Being Sent for a Second Ultrasound! :(

Hi M., It sounds like they saw fetal echogenic bowel, which is a fancy term for the bowel being brighter than what is typical (as bright as the surrounding bone). There are many possible causes for this, NORMAL variation, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, viral infection, or if you have a history of early spotting/bleeding it could be an artificat of that. Also sometimes it is actually OVER called and when you have the follow-up study, everything is normal.

While I would like to say that it's normal ALL the time, it may not be and it's a good idea to have the follow-up ultrasound. You should also be offered amniocentesis (which can rule out cystic fibrosis, chromosome abnormalities, viral infection), of course that is optional as there is a low risk of miscarriage (1/300-500). Hopefully you have been assigned a Genetic Counselor that can review the information with you. Perhaps you can call him or her ahead of time. The most important thing is that you did not do anything that would have caused this, nor can you do anything to make it go away. If you are going to do an internet search, look for ECHOGENIC BOWEL. I would stick with medline plus, or other medical reviewed websites.

I hope this helps! Ask to be referred to/get the number of a genetic counselor!

2 moms found this helpful

All I can say is that EVERY woman in my life at some point during at least one pregnancy had a huge scare of some type from an US or blood test. They have all called me in tears and I had to call them too. My US tech actually blurted out that my son looked like he had deformed kidneys - in front of hubby. I had to wait 2 weeks for another US and then 5 days to get the results. i maintained my sanity because a dear friend of ours was told her son's kidney was too big and it was an indication of Down Syndrome. He's 3 years ahead in school - started doing high school level math at age 8 and is fluent in French and English - doesn't sond like Down Syndrome does it? What actually happened was that there was a little plug of tissue in the tube that drains the kidney so it filled up with urine - the pressure of birth popped the plug out and he pee'd all over the Dr.
hang in there! Sometimes I think Dr.s tell us too much and get us worried when they shouldn't.
Whatever is wrong - IF there is something wrong can probably be fixed and the fact that he's growing on schedule is a wonderful sign. My motto is "
don't worry until there is something to worry about!"

1 mom found this helpful

Dear M.,
It is very scary to hear about something seemingly out of the ordinary when you are expecting a new child. We do have to be glad that now we have gained so much knowledge in medicine, and do have ways of keeping the development of the growing fetus closely checked. Many times these kinds of situations can be resolved or helped even before the baby is born, if there is something of concern. I will pray for you and your little one. Waiting is always so difficult. Trust in the knowledge and expertise of your physicians... as they have the practice and experience combined with much new knowledge now than was available in years past !! Sincerely, Kathi
(mother of 28 and 18 yr. daughters)

Dear M.,
I know that the waiting is so very difficult, but please try to take a deep breath and relax. Worrying and stress aren't good for you or for your baby.
We are so very lucky to have the technology we have today, but sometimes when they want to double check things, our minds just start going and it's horrible until we can be reassured.
I was told that I couldn't have children so my doctors kept a pretty close eye on things. My daughter's placenta didn't look right among other things and with my son, I spent a day in the hospital after being told it most likely wasn't a viable pregnancy. Oh, the heartache! But, to make a long story short, after double, triple and quadruple checking things, I gave birth to two perfectly normal and healthy babies.
Just be really good to yourself, eat well, get plenty of rest and know that worrying will not help anything. Chances are very great that everything will be just fine and your second ultrasound will confirm that.
I hope you'll be able to have it done soon so that you don't have to wait too long.
I'll keep you in my thoughts.
Best of wishes.

Could be that the doctor is just double checking things. I was told from my first u/s that I needed a 2nd u/s b/c of solid coloring they saw on the baby's heart, signaling possible defect...ALL WAS WELL! If it was an emergency, I'm sure doctor would have you come in ASAP. Don't worry too much or else you'll be stressed and not good for your healthy baby!

We had a similar situation that turned out fine. They first ultrasound saw a bright spot on my daughters heart. When we went to the specialist all was good. How the specialist explained it to me was very helpful... "There is amazing technology out there to show us things before babies are born and our understanding of what they mean hasn't caught up yet. That is why we check and double check everything" My mom things it is just to build up medical costs. Bottom line you'll worry but also remember you'll get to see your baby again which is wonderful and odds are everything will be just fine!

M.,

Try to relax and stay calm ( I know it is hard). With all of my kids they called me back for the Level 2 Ultrasound. Both my boys had Cleft Lip & Palate but they also told me that one of my sons only had half of his heart working. On my daughter they had me come back because they didn't think she had a spine. Also with all 3 kids they didn't see the babies bladder empty and had to check for that too. Like I said the boys have Cleft Lip & Palate but other than that everything else was fine on all the kids. They have a check list of things they have to look for and if they don't see it or can't see it very clearly they call you back for another one just to be safe. My guess is they won't wait too long to schedule the next appointment, they will want to do it before the baby grows too big and they can't see as much.

I was really worried too with my son when they saw the same thing in his heart, but after I asked a lot of questions, I found out that on the ultrasound, it's just a "brighter" spot that can mean a lot of different things, mostly nothing to be scared about. It's really normal to worry about everything when you're pregnant.... however, for the sake of your baby and yourself, don't stress out too much... take care!

Hi M.,

Seems to me if your DOC considered this an EXTREME concern/emergency, he would have cleared the decks and have had you come in immediately. You have a twelve year old so you are not new to the motherhood experience---just out of practice. Keep your cool, ask as many questions of your physician as you wish. Go in early and camp out if you can't take it!

Blessings....

PS...Glad your stepchildren are wonderful.....some of them are NOT!!

Sounds like the doc is just doing his job. Sometimes I think they forget what it feels like to be on the other side of this kind of call! Try not to worry. Ultrasounds are so hard to see sometimes, and they always try to be extra cautious with babies because they are vulnerable. A friend of mine spent much of her last few weeks of pregnancy in the hospital because the doc was concerned about the baby's heartbeat (they couldn't get a good reading, so they feared it was irregular). But her daughter is just fine, and they think she was just moving too much in the womb when they tried to listen to her heart.
If you are really so stressed, call and insist on a quick appt. and if they stall you, you can always see another doc. Stress is no good for you, or the baby, and you can tell them that!

Hi M.,
Hang in there. I had to go for a second and third ultrasound with my now 9 month old daughter. They thought her stomach looked enlarged and I spent a solid month freaking about it and it was nothing. She is fine and healthy and your little one will be too!

Hugs and hang in there!
H.