I did a search and didn't see anything for this so please forgive me if there is. I went to my doctor today for my monthly check up and she informed me that at my 18 week ultrasound they noticed that baby has an enlarged heart muscle. She said it could be a sign of Down syndrome, but I had the Down syndrome screening done at 11.5 weeks and everything came back normal. My doctor said she doesn't think this is what it means and that she isn't worried. She also told me my placenta is right over my cervix so placenta previa. I have to go for another ultrasound in 3 weeks and she will determine if I need a c section at that time. All around a bad appointment. Has anyone else been told their baby has an enlarged heart muscle.. I'm so lost as to what this will mean..
Re: Enlarged heart muscle?
Hi- I don't have any info on the enlarged heart muscle... it seems strange that she noticed it, mentioned downs syndrome and then said welp, don't worry! I'd be pretty upset- are they going to do a follow up appointment, another u/s, referral to cardiologist? The screening tests aren't a definite diagnosis one way or another, they are used more to determine a probability (like 1 in 400 or 1 in 4000) Not to scare you of course as it sounds like your doc wasn't concerned, but did she recommend any further blood tests? You may want o call your doctor back and ask these questions if they weren't already covered.
As far as the placenta previa, I'm also not sure why they're only giving you until 21 weeks to determine if you'll need a C-section... baby is still growing and your placenta will most likely shift as baby grows and stop covering your cervix... this can take up until the last few weeks of pregnancy to correct itself... Did she give you any limitations regarding the previa at this point??
I hear ya on being nervous for the next 3 weeks...BUT if your doctor wasn't overly concerned then I think it's probably best to just keep reminding yourself this and if there was cause for concern your doctor would have given you that information as well. I will suggest to stay OFF the interwebz- I know it's hard, but there is so much misinformation out there and anecdotal stories that leave out very large and significant portions of the actual events. Try and hang in there as much as possible... unfortunately there isn't much you can do but wait and follow what your doc is saying.
I think it is always a good sign though when a dr says they are not concerned. Sorry you have to wait so long and I'm also surprised they will make the decision for a c section at only 21
weeks. Hoping your placenta moves up as mine did by that time to help ease some of your anxiety but a c section is okay too
so sorry you had a stressful appointment though spend the weekend doing things that you enjoy and make you happy! I think some self care is called for!
An old friend of mine had placenta previa, and it ended up being fine by the time she was full term (and she delivered vaginally. Hopefully that is the case with yours!
Since the doctor says not to worry yet, and your genetic screening was normal, those are very good signs! I would encourage you to contact your doc and ask questions until you feel better. Good luck to you and your babe.