AS Discussion

sourlemon

Had mine yesterday and I'm assuming things are ok...the tech can point stuff out and was awesome but isn't allowed to say good/bad/problem so we have no clue. To an untrained eye, we saw the important parts so at least we know it's all there! Waiting to hear back though. 

We also have a fetal echo in 4 weeks so will get another closer look at the heart. Then growth scans every 4 weeks after that. While I hate being high risk, I'm thankful for so many scans!

mrosek91

@Beauxbaton Thankfully, I had someone else for my A/S, I've haven't seen her yet this pregnancy, so I don't know if she's still there...
@oklahomak @MamaK225 I hate confrontation, so I never said anything. I figured my doctors got her initial report, and the follow up from the MFM/hospital, so they would see something was wrong. I haven't seen her recently, so I'm hoping that means she's moved on. I'm just happy it all worked out, and I didn't need to be induced.

wabash15

@mamak225 I'm glad its at least scheduled but yah it would drive me batty to have to wait that long

law_and_little1

Just got back from my scan. Very low lying placenta, and thickened nuchal fold of 6.2mm. (I am 20+1 today.) Got the blood test for genetic screening on my way out, and making an appointment for a Level 2 ultrasound with a maternal-fetal specialist so that she can take another look and further assess our risk for Down's. Don't know what to think. I know there are plenty of instances where a thickened nuchal fold ends up being nothing at all. Obviously can't do anything about it and can't know how much to worry until we learn more... 

olivemomma

@law_and_little1 I hope all turns out well! Did you have earlier testing done that came back normal? I didn’t know they even measured the fold at a 20 week scan but I do know it gets larger with fetal age so a 6.2mm at 20 weeks is definitely not as scary as it is when they normally scan for it earlier on. I’m sure your doctors know best, keep us posted!

law_and_little1

@olivemomma - Thank you! I did not get any genetic testing earlier on. So we are starting from a clean slate. 

Not sure how all the tests work or when, but my understanding is that at this stage of the pregnancy, my doctor recommends follow up for a nuchal fold thicker than 4-5mm. And 6mm is officially considered abnormal. Baby was in a weird position though and tech was having a hard time getting good shots of his head, so hopefully it is nothing. 

thirdtimesacharm2019

@law_and_little1 I’m not trying to give you false hope, but it’s the difference of a mm on a sound wave scan. Hopefully it’s just a weird angle/inexperienced tech. I hope you get your next scan soon!

suzycupcake

@law_and_little1 We are all here for you. I'm sorry for a less than positive AS. When will your MFM appointment be?

law_and_little1

@thirdtimesacharm2019 agree. Definitely trying not to jump to conclusions. I bet the little dude is fine and laughing at me for worrying about an extra couple of millimeters on his neck. "Let me live!"

@suzycupcake it will be next Friday. And thank you! 

wanderlustsoul

@law_and_little1, I hope your appointment goes well and I’ll be thinking of you. 

denma2015

Thanks all for you input on the early diagnosis of previa.  After doing some more reading it sounds like 90% of these clear up by third trimester.  Just going to keep my fingers crossed that I fall in the majority.  

tw... 
after having three losses leading up to this pregnancy whatever has to happen to bring healthy baby girl into this world will be fine. There is plenty of time in the future for exercise and sex ! End tw

jmesue1030

@law_and_little1 thinking of you and your sweet boy! I know anything that comes back abnormal is terrifying but sounds like there is still a good chance that everything is totally fine! 

Allycat11

Had my A/S today. We are still team green! Baby is measuring 10 days ahead, and was at my last ultrasound as well. Originally baby was measuring behind so they bumped back my EDD, curious to see the plan now.  We will have full results in a couple days. 

aukeev

@Allycat11 Hooray for a good scan - and props to you for sticking to your plan of not finding out the sex! Our AS is on Wednesday, and I always thought the results were available immediately. Which results are you waiting on?

Allycat11

@oklahomak we did not see the doctor today so she needs to review measurements and let us know if anything looks off. We know the basics like overall size, heartrate, no major parts missing could've found out gender but if there is something that looked not quite right we would not know yet. 

sourlemon

@oklahomak im in the same waiting boat as @Allycat11, except we did see the doctor for my normal appointment right after. But some offices the radiologist has to write the report and send it to be reviewed by the doctor before they say anything. So even though I saw the doctor, he didnt have results other than the basics that we knew and told him (aka we saw all the body parts and the heart rate was x and its a boy). Im expecting a call in the next week or so, but if nothing is wrong they sometimes dont call at all, just follow up at the next appointment.

aukeev

@Allycat11 Ah, that makes sense. My OB has done all of our scans himself instead of having a tech do them, but they do have a radiology tech come do the anatomy scans. 

Allycat11 and @sourlemon - Thank you for your replies! How long did your scans take? We were sent home from our 16-week appointment with a "what to expect" sheet re: the scan, and it says to plan for an hour-long scan. Is that way longer than it really takes?

sourlemon

Mine was scheduled for an hour. The first 10 minutes the baby wasnt in a good heart position, but she was able to get arm and leg measurements. Then the baby moved and she got the rest of the measurements. That was about 25 minutes total. My OB does an internal one as well to check cervix length and that took an extra few minutes. All in all, with 2 potty trips and undressing/dressing, it was about 35 minutes.

With DD1, it took almost the full hour.

DD2 was about 30 minutes.

It all depends on the position and cooperation of the baby.

Allycat11

@oklahomak my anatomy scans have always been in the 30-45 minute range. 

WinchesterGirl

@law_and_little1 Prayers for good results on your follow up scan!

aukeev

We had our scan this morning. It was hard to get good pictures because he was curled up facing my spine, and I have an anterior placenta (not sure if this interferes with getting pictures, the tech just pointed it out).

The tech took all the measurements but didn't tell me any of them other than his heart rate (142) and weight (13 oz). Now just anxiously awaiting our regular 20-week appointment tomorrow afternoon. 

MamaK225

@oklahomak - The only issues I had with DD1 and her anterior placenta was trying to get good 3D pics later in pregnancy, it didn't really affect much else, unless she was nuzzled up against it (which was her favorite position, apparently). What a great profile!

wiscobabies

Update:  I posted last week after the radiologist saw a small mass in the base of baby boy's lung.  We had a follow up appointment with a scan and met with specialists a few days ago.  They said overall it's small and shouldn't cause problems for the rest of pregnancy/delivery.  I'll have to have follow up ultrasounds every 4 weeks to monitor the mass for growth, and baby will definitely need surgery at 2-3 months of age to remove the mass.  Overall, good news though.

aukeev

@MamaK225 Thank you! Glad to hear it wasn't an issue for you!!

@jrm_14 I'm glad they don't expect it to cause problems. Hopefully it stays little!

jrm_14

@Oklahoma’s I think you meant to tag @jma_18  I have to do a double take whenever I see her SN!!!

However, I also hope it doesn’t cause a problem!

aukeev

@jrm_14 @jma_18 Oh goodness. It's one of those days. 

jrm_14

@oklahomak I hate that you have to wait for your appointment!  That would irritate me. 

aukeev

@jrm_14 It's annoying, but I'm glad it's just tomorrow and not the next week, or something. This is the only scan my OB hasn't done himself, but Wednesdays are his surgery days, so he wasn't even in the office. 

emqbee

So I have a question, for those that have had a discussion with OB/MW after the a/s, what’s you’re takeaway when they give the percentiles? I feel like they give such a wide range. They told me normal was 10%-90% and that just seems like and awfully big range to me. We had measurements for baby and where from 10-60% dependent on the body part. And I guess I’m just curious. Is there any correlation to them telling me baby is in the 30th percentile and we’re measuring about 3 days ahead?

thirdtimesacharm2019

@emqbee I’ve never been given percentiles (or estimated weight) as a result of ultrasounds. After they give you all the statistics, I would just ask “and that’s normal?” Or “should we be concerned?”  Although I would be nervous if they didn’t volunteer concerns.

Once the child is born it’s all about staying around the same percentile (or place on the curve), so I can imagine it would be the same during pregnancy. For example, my kids have always been high 90%s, so if they drop to 50% there could be an issue. But if a kid consistently stays at 10% that’s okay too - it’s just their norm. 

emqbee

@thirdtimesacharm2019 thank you for that! There was nothing to be concerned about. She said everything looked good, normal and as expected. I didn’t know about an estimated weight possibility. I might have to ask about that just out of curiosity and to see what the difference is. I didn’t think percentiles were a big deal, was just kind of curious about what it all meant. In my head when percentiles were brought up I was thinking like testing and grades and went oh god, 30th percentile isn’t great, oh no. But she did reassure me and explain a little-granted I’m fuzzy on the explanation because preggo brain and I can’t remember exactly what she said. 

wabash15

@emqbee so considering the 10th-90th% normal is a pretty standard statistical thing (think of the bell curve) Its also how they come up with "normal" ranges for blood work values etc. So anything within that range is generally considered normal. and honestly the bigger thing is how your kid is doing on their curve. someone has to be little and someone has to be big and someone is spot on in the middle... where you get concerned is if the baby is not growing on their curve anymore. Also its super normal to have different body parts measure at a different percentage.... just like adults some of us have big heads or short legs...   I will say that they must have meant some part is in the 30th percentile for them to also say that the baby is 3 days ahead...  I suspect your crown-rump length was the 60th percentile and thats where they are getting 3 days ahead... 
   LSS... I wouldn't get so caught up in the numbers and if they think the baby is growing well then you are good to go. 

aecm

Had our anatomy scan today, and everything is looking great. The scan was followed by a check in with my OB, and she’s happy with the results.
The highlights:
-They’re both growing on track, measuring just a few days behind (I think I ovulated a few days late, so no big surprise there), and they’re very close in size to each other. 
-Both twins are boys! (I’m still wrapping my girl-mom brain around that fact, lol).
-My cervix is still nice and long. We’ll get monthly ultrasounds from now on to monitor it since twins put us at risk for pre-term labor. I’m happy to hear we’re starting from a good place. 
-Despite being crowded by each other, they’re still moving and shaking. A started transverse, then flipped breech. B started transverse (with his head in the opposite direction of A’s head), flipped breech, then flipped back to his original transverse position. Fingers crossed that A decides to go head-down when they really get cramped, lol. 
-Twin B is a little thumb / hand sucker, so that was cute to see. 

goldfishcraker

We had our AS today. Silly baby was face down. Which means we have to go back for another scan for heart measurements. Which means we are a "stand-by" appointment. So we go and wait up for 4.5 hours for a tech to be able to squeeze us in. But it means we get to see baby again.
But it was cool that the tech went through and showed us all the limbs, and we got to see baby wiggling around!

OB appointment next week to get the results. (Hopefully they will have them in time...OB is on wednesday, but the results could take a week to get sent )

wabash15

@aecm one of my twins was head down and ready to go before the third tri, the other was changing her position up until the very last moment.... so even though there are 2 in there and room gets tight they are still good at dancing and moving if they want to. 
@chillycanadian thats kinda crazy that they don't just give you a specific appointment time to come back and you have to sit around for up to half a day hoping they squeeze you in...

goldfishcraker

@wabash15 yea, it's super annoying! But the department is so busy, that appointments are booked 3+ months in advance, so there are no appointments available. Not looking forward to potentially wasting half a day. But at least I don't need a full bladder! I can get DH to drop me off and he can leave to do something else. When I get called in I'll text him and he can make his way back.
So at least we won't both waste the whole day

law_and_little1

So I had my follow up appointment today. 

Last week they said baby had a thickened nuchal fold of 6.2mm (at 20 weeks) and referred me for a Level 2 utlrasound with MFM. 

Today I went in and the nuchal fold was 5.8mm. The MFM doc said this "doesn't negate" the measurement from last week since it's such a small difference and the abnormal point is still 6.  Also, she found another "soft marker" for Downs - a echogenic focus on the left ventricle. She said these are harmless by themselves, and if that was the only marker, they would probably ignore it. But combined with the NF measurement, it bumps up the risk of Downs even more, though hard to quantify. 

She referred me to get a fetal echocardiogram to make sure the heart is okay since a thickened nuchal fold can also be indicative of a structural abnormality on the heart. 

BUT... I also got my cell free DNA test back today and it was normal!!!!  So my understanding is that this is a quite reliable indicator that there is no Trisomy  21 (or 13 or 18). Of course the only definitive "gold standard" diagnosis is the amniocentesis, but I don't think I'll be doing that now since the blood test is normal, given the risk involved. 

Next up is the echo but hopefully then we are in the clear. After that, I don't even WANT any more tests!! Just feeling like -- enough already!!! 

cato99

@law_and_little1 that is wonderful news! I’ve been thinking of you and your little one! That test is definitely more reliable than the soft markers so it sounds like it’s time for you to relax! I hope the fetal echo shows the heart is fine as well. 

sourlemon

@law_and_little1 hopefully the echo eases your mind and shows things are great. There are a few heart moms on this board if you need to chat. Just send out a bat signal! 

MamaK225

FINALLY had the A/S (at nearly 23w ) and was thoroughly unimpressed with the facilities at the local hospital where MFM resides. However, we really liked the tech and the doctor that reviewed the results. First, it took us about 20 min to get to the area. We stopped at 3 different entrances and everyone had a different answer as to where the location was; thankfully, the last person we spoke to - though she was an orthopedic nurse - was able to give us the correct directions and we quickly ran up there just in time.

Everything looked good, baby is measuring on-time with EDD and heart, lungs, brain, belly, bones, etc. looked good. Only thing is baby does have marginal cord insertion which the doctor said isn't cause for much concern, we just get more U/S in the early 3rd trimester to monitor. He said the most common effect is that the baby measures small, so they're just going to monitor her growth to make sure she's getting enough blood, nutrients, etc. I remember someone in here saying that they have had it before, so I wasn't too worried about it. I did a little digging when I got back (not too far, Dr. Google is terrifying) and it turns out it's pretty common in twin pregnancies (~17%) and A2 began as a twin pregnancy. I'm also wondering if it isn't genetic, too, given that babies in my family tend to run small (+/- exactly 7 lbs when we have to be induced at 41+) - but it's hard to say, since my sister was so young (she was 26 with her oldest) and mom had us in the 80s before the technology was there to look at such things. I would venture to say I probably had it with DD1, given she was 6 lb 9 oz at 40+1. But, again, all posturing since I wasn't "old" and therefore didn't need the A/S done at MFM.

So now I return back to the world of "normal" pregnancies (my doc can do the follow-up to measure growth at 27-28 weeks at his office) and just continue my countdown