About a week after our last ultrasound appointment we learned that the baby had a very small cyst, called a Choroid Plexus Cyst, on his brain. This cyst does not affect development or thinking and is not dangerous (it is just a small build up of fluid). They also usually disappear on their own before birth. It's thought that 1-3% of all fetuses have one or more of these.
The problem is that CPC's are considered soft markers for genetic disorders Trisomy 18 and rarely Trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome). About 1% of fetuses with CPC are found to have either T-18 or a few have T-21. Most of those fetuses have more than one soft marker for the disorder.
Our doctor informed us that everything else with baby James looked normal (they did not see any other markers) and there was no reason to be concerned about him having one of these genetic disorders. Especially since we have already undergone genetic screening and our risk of developing one of these was deemed extremely low.
We're trying to stay positive, as our doctor doesn't feel there is any need to be alarmed but we would appreciate it if you could keep baby James in your thoughts and prayers. We won't know if for sure that he does not have one of these genetic disorders until he is born.
On a lighter note, James and I went to two Mariners games last week. Unfortunately, they lost both games. We have tickets for another game in June. Hopefully the team is able to get it together before then.
James and I after one of the games
And me at 22 weeks
Also, baby James has started kicking up a storm in the last week. His kicks went from just barely being able to feel them from the outside to moving my whole belly almost over night. It's exciting to feel how strong he's getting, although my ribs aren't so thankful.
