nasal bones

[Lala1281]

I am currently 23 weeks pregnant and have recently had a ultrasound where they were not able to find my baby's nasal bone.  They tell me this is a soft marker for Down Syndrome but my blood tests and other measurements say that the baby is growing perfectly.  Has anyone gone through this kind of scare and is able to share with me their experience? I am worried but on the other hand am not sure if I/my doctor is just overreacting. Has anyone else had an ultrasound where they could not find the nasal bone?

[martikadragoon]

Lemme add. An amnio can be done anytime after 16w. Women have them all the time to find out if a baby's lungs are developed enough.

[martikadragoon]

I had an amnio at 16 weeks because I have a genetic skin condition that I've got a %50/50 chance of passing on. If a baby of mine is born with it they'll need to be born via csection.

I found out that my son HAS the skin problem and at 17 w  pregnant that my son has down syndrome.  It was the hardest time in my life! but I continued on to give birth at 35w5d and my son was in the NICU for 1mo 2 days. It turned out he had a hole in his heart. a BIG one, which about%60 of babies with D/S have. He had open heart surgery 3 weeks ago, and now at 3m 1w old  is doing GREAT.

There are many other soft markers for down syndrome. you need a level 2 ultrasound, and possibly an amnio. I had NO complications from my amnio and followed my dr.'s instructions. (take it easy for 24 hrs)

You can also have other tests done  as the other ladies said, Amnio, CVS, and things like that. Don't be too scared. I've gone thru it and know how it is. If you have ANY questions feel free to message me. No question is too personal, and I'll freely share my experience.

by the way, I'm 22 yrs old and so is my husband.  TJ is now 3months 1 week old. He's THRIVING and showing us more every day!

Good luck and god bless!

Cindie

[Beeker6]

Good luck with what you decide!  I was scared to death but figured I should do it because they are also looking for infection and I wanted to get things figured out as soon as possible.  Was there anyting else abnormal that they saw?  Was the baby really active during the u/s?

[Lala1281]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments. I think we will definitely try to go to another ultrasound lab to get a second opinion.  I haven't had an amnio done but my husband and I have been discussing that option. I'm more inclined not to have one done, but if we still can't find the nasal bone with other ultrasound labs, then we probably will do it.  Does anyone know if you can get one done after 23 weeks? I'll be 24 weeks next week and I guess if we don't decide soon it may be too late.
thanks again.

[sweetangel7]

I'm not sure if this is what you want to hear, but I'd ask for another ultrasound with better equipment if possible.  I had an u/s done on Friday at 18w and they were specifically looking at the nose and lip because dh had a cleft lip at birth...they saw the nose and lip and everything was fine/there.  For piece of mind, I'd request another u/s.  Good luck!

[Beeker6]

Did you have the AFP done?  Did they do an amnio?  I have not had that exact issue but I did have my ultrasound yesterday at 19 weeks and they found an echogenic bowel which is also a soft marker for Downs or could be cystic fibrosis.  From what my doc said I have a 1% chance of downs and with only having 1 soft marker my chances were very low.  Good luck to you!  I know exactly how you are feeling right now as  I am waiting for my results to come back.  Hang in there and keep us posted.