Addy, I am 38 weeks and 4 days today and I am very nervous too. I went for awhile feeling pretty confident that things would be ok, but now that I am close to my due date, I feel very anxious. Everytime I try to talk to someone about my feelings, they get invalidated, which doesn't help. Everyone is asking me if I am excited and they don't understand why I say I am nervous. The only comfort I get is this forum, thank god. Good luck to you, I sure we will be both fine. ↑
Jtomlinson - I hear you alright...there are times I read all the positives, log off, and feel great and wonder even why I have wasted so many hours and tears! Then there are days I read one bad story or start thinking negatively, and I am consumed. It really took away alot of happiness that should go along with having a baby. Do you still discuss the focus finding with your OB or have they also told you it is 'nothing to worry about' ? ↑
Hi Addy, like you, I visit this post every time I feel nervous about the "spot". I inquire about it every time I see someone new, such as a nurse or another doctor that I haven't seen before, just to see what they have to say about it. My OBGYN is very dismissive and thinks that I am worrying for nothing. The other med staff that I talk to have given me reassuring info since my prenatal screening was good and everything else is pretty much "textbook". Still, until I deliver, I will never feel 100% satisfied. I guess, when I start to feel negative, I remember that the baby is moving, growing, hiccuping, etc...
I also suffer from an anxiety disorder, so I have a tendency to think the worst, it's been a huge problem with my pregnancy (probably not your case), so this adds additional worry for me. I am on medication for it (another thing to worry about), but I can't cope without it. The waiting (even if it's a couple of weeks) is killer! ↑
Jtomlinson - you must be getting real close. I had an appt yesterday and started my 39th week today! Of course I asked the dr again and he told me that it was not even something they were following on me. He also added that he saw 3 just yesterday alone! He added (as he always does) that without any other malformations or abnormalities seen on the US, I have nothing to be worrying about (except labor!!!!) I felt really good and at least today, I am thinking very positively. Pls keep me posted as I know your date is nearing as well. Do you know what you are having? ↑
Hi Addy, my due date is April 1st and I am getting nervous, although I have no signs of labour yet. I went to the hospital for a non-stress test and mentioned the EIF to the resident dr, the nurse AND the doctor and none of them had even heard of it! I told them what it was and then told them that I had IPS (Integrated Prenatal Screening), the Canadian version of the triple screen I think. They said that my results (1 in 11000) were more important than a single marker. So I was reassured but will not be 100% until he is born healthy. I am sure that we will both come out fine. I will post once he is born. I will be induced if nothing happens by April 10th. ↑
I am 22 years old and have 3 healthy daughters. I recently went to my 21 week ultrasound and they found the spot on the left ventricle. They doctory said not worry of course I do. And they are sending me to a more advanced hospital. Im so worried because I found out that my husbands mom had a baby with down syndrome. I know down syndrome doesnt run in my family. but Im still worried but I dont know how I would be able to take care of special needs child because of my girls that are still all under 4 years old. They also told me it was a boy which I was excited but then fell into instant disappointment when I found the spot out. ↑
Hi Everyone just wanted to add my story to this board. They found two echogenic foci on my baby's heart at the 17 week ultrasound, and of course sent me into a flat spin when they said it was a soft marker for Downs. They measured everything else and there were no other signs of Downs. My doctor told me though that if everything else looks fine, then it is nothing to be worried about. At the 21 week ultrasound one of the spots had disappeared. I had the triple marker test and it was fine - gave me risk of 1 in 10000. I am 27 and have not had any other health issues with this pregnancy except for discovering I am rhesus negative, but luckily not sensitised. There was no way I was going to do an amnio given the risks of rhesus sensitisation, not to mention miscarriage.
I am now 30 weeks, and will post back when I have the baby, hopefully with a reassuring story! ↑
I too was told at my 20 week u/s that my baby had an echogenic focus on it's heart. I was told not to worry and since it was an isolated finding that changes for any abnormality were slim to none. It was still hard not to let it comsume my thoughts. Ever since that day, this thread had been like my bible, and not a day went by without me checking it. All of the hopeful and promising stories helped me enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. So now it's my turn to share another happy story. I gave birth to beautiful, healthy boy at the end of March. He is the joy of our lives! I know how it is so much easier said than done when the doctors tell you not to worry, but try to enjoy the rest of your pregnancies as much as possible. They see these soft markers so much more today with technology being that much greater. My thoughts are with all you axious mommies, and pray for happy outcomes. ↑
hello everyone! i just felt as though i should drop a few lines to all you girls in such despair over this situation we have all found our selves in! i posted what seems like forever ago about the exact same sitiation! the last five months of my pregnancy was really difficult & trying! i just worried myself sick although, my dr. said not to worry! well, being a worrier by nature that is all i did is worry! in my silly mind i thought well since all these ladies posting on here had great outcomes maybe i was the ONE that would result in a downs baby or baby with a serious heart deffect! now my son will be 6 months old on the 9th of this month and is so perfect in every way! i made myself miserable for no reason at all! at the same rate, i thank God every day for allowing my baby to be born perfect! lean on God, he will see you ALL through! january a year ago i lost my beautiful little blonde haired blue eyed angel 2 year old daughter to a freak accident! i found out the day of her funeral that i was pregnant with matthew! i will probably not understand for a long time why God took the most precious thing in my world, if i ever understand! but, he has it all figured out & things occur in such mysterious ways! needless to say, my pregnancy was a difficult one! oh yeah, and the real kicker is that 12 days after the death of my daughter my dad lost his 5 year battle with cancer! but i am pleased to report that matthew is above average in all his little milestones! i am trying to deal with the healing of all my loss but, basking in the glory of another beautiful bleassing from God! please please please do not worry! i wish if anyone had any questions they could email me and i would be glad to answer them! i don't think exchanging emails is allowed on here, not sure but i will try anyway! it's carrollhammond at bellsouth dot net. another note, the spot stayed there up til my last sonogram at 34 weeks so i had a tough time waiting on delivery to see how things turned out! the anxiety just strengthened in the end for me any way! God bless you all & everytime i pray i pray for your peace of mind and perfect babies! ↑
Hi everyone, I am 32 yeas old, and last year I was pregnant for the first time. Everything was going well, until the doctor called me to tell me that my AFP test was abnormal. I was debastated. The doctor said my baby had a 1 in 209 chance to have Down Syndrome. I couldn't stop crying. We scheduled a second level ultrasound, and the doctor found two white spots on my baby's heart. One on each ventricle. That really made me believe my baby wasn't going to be the healthy child I had expected her to be. I spent my days crying, and searching online for some reassurance. I decided not to do an Amnio because of the risk and convinced myself and my husband, who did not want to have a desable child and wanted me to do the Amnio and abort if the result was positive, that our baby was going to be ok, and if not, that she was going to be our baby and we were going to love her no matter how hard it was going to be. It was very difficult to convince myself that everything was going to be ok, but deep inside I had the feeling that she was going to be fine. Now she is almost four months old and a very healthy baby. The Echogenic foci desapeared before my baby was born, and stopped being an issue to the doctors (not to me...I was always worried!), but she is fine!!! I followed my heart, and it wasn't wrong! I also prayed every single day and had a lot of faith. Now I wish I had not worried so much when I was pregnat...but, hey...it's just natural...but I look at may baby and thank God for the strenght He gave my to go against my husband wishes, the pushy doctors and the AFP test results (which is only 2% accurate?... something like that) and decline tha Amnio and, of course, abortion. So, hang in there. Be positive and have faith! ↑
Hi there everyone, I have some very good news to report and I hope it helps. I know that reading people's good outcomes gave me alot of hope and reassurance. My baby boy, Liam was born on April 1st at 8:51 p.m. by C-Section ( I developed Preeclampsia), and was absolutely PERFECT. He was diagnosed with the EIF at 18 weeks and I suffered tremendous worry and anxiety for the last half of my pregnancy (not to mention a horrible winter which didn't help my mood either. But here it is, Springtime and I hold my precious little boy in my arms, smelling his sweet smell and feeling enormous relief.
I know it is easier said than done to not worry, because I kept thinking "I just may be that one statistic" where they only find one marker and he does happen to have Down's. But this is not the case. My doctor kept telling me to not worry as with everyone else. They kept saying that Down's would show many more markers. Sometimes people even have two or three and their babies come out fine.
I know all of you are worried, I was too and it sucked. Especially when people were so excited for you and deep down you feel so worried.
Try to continue your pregnancy and try to push it to the back of your minds. And everytime you see a medical staff, ASK about the spot. I did every chance I got and they would offer some reasurance.
I will continue to check up on everyone's stories. I think this marker is very very common and very little significance. Of course it is easy for me to say this now. Good luck to all of you, I completely understand the horrible worry you have to endure.
Jtomlinson - I had been waiting for your post and cannot tell you how very happy I am for you! Now you can truly enjoy every second of your days. My due date was the 7th, but this baby does not want to leave my warm belly, I guess. I go back next Monday and if still no activity, they will admit me to start with the fun stuff! All else is ok, so they see no need to rush it. Of course as the days go by and I anxiously wait, the spot is still consuming me - esp now that I am home (no longer working), so have more time to read the internet. My latest concern is that my triple screen #s aren't as great as most of the girls on this site - I know, I'm crazy...there are many where the results were abnormal and all was still fine. I just wish I had numbers in the thousands, but I have to remember there are many under a hundred and still no issues were found. I work with someone who's results just came back as 1/80 and she had the CVS and is fine. I know I have let this get the best of me and I just cannot wait until it is over. I promise to post as soon as I can. All my love to you and your Liam. ↑
I promised myself that I would post my own success story one day. Last fall I too received the dreaded news from my u/s that my baby had the foci spot on his heart. He also had a few CPC's on his brain. Of course I was devastated. I'm 39 years old and even though I had good results from the nuchal fold test I was still very upset. After speaking with doctors and genetics counsellors we decided not to risk m/c with an amnio and instead waited anxiously for our baby to be born. I came to this board for comfort often. This past week our litte boy was born COMPLETELY healthy. He is an absolute joy. To anyone who is going through this please don't let these markers steal any of your joy from your pregnancy. Truly, they are nothing to worry about. ↑
Dear All,
This is Addy. I posted my story after my baby's heart also revealed a focus. All of my doctors dismissed it, telling us there was nothing to worry about as nothing else showed up abnormal on the Wk 20 US. Like the doctors, everyone around me also told me to enjoy my pregnancy and not worry. I can say that it was impossible for me...while there were days (even wks) when it didn't consume me, there was never a day I did not think about the health of our baby. I am happy to report she was born healthy this Monday. We did not know what we were having so another wonderful surprise. I feel like my wonderful life can start all over now with this precious addition. I too cannot tell you not to worry (it is impossible), but I can tell you to ask your drs many questions to try and make it as anxiety free as possible. Also, note that this was never mentioned to me by the pediatrician or by my doctors once during this 3 day stay - when I questioned some of the staff after her birth, they didn't appear to even know what I was worried about. I think we just have way too much info and drs have too many worries to withhold information from pts. Enjoy - new life is such a miracle. All my love ↑
All the stories on this site are so encouraging. My baby also has an EIF on its heart. I found out at 17 wks. I am now 20 wks. I will have a fetal echocardiogram next week and I hope they will find nothing. At my last visit everything measured well and all is fine. The only thing they found was the EIF. I am also 36 and will turn 37 a few days after I deliver which is why I am seeing a high risk doctor. I feel totally stressed all the time, and feel like I can't enjoy my pregnancy. I just hope everything is okay. ↑
More good news! my son was born adorable and healthy! when I asked the pediatrician about the spot he had never even heard of it and had to ask the OB at the hospital as to what they are. They both said no further testing needed to be done on him. The OB on call ultrasounds machines are so fine tuned now they pick up things that wouldnt have shown up 2 years ago. I know what you are all going through and I hope some good news will ease your fears, but I know until you hold them in your arms will you be at peace. Sending good thoughts your way! ↑
Hello! I posted on this site few months ago with the same concern, EIF. The dr found the dreaded spot on my 18th week ultrasound. I was so worried.
But I am happy to announce that my baby boy was born healthy on April 29. =) I know it is hard not to think about EIF, but please not try to worry and enjoy the rest of the pregnancy. ↑
Hi everyone... I posted back around my 20 wk ultrasound saying that an eif was detected on baby's girl heart.. I was so worried and upset because I was told it was a soft marker for down's syndrome. I denied getting an amnio and ultimately put my trust God. I am happy to announce I gave birth to a normal healthy baby girl on April 16th! I asked the dr who delivered my baby about the spot. She said it is a very common varient in pregnancies. This site encouraged me a lot and I just wanted to help others in encouraging them to have faith and try to enjoy teir pregnancies :) ↑
Hi Patty. I am 18 weeks pregnant, 32 years old and I, too, just found out that my baby has an echogenic foci on his heart. My husband, daughter (age 10) and I went in to the office today (my birthday) to find out our baby's gender and to do the biophysical profile. After finding out we are finally getting our little boy, we were ecstatic! We were then taken into another room and told about the echogenic focus on his left ventricle, and then told that it was a marker for downs syndrome. The doctor seemed very apologetic, and honestly, not very encouraging at all. We left there devastated! After I got home, I began doing research, and thank heavens, I found these message boards. I called the office back and spoke with a nurse who assured me that only having the one marker was a really good sign. I am awaiting a call from the fetal medicine doctor for a fetal echocardiogram and more intense ultrasound to see if there are any more markers. I can only hope and pray that both you and I receive only good news from this point on. I believe that I will also opt out of the amnio if it is offered. I will be watching for updates, and keeping you in my prayers, as well. The postings on here have been so uplifting. I am still worried, but to hear so many stories of healthy babies, at least I know there is hope. ↑
Hi, Just wondering how many of you had a nuchal transluceny (different to the nuchal fold at 18 wks) test and combined blood test done at the 12 week scan? I am from Australia and this is pretty routine as far as I can tell. I had a high nuchal translucency reading in the 97th percentile but awesome bloods and then they found the isolated EIF at 18 wks. Just wondering if anyone else had this? My risk is currently 1:998. ↑
Hi annette32. I had the nuchal translucency test at 12 weeks, along with blood work and nasal bone detection. My results were 1:3610 for DS and nasal bone was visible. Later at 19 weeks an isolated EIF was detected. I did have another ultrasound at 29 weeks (at my request) and they measured everything and everything looked normal and baby was developing fine. Nobody seems to worry and I am trying to be hopeful that everything is fine. Nobody readjusted my stats from the first trimester screening, because my doctor said those stats count more, and isolated EIF doesn't change it. I am 33 weeks now and can't wait to see this baby. I am 28 years old. ↑
Hi Anxiousbuthopeful, Yeah, it's so hard not to stress. I think that if my nuchal wasn't a high result I wouldn't be feeling so stressed. I am getting another scan done at 24 weeks just to check everything again so we'll see how that goes. The Dr rang me yesterday and told me that there has been heaps of research done on EIF's and the chance of there being an abnormality of the heart is virtually zero. As for Ds, who knows! Some say yes, some say no? Go figure? It leaves so many people confused! ↑
I never posted while I was pregnant but wanted to share my story. At my 20 week scan my baby had the echogenic foci on his heart. I had good nuchal numbers but my risk went up after this was found. Now I was not panicked but I think I have a unique perspective, my first daughter has Down syndrome and we knew prenatally (this is also an added risk in having another child with an extra chromosome). Having a child with DS is not this horrible thing. Of course I was a little concerned because if I had to choose I would not want my child to have DS (there are many health concerns). Well with all my risks ( I am 35 too) my child was born 2 weeks ago with no extra chromosomes. He is just as perfect as his sister who has a little extra. Please try to enjoy your pregnancies. ↑
Dear All: Another positive story to share with you all! I am 33yrs old and on April 27th delivered a perfectly healthy baby girl. At about 3 months, I had an abnormal triple screen placing my daughter at a 1:260 risk for Down's. At my Level II ultrasound the peri detected an echogenic focus. I was scared, crying, and spent the holidays in agony. At my follow up Level II in January, the focus was still present but much diminished. In fact, the peri told me that if he hadn't seen me before, he probably wouldn't have even seen the focus. That said, I never really stopped worrying. Now, I only have to worry about the fussies and 3am feedings because my baby daughter is absolutely fine. I know it is hard when it's your own personal experience but I truly wish I would've spent less time worrying and more time enjoying my pregnancy. I wish this even more now because complications arose during my delivery and I won't be able to have any more children. Hand it over to God and enjoy the miracle nestled inside of you. And, good luck and prayers to you all! ↑
Hi I've been reading your posts for the last 2 days. I got a call from my doctor's office this week, stating that when our ultrasound results from Monday were read by the radiologist they found an echogenic focus on the baby's heart. After having an absolutely stress free perfect pregnancy with my first child, this was extremely upsetting news. I literally lost sleep this past Wednesday after getting this news. The nurse practitioner and the doctor both assured me that I had nothing to worry about as my Quad screen results were normal and my age is low (30), and this one "soft marker" doesn't indicate anything in and of itself. However, they offered me a level II ultrasound for "peace of mind", but said that I didn't need to go other than to put my mind at ease. I feel that it is easy for them to tell me not to worry ... this is not about their child. On top of this, they are taking forever to schedule my level II u/s appointment, even after me calling twice yesterday they still haven't scheduled my appointment. This is very frustrating. I don't know how I am going to be able to deal with the stress and worry until my u/s appointment ... on one hand I need to go for this appointment, but on the other, I am nervous that they are going to find more things wrong, despite the fact that I asked the doctor multiple times if everything else came back o.k. from our first u/s, and she reassured me that they did. ugh! Reading your blogs has definitely eased my mind a bit, but I am "wound tight" by nature and this is agony for me. Thanks to everyone for posting your stories. It feels good to read about others who are experience the same thing. Sorry for such a long entry! I had a lot to get off my chest. ↑
I have been reading this post for a couple weeks and decided to post as well. I just tured 34 a couple weeks ago and am pregnant with my first child. I had an Ultrascreen test at about 12 weeks, which is a new, supposedly very accurate version of the AFP test/quad screen. (not really sure of all of the differences between these screens). Anyway my results came back to be 1 in 6000 chance. However at my 17 week ultasound, the spotted the echogenic foci. Although both the technician and the doctor assured me that I didn't need to be concerned, I am worried. It does help to see all these positive outcomes, and I really hope to be able to relax and enjoy my pregnancy. It definitely helps to be in correspondence with people with similar stories. ↑
Update: We went to the specialists on Monday. They found a couple more concerning things during the level II ultrasound in addition to the echogenic focus. The baby may have a horseshoe kidney (in and of itself this is not an issue, the kidneys are just shaped differently) and the baby's left ventricle in the brain, which is supposed to be 10mm or less was 11mm. With the other 2 findings, the genetic counselor recommended doing amnio. At that point there was no question for my husband and I, but it is a very personal choice. However, it was the right choice for us and I'm glad we did it, because our FISH results came back perfectly normal and for a healthy baby! We have one more hurdle to overcome with the left ventricle. However, the genetic counselor, said it is highly likely to remain stable or resolve itself. We will know everything in a week and a half. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. ↑
Update: We had our follow-up appointment yesterday. Our final amnio results were all normal and the baby's left ventricle was back to normal. All the testing that is done definitely causes a lot of stress ... however, it was nice to find out that our baby is healthy and doing well. i'm going to focus on enjoying the last 18 weeks of my pregnancy. everyone's postings definitely helped me through a stressful time. I hope mine can do the same for someone else. ↑
Oh ... I forgot to mention that the echogenic focus was totally gone as well. If we only didn't get an ultrasound until week 22 we would have never gone through all of this ... but again it is comforting to know after all of this that our baby is healthy. ↑
