Echogenic Focus in My Baby Heart

Updated on September 23, 2011
M.B. asks from San Antonio, TX
14 answers

Dear Mamas,
I have a very serious question. No need to say that i am extremely worried, nervous and very very sad.Four weeks ago on my monthly ultrasound my OBGYN.found that white bright spot in my baby's heart and sent us to specialist to confirm the finding and give us an opinion and options.I am currently 21 weeks pregnant with my second baby girl and i am 37 years old. I have no family history of any type of disorder and i am healthy, not smoking or drinking woman. II was told from her that is very common thing with the babies and that spot will disappear later and there is nothing to worry about.Then we went to the perinatologist today and he said that this is actually not as common , it is maybe 4% of babies only had that and because He confirmed that he also see that spot on her heart, but did not mention anything about disappearing on it's own. I had no other genetic screening done he just gave me an insertion of the data he had that on 37 years old woman/non asian, with sinus problems / the probability to have a baby with Dawn is between 1/49- 1/97, which is ridiculously high. That made me extremely nervous, worried. He offered amnio as the only option which will solve my dilemma. He did not tell me that is a soft marker for Dawn, or that is very irrelevenat, he just made me worried and ready to jump for amnio. I was hesitant at that very moment because of the risks of the procedure. Now i am asking you for your opinions, based on my situation , what would you do?Would you chose the amnio, yes or not and why. I want to know if i carry baby with Dawn, because i might decide to terminate the pregnancy.
The only think i know now is that i don't want to live in that state of mind one more day. My mind is going thousands directions right now worrying and i want to be in peace. My unborn baby girl is so cute when i see her on the sonogram and i just want to make sure she is fine, because deep down in my heart i strongly believe that everything is perfectly fine.

This pregnancy was is not being easy for me at all. I have no time to kick my feet and think about the fact that i am so blessed with another baby and will soon welcome her in my world.With my husband out of very complex surgery and now in not an easy period of recovery and my pregnancy and a wonderful happy and very energetic toddler everything is on my shoulders........And i am just a tiny woman.....I need to be babied too. I am so glad that in a month my mom is coming to stay with us for few months.

Thank you mamas

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So What Happened?

Thank you mamas for all you answers , support and encouraging words. After serious talk with my husband we decided to do the amnio. Yesterday i had it done and hoping for positive results on Monday or latest Tuesday.

Thank you one more time.

Featured Answers

M.B.

answers from Orlando on

If a baby is born with Downs doest mean it shouldnt be alive. At 21 weeks the baby is almost viable, why would you abort her now? I have a son who is bipolar and I wouldn't trade him for anything. And I would feel the same way about a downs baby. I wouldn't do the amnio because to me it wouldn't matter if the baby had it or not, I would still want/love her the same.

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E.S.

answers from Houston on

They found the same thing on my daughter's heart. The doc said that it is a soft marker for down syndrome but since they only found one that I should not worry. Yeah, ok. After doing lots of research and talking to other moms who also had this with their children it seems more common than we think. My Ob/gyn said she has had around 10 moms who have had this and all their babies were born without downs. Hopefully your mom can come and give you some much needed rest. Good luck.

3 moms found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Laredo on

I have a beautiful niece with down syndrome who has brought much joy to everyone 's lives. I know it 's hard for my brother and his wife sometimes but they wouldn't change a thing. I hope everything is fine I just wanted you to know that down syndrome is not the worst thing. Hard, yes.but not the worst.

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L.F.

answers from Austin on

My son had fluid on his kidneys (can't remember the technical term for that). Anyway, that is also a soft marker for Downs. I was 38 when he was born. He is a happy healthy boy. I should also add that the fluid resolved itself around the age of 2. Try not to let this ruin the enjoyment of your pregnancy. Good luck.

Also wanted to add that I didn't get an amnio. At 21 weeks it's too late to terminate, in my opinion. Also, there really isn't much you can do with the info. The outcome is out of your hands at this point. Again, wishing you the best. Congrats on your pregnancy, btw. :)

2 moms found this helpful
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K.O.

answers from Austin on

I would not do the amnio, I would just hang in there and trust your instincts. You have a beautiful baby growing right now, and if you terminated this pregnancy you have no idea the emotional anguish you would feel.

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G.G.

answers from Austin on

I would recommend the amnio because you cannot go the next 19 weeks feeling like this. It is risky but being under the care of a perinatologist is great. Unless it has changed, the risk is 1/250. I haven't had the same experience as you but I had a pregnancy with a serious issue. Sadly, ours didn't make it. I can say however, I have heard countless stories where it was looking like the worst could happen and others babies were born perfectly healthy! More good stories than bad, like mine. Don't give up and stress about this just yet. While the ratio you gave us isn't terribly comforting, it could be MUCH worse! Worst case is 1 in 47. Those are still pretty decent odds. I'm sorry you are going through this. I know exactly how you are feeling and it is excruciating.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.T.

answers from College Station on

You need to ask yourself what you are going to do with any information you get from the amnio. My SIL was in a similar situation and she chose NOT to do the amnio because it would not change anything. She would have the baby regardless. The risks didn't justify the test for her.

You say you would terminate if you found out she has Down's so it sounds like you need to have the amnio for your own justification of termination. However, you may be too late to have an abortion. YOUR life is not at risk. I am unclear as to what the late term abortion laws are at the moment. That is something you need to consider and research.

If you do have the amnio and you can't terminate, then you need to decide if you are going to give the baby up or keep her. These are serious questions that only you and your DH can answer. We on this board can only offer our experiences and views, but the decision is wholly yours.

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

A 1 in 49 chance of Down Syndrome means that your baby has a 98% chance of being healthy and a 2% chance of having Down syndrome. A 1 in 97 chance it is even more likely you will have a healthy baby.
An amnio is the only way to know for sure but the odds are greatly in you favor! Best of luck!

Edit: the risk for miscarrying after an amnio are extremely low especially when the test is preformed by a Pernatologist. Your doc can tell you the statistics but my doc performed amnios every day of the week and claims she never lost a baby. If it was that risky do you really think it would be such a routine procedure? They recommend it for everyone if you are over 35.

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S.2.

answers from Boston on

Sorry you're going through this. I can understand the anxiety you're experiencing. You want to know exactly what's going on with your baby, whether you choose to do anything with that info or not. Knowing will just help you sleep at night.

An echogenic focus in the heart IS a soft marker for Downs...but it's a soft marker for a reason. Many many many normal babies have these calcium deposits in their heart and they DO fade away. Having it there will not affect how the heart performs or grows. If no other markers (soft or hard) were seen and your bloodwork screening tests came back within normal limits then chances are your baby is just fine. The reason they recommend an amnio is because they're saying your risk of having a Down's baby is greater than having a miscarriage from an amnio. That's also why they recommend getting an amnio once you're 35.

But it's a very very personal decision. No one can tell you what to do nor should they offer their opinion. You, not them, will have the sleepless nights not knowing OR the miser if something were to go wrong with an amnio. It's a decision you alone have to make. It was only one soft marker though, and with normal bloodwork you're baby is most likely perfectly fine!! Just do what's in your gut...either way.
Best of luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.F.

answers from Phoenix on

My daughter had a bright spot on her heart around 18 weeks (I think). Even though that can indicate the possibility of Down's Syndrome, it can also be a simple calcium deposit. Since my other Down's tests came back with good numbers, my doctor and the specialist weren't worried. Sure enough, the spot disappeared around 30 weeks or so and she was born perfect. If you're really worried, go for the amnio, but the risks of miscarriage with an amnio are pretty high.

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S.P.

answers from Houston on

I know a few ladies that had the amnio done and it showed that the babies had downs Syndrome and they were upset and crying the rest of the time. Turns out that the babies were born just fine and healthy with no downs syndrome what so ever.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Why don't you get an amnio? This way you can be fully informed and either make the decision to term or go into be a parent of a special needs kid fully informed.

Good luck!!

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

I am so sorry for all this stress you are under. While I cannot offer advice on the two options you were given I would definatly go find out as much information on the topic as you can. I personaly would not terminate a pregnancy. The power of prayer is a wonderful thing. God can heal or He can give you peace that you are looking for. Call KSBJ They might be able to help you (281) 446 -KSBJ (5725)

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C.B.

answers from Austin on

I think you're talking about Down's Syndrome? Is that right?
I had amnios with my 2 younger children because of my age (40 and 42 when pregnant). The risks weren't that high, and I had no complications. The procedure is a little scary with only the pain of anything involving a needle. I had great peace of mind with good results. Those 2 kids are 22 and 24 now, so this was back when amnio was the best choice for testing. If it will ease your mind, you should go ahead and have the test.

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