28 Weeks Pregnant and Baby Has Kidney Fullness

The same thing happened to me! When I was at my 20 week ultrasound, they told me that my baby boy had an enlarged kidney, and that it's common in boys and should subside. They then scheduled me for a 28 week ultrasound (that I got today) and the kidney was still enlarged (one was 4.8mm and one was 6.0mm if I remember correctly). They said it shouldn't be anything to worry about, and in 4 weeks they scheduled another ultrasound to check up on it. The only thing that worries me about this was that an enlarged kidney in a fetus is a potential sign of Down Syndrome. This is rare and (through my research) an enlarged kidney is pretty common in most fetuses.

Hi There,
I went through the exact same thing, though I did know at 18 weeks that my baby had hydronephrosis. It is more common than you think. My son's kidney retention lasted through the whole pregnancy. I was monitored very closely. I did get oligo (low amnio fluid) and was monitored twice a week for the last 4 weeks. The amniotic fluid got as low as just 1 tablespoon and that was when they decided to deliver my son at 35 weeks. His condition persisted for the first year and by 18 months he was free and clear of it. There is a great pediatric urologist at Tufts NE Medical Center that we used if you need that. Bottom line, it is common and easily treatable if it persists. Good luck and feel free to email me if you have more questions about it.
Thanks
B. G

hi J., I am not sure that our kids have the same issue but, when I was pregnant with our second daughter she had hydro nepherosis (? sp) that resolved on its own. we had to have an extra ultrasound while pregnant and then she had to have one about a week after she was born and everything has been fine since, and she is 3 years old now.

Nicki

My son showed hydronephrosis (sp?) at my 18 week u/s, and again at the 28 week one. They suggested another higer level u/s to verify, but we decided against it because it didn't seem necessary (it wouldn't have done anything other than confirm what they already knew) Everything else was fine, and my amniotic fluid was normal throughout my pregnancy. I delivered him a week past my due date by emergency c-section (which had nothing at all to do with the kidney issue) and he was 100% fine. He is now 13 months old and hasn't (knock on wood) had any trouble at all with his kidneys. From what I read it is extremely common and very often resolves before the baby is born. Hope that is the case with your little one!

I have a beautiful 2 1/2 year old boy who had complications with his kidneys while I was pregnant and for all of his life. These were not severe because he never got sick but he had fluid in his kidneys that would not drain. I believe the medical term they used was hydronerfrosis (spelling probably not right). Well, they hasd him on antibiotics for the first 6 months of his life because there was a lot of fluid but they also did ultrasounds to monitor the level and as I said when he was six months the level had decreased enough that they took him off antibiotics. He continued to have ultrasounds eevery couple of months until last month when both his kidneys were clear. Each ultrasound showed improvement and I had a terrific Urologist who constantly told me that plenty of kids have the same problem and parents never know because it is not detected during pregnancy and therefore the children don't go thru all of the ultrasounds my son did. It was worth it to get peace of mind but sometimes I wonder if doctors just know too much and look for too many problems. I hope your story turns out as good as mine. Let me know if you have any more questions.

B. O

My friend just went through the same thing with her daughter. She was born on Sunday (her due date) and everything seems fine so far. She's urinating as she should, which indicates her kidneys are functioning. She's going to see a urologist on Friday to give her a thorough check, but so far so good. Try not to worry, it will probably work out on it's own as the doctor said. :) Good luck with your pregnancy! (I'm 32 weeks, myself!)

My advice would be to drink a ton of water before your utlrsound and know that the measurement of amniotic fluid can be inaccurate and unless it is extremely low i would be cautious about inducing for that reason alone.