Womb with a view

We had our 18 week ultrasound today.  It is a routine scan they do at this stage in any pregnancy, focusing on anatomy and certain measurements. 

Today they were focused on baby's head, heart, stomach and limbs.  Two arms, check.  Two legs, check.  10 fingers and toes, check check.  Perfect little noggin, with a choroid plexus cyst...yup!  No surprise there.  My last 2 kiddos also had a cyst, which later resolved, so this didn't phase me at all.  However, CPC are often seen in babes with Trisomy 21 and are considered a soft marker for the syndrome, so I wasn't surprised with this finding. 

Strong little heart with 4 functioning chambers, YES!  This is what we were worried about the most.  50% of babes with DS have a heart defect of some sort.  I was relieved to hear that his heart appears structurally normal today.  However, we are still having a fetal echocardiogram in 2 weeks to look at the vessels into and out of the heart.  There is an echogenic focus which is a little spot in his heart.  Another soft marker for Down syndrome. Again, not alarmed nor surprised.  It does not affect the function of his heart in any way.  There is also a small pericardial effusion, which is fluid around the heart.  Can be caused from infection, heart anomalies or is just another incidental finding consistent with a chromosomal abnormality.  It warrants watching at this point but often resolves over time.  So, I am cautiously optimistic... :)

Overall, I feel like it was an excellent scan.  He looks perfect to me!  He was very active, but cooperative for all the measurements they needed.  His growth is consistent with my dates and judging by his profile, he looks like his big bro, Magnus as far as I can tell.  And we got some great images to share...