sure they were growing properly, and I have extra ultrasounds at week 30, 34, and 38 to make sure growth is going as normal (so far the OB feels there has been growth and according to the chart, so that's hopeful).  I try not to think of the stillbirth risk because it is literally very slight, from 1% to 1.5-2%, but I do take comfort in feeling his frequent kicks.

I agree with PP, you might want to see an OB because they will ensure you see the heart specialist, and get extra ultrasounds in.

vcabbyw

Thanks for the replies! 

LauraPCOS, how does fetal echo ultrasounds differ? We have an ultrasound scheduled here for about 30 weeks. I'm assuming I'll be on a similar schedule for monitoring. I had several friends actually tell me they had similar issues, but ultimately gave birth to big healthy babies. They were just monitored more closely, with growth scans and stress tests. 

Definitely going to check in on seeing an OB.