Ultrasound results... a potential bump in the road

Hey everyone,

So, we had our ultrasound and consult with the specialists today. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped. We got through the first part of the ultrasound with no troubles. In fact, they are big enough now that they did an abdominal ultrasoud first (on the outside). All three babies are nearly 2 inches long and all three have good solid heart rates around 160. We were actually pretty excited that Baby C's (the singleton) heart rate had come up to join the others. That was a nice relief. The rest of the abdominal ultrasound went well and we were tickled that everything was going as planned.

The next step was to get the vaginal ultrasound to take a peek at my cervix, as well as getting a closer look at the babies. It was here that we found the problem. While looking up close at each baby, the ultrasound tech noticed that there was a significant change in Baby B (one of the identical twins). She noted that there was some fluid accumulation along the back of his/her neck. This is officially termed a "cystic hygroma" and it is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid. After the ultrasound, we were taken to see the genetic counselor, which sort of made us realize that this was potentially a pretty serious issue. She was a very nice woman (as seems to be the trend with everyone who works at MFM) and she went over some of the causes of this abnormality. This topic can get kind of technical and confusing, but I will try to keep it as simple as possible.

To try and start on a positive note, there is a chance that this will go away and not cause any issues. This is obviously what we will all hope for. If it does not go away, there are a number of possible causes that we will have to look into. One of the main causes is a chromasomal defect, like Down's Syndrome. Some of these defects are mild and manageable and some are more significant and could cause serious health troubles or even death of the fetus. Heart defects are another common cause of the fluid accumulation and also have a range of outcomes, from mild defects to life-ending defects. There is just no way for us to know right now exactly what is causing this and what the next step is.

With guidance from our new doctor, Dr. Pinette, we have decided to take another look in one week. Based on what we see at that point, we will decide how to proceed. More than likely, we will need to do some further testing, like placental sampling or amniotic fluid sampling. This will help to determine what is going on, especially if there is a chromosomal defect. Information will be our biggest ally going forward. One of the complicating issues is that we have to consider not only the possible outcomes of Baby B, but also how this outcome could potentially affect Baby A. The fact that they share a placenta means that we have to consider both of them with every step we take. Luckily, Baby C really should have no ill affects from any of this and our hopes are that his/her siblings will do the same.

I could go on for quite some time about all the information that we acquired today, but I think that's enough for now. I don't want to complicate things any more than they already are... plus I need a nap. We hope that you will all think good thoughts for our little Baby B. We will let you know any more info as soon as we get it, which probably won't be until next week.

Lots of love, Nellie