Last Thursday, we went for our first ultrasound appointment and found out we are having a girl! We could have spent all day just watching our baby girl moving around. We are so excited about having a girl! The next day, I got a call from my OB-GYN doctor, saying there was a problem with our baby's brain. Her ventricles in her brain were too big; it could go away and mean nothing, or it could mean she has Down Syndrome or a heart defect. We were scheduled to meet with a doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies on Monday.
At our appointment, we had another ultrasound that looked more closely at her heart and brain. The Dr. told us her ventricles in her brain were 16 mm (they should be less than 10mm) and they were most likely not going to shrink. All we can do is wait until our next ultrasound in 4 weeks to determine if her ventricles are expanding or stable. No other problems showed up on the ultrasound, but we will likely get a fetal MRI done sometime in the next few months to look for other problems that might not show up on an ultrasound. The doctor said our baby would need a shunt after she is born to drain the extra fluid in her brain. If her ventricles continue to grow, and her head gets too big- a C-section may need to be scheduled between 30-36 weeks. The doctor said our baby is likely to have "neurological problems"- but it seems like no one really knows for sure at this point.
We started calling the baby "Madelyn" just to try out the name for a week and now nothing else seems to fit right. While we are worried about Maddie and the problems she may face because of her "ventriculomegaly", we are still excited about having a baby girl and we will love her no matter what.
