A Load Off My Mind

When I shared my 20 week update 2 weeks ago I wasn't 100% honest with you guys. I didn't tell any lies, but I didn't tell the whole truth, either.

As many of you know, the anatomy ultrasound takes around 30 minutes and the tech measures various parts of baby's body: heart, head, abdomen, arm and leg bones, etc. It's not just about revealing gender!

In my case my midwife discovered 2 things that were less than ideal, but the midwife explained that both issues were likely to go away on their own. Just to be on the safe side I had a follow-up Level 2 ultrasound (which I also had for Luke, for different reasons) with a specialist. We didn't share this news at the time because Steven and I didn't want to worry everybody over nothing. I'm sharing it now because we're confident there's nothing to worry about. I guess I could keep this to myself and no one would know the difference, but I want to document the pregnancy - good, bad, and ugly.

Issue #1 - Choroid Plexus Cyst
A CPC is a small pocket of brain and spinal fluid that gets trapped while the baby's brain is forming. A CPC could be a marker for Trisomy 18, if accompanied by other fetal defects, or it could be nothing and go away on its own. Kind of like how you get air bubbles trapped on your new screen protector, but they eventually work their way out.
The 20 week ultrasound showed 1 cyst and no other defects. The Level 2 ultrasound found no fetal defects and no remaining cysts. So either the original tech misread the scan or, more likely, the cyst was there at 20 weeks and reabsorbed on its own like my midwife said it would. The specialist OB gave me the option of further testing - a blood test and/or an amnio - but he saw no reason to be alarmed and thought the tests would only be for my peace of mind. I declined the testing because a) I'd rather not dig too deeply into things like that, b) I hate needles and c) I'm cheap. However, if the OB had deemed them necessary I would get the test without compliant.

Issue #2 - Placenta Previa
Having a placenta previa means the placenta is sitting directly over the cervix, blocking baby's only way out. All placentas sit over the cervix at first, but most will eventually move out of the way. According to my midwife roughly half move by 17-20 weeks, and the other half move a few weeks later. In the rare chance mine was to never move it would cause no harm to the baby, but it would mean a scheduled C-Section for me.
The 20 week ultrasound showed me at full previa position. No bueno. The Level 2 ultrasound showed that the placenta had moved and just a tiny bit of it was still blocking the cervix. Woo hoo! Keep your fingers crossed that it keeps moving in the right direction, but I think I'm out of the woods on that one.
The plan is to monitor the placenta with an ultrasound every 4 weeks, but I'm hopeful the midwives will soon be satisfied with its position.

Please note I didn't include links to info on either of these conditions. If you choose to google them, do so at your own risk. My midwife strongly urged me not to research them because I would scare myself silly with worst-case scenarios. I didn't and I'm glad I stayed ignorant on this one.

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