Freak of nature?

[rachjock]

This is our third pregnancy where the baby has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus and is missing the cerebellum. Everyone thinks we should terminate but this is not an option for us. I know this baby needs a miracle. we have spoken to a genetecist and he thinks it is a genetic condition. Me and my patners chromosomes have been tested as have all our babies and they came back normal. I think he said it could be a recessive gene and there is a 1 in 4 chance of this re-occuring again. My partner has children from a past relationship. Can you give anymore advice as if we lose this baby, don't think i could cope going through this a 4th time. Thankyou

[chitten]

Im sorry ive never heard of this medical condition but didnt wanna read and run. Can you explain it?

[michelle148]

Chitten:- Here is what i have found on Hydrocephalus.
Rachjock, Im so sorry to hear this. How far gone are you?


Hydrocephalus (pronunciation IPA: /ˌhaɪˌdɹoʊˈsɛfələs/) is a term derived from the Greek words "hydro" meaning water, and "cephalus" meaning head, and this condition is sometimes known as "water on the brain". People with this condition have abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, and mental disability.

Hydrocephalus is usually due to blockage of CSF outflow in the ventricles or in the subarachnoid space over the brain. In a normal healthy person, CSF continuously circulates through the brain and its ventricles and the spinal cord and is continuously drained away into the circulatory system. In a hydrocephalic situation, the fluid accumulates in the ventricles, and the skull may become enlarged because of the great volume of fluid pressing against the brain and skull. Alternatively, the condition may result from an overproduction of the CSF fluid, from a congenital malformation blocking normal drainage of the fluid, or from complications of head injuries or infections.[1]

Infants and young children with hydrocephalus typically have abnormally large heads, because the pressure of the fluid causes the individual skull bones — which have yet to fuse — to bulge outward at their juncture points. Compression of the brain by the accumulating fluid eventually may cause convulsions and mental retardation. Hydrocephalus occurs in about one out of every 500 live births[2] and was routinely fatal until surgical techniques for shunting the excess fluid out of the central nervous system and into the blood or abdomen were developed.

Usually, hydrocephalus need not cause any intellectual impairment if recognized and properly treated. A massive degree of hydrocephalus rarely exists in normally functioning people, though such a rarity may occur if onset is gradual rather than sudden.[3]

[michelle148]

Dont know if you have seen this website:- www.specialchild.com but there is some info on there of other people that have had children with Hydrocephalus

[chitten]

My little brother has cerebral palsy (left sided haemopledgia) and also has a fluid filled hole in the brain.

Docs said it was possibly casused by a stroke in the womb but it was really due to medical negligence and the fact that he was 23 days overdue and left in distress for 9 hours without them realising.

When he was bron he had to be ventilated as he wasnt breathing.

He is now 15 years old, 6 foot 2 and a totally loving caring boy who strives to do well in everything in life including school, sports, everything.

He has physical disabilities and had a weak hand and walks with a limp, he had a squint in his eye which was corrected with surgery and also has developed epilpsy and some emotional problems but apart from this he is completely normal. Doctors say there is a possibility of him hving to have a shunt put in his brain to relieve the pressure from excess fluid but its a long way off.

I would never refer to him, or any other baby with problems as a freak of nature. Some of the most challenged people can be the nicest you will ever meet as they learn to appreciate life more

[rachjock]

Hi thanks for the info, when i wrote freak of nature, i wasn't referring to a child with disabilities, I meant what has happened to me and my partner was a freak of nature, this happening 3 times to us due to a genetic syndrome. We are happy to bring a child into this world weather they are handicapped or not, I just hope that he makes it like your brother did.

[rachjock]

Thanks Michelle, i will check the website out. I am 16 weeks pregnant at the mo. I mis-miscarried my second baby at 10 weeks, we had an awful time over christmas. I no what the fear is like when you get pregnant again!!!!!!!!!