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oohmuffin - I know we have to trust but it is soo hard. The not knowing is killing me. The "what ifs" are killing me. Thinking that I'll be the "one" is killing me.. I have another u/s on Friday. Its just to check a fibroid but I'm hoping the tech can make me feel better (at least temporarily). I just had a major breakdown in the car on the way to the superbowl.:( Hopefully this week or after Friday will be better. Oh you posted another good question. I have no idea what I am having but I thought boy for a long time? So maybe you are right that more boys get this than girls? Eugenia - welcome hun! Sorry you are joining us though. To answer your question about the HCG. Mine was about 171 at 13DPO and I was freaking out because I thought it was too high. I think the website that mention that high HCG's may be related to DS often forget to say that it is s SUBUNIT OF HCG that they actually check for with bloodwork screenings and not the HCG numbers that we get in the beginning( I think). Even still I was still worried and I too wonder if finding the echogenic focus confirmed my intuition or if was I already scared to begin with because I read into HCG's too much? Either way this whole thing sucks and it has really ripped the joy out of pregnancy. I've really tried to be positive these last 7 weeks. I have my good and bad days. I even got some maternity shots done this weekend but I still felt a little sad and uncomfortable during the shoot. I really envy those women that are so joyful during pregnancy. Sometimes I wonder if I'll go onto have anymore because I don't want to go through something like this again. That's probably crazy talk though I guess.

Hi everyone!! I am so happy to hear about healthy babies and happy mommies!! It gives me so much hope!! I had not noticed that more people were talking about their boys. I am having a girl and I am scheduled for a c-section on May 21st. I recentley had routine blood work from my gastro dr. and he said that I am no longer absorbing B-12. I have been so positive latley and now I feel like this is causing some sort of problem for the baby. I have to call my obgyn today and see if he can give me the shots of B-12, that I will probabley have to get monthley for the rest of my life. Now I am so worried that the baby hasent gotten enough B-12 and that is going to cause some kind of a problem. Oh why cant this be easy! My first pregnancy was a breeze! Now this one is just so difficult. I am going to hope that the baby is sucking all of the B-12 out of me and its just me that is not absorbing. Well I am going to try to keep my head up. I hope there are good days ahead for all of us.

Steffie92s- You have absolutely nothing to worry about with your HCG, its perfect at 171 at 4 weeks, there is nothing to worry about, tops would be like 500+..... Me on the onther hand that IS high.... making me want to think over the Amnio, I don't think I call live with this till June. All- Anyways I called the perinatologist today, I was so nervous post ultrasound that I really didn't get a chance to really ask him anything. He said my #'s were fine... not great but not bad...just because I'm 25 1/3200 cut prior to EIF to 1/600 is goo but not 1/5000 I've read from you 30+ ladies... lucky ones!!!! He's not as rea__suring as some Dr's I've read on this post.... I hope I had them.... !!! Anyways anyone else with this problem has really high HCG's at 4 weeks like more than 1500??? And is carrying just one baby??? I'll let you guys know if I have the amnio.....

Type Error.... cut from 1/3200 to 1/1600 after finding EIF not 1/600 I keep typing wrong...

Eugenia - I wish you talked to a more supportive doc today. Geez i ithink 1/1600 is still great! I don't even have numbers to go on since I didn't get any of the tests so who knows what mine is. I think based on age alone that mine maybe something like 1/300 or 1/400 (accounting for the focus). You need to talk to another doc so they can really put this into perspective for you. For your HCG is it possible you had a vanishing twin? That could account for those high HCG's. I am on a fertility buddy site and from what I've read some women just normally have higher HCG's than others and go on to have perfectly healthy babies. Having the amnio is a hard decision. For me I really wanted it but was told that the risks of miscarriage outweigh the odds of me having a problem with the baby so I skipped it. I just couldn't live with myself if something happened because of the amnio. So basically i decided to be selfless and suck it up. Don't get me wrong I am still having bad days even after 7 weeks of knowing but soon we will all know for sure. I am the type of person who panics about "not knowing things" so this has been very difficult and a true test for me. Keep us posted:)

Hi Ladies! I was a poster here before having my daughter and then I posted a followup after she was born. I know, though, that many of you are going through now what I was going through last year at this time so I wanted to take just a minute to post. My daughter had the dreaded white spot on her heart. I also had a somewhat elevated triple screen that put us at something like 1:370 for a risk of Down's. I wound up having two Level II U/S and at both the foci was still present but at the second one, it appeared somewhat reduced. Needless to say I now have a happy healthy and completely wonderful 9 month old daughter. My biggest regret now is that I didn't enjoy my pregnancy like I could've. I just worried so very much. Good Luck to you all and keep the faith! It is SO unlikely that anything will be wrong!

Eb - Thanks for posting your news again! It's nice to see people following up with everyone else still! Really caring of you! Eugenia - I'm 28 and I missed the cut-off to get the screening done, so I have no numbers to go by. At my doctors office, we see a rotation panel, and I don't know who will deliver my baby....it's 1/8 different doctors at the clinic. Kind of sucks, but at the same time, I've been able to pick 8 different doctors brains about the EIF, and ALL of them keep telling me to quit worrying about it! Steffie - I agree.....this sucks, and it's hard to trust what someone is saying when they say it's all going to be fine. I hear ya!!!!! I guess I've just come to that place where it's out of my hands and I just want to be happy! I'm going to deal with this regardless of the outcome, but I trust that my doctors think this is nothing, otherwise I would be sent for further testing and better examinations. I'm glad we have such a great group of ladies here to talk to! My husband is so lax about this.....it ticks me off sometimes! lol! But I'm the worrier for sure, and I worry for the both of us most days! At least I can come on here and vent a little :)

Gretchen- Only 4 more days to go!! I am so excited for you. Your due date is the same day as my husbands birthday so I think it is a fabulous day. You must be on pins and needles right now being so close. I know all will be great for you and can't wait to hear how wondeful you and your baby are doing after the 6th. My due date is Feb 10 but I am hoping like crazy that my girl comes early, preferably today. I know what you mean about being at the miserable point. The last few weeks are much harder than I thought they'd be. I went to the doctor today and was told I am 1 cm dialted. I was hoping for more but it may still be soon. My girl has been flip flopping constantly and going from being head down to breach. I have been going to the doctor each week (as I'm in my last month) and each and every week she has changed positions. Today she was breached again but the doctor said we'll just have to wait and see what happens when I go in to labor as there is no predicting her position. She has been a VERY active baby all along and I feel her all the time, often in my ribs which is uncomfortable and often kinda painful. Has anyone else had a hyper baby that changes positions constantly, espcially at the end?

1moremom-I did not know you were so close too. Are you being induced on the 10th or is that just when you are due? I tend to have large babies so he is inducing me a week early but I have been induced with all of mine, I just think it is easier that way especially with having other kids to plan for. Yes, my emotions are crazy right now. Even though I had the amnio, I still worry. I go from being excited, to scared, to anxious. These last few days are just dragging by. I am like you, wishing he would come today. I promise to right back here within a couple of days of getting home. I have checked this site daily and have enjoyed reading all the good news and can't wait to share mine. Being able to read all these posts and my faith in god has gotten me through all this. I too am dilated to a 1 1/2 he says but so far he has always been head down. I am also fighting a miserable cold right now and coughing all night but I think the worse is over. I have debated whether or not to do a antibiotic but choose to wait it out since I was so close to delivery so it is impossible to sleep at night with the coughing and getting up to the bathroom constantly. Its almost over though. Please right back as well. I will still continue to visit this site often after mine is born to check all the great news from the rest of you because I know we are all gonna have perfect healthy babies. This was just a rough patch in our lives that will all be over soon and we will look back and wonder why we ever worried but it will all be worth it in the end when we are all holding our beautiful babies. Gretchen

Eb - thank you and coming back and posting. It is very much appreciated. I am sure you know as well as anyone how it is difficult to fully enjoy the pregnancy with the news of an echogenic focus. Gretchen and 1moremom - please come back and post as soon as you can about your new babies. Wishing you both healthy ones! 1moremom- when you post your good news can you also tell us if they did anything to check that your baby did not have DS? or if you asked them to not? Thanks!

Gretchen- Hope you are feeling better and over your cold. I'm sure with 2 days left to go you probably aren't noticing much except for the clock :) I'm so excited for you!! The 10th is my due date (not inducement date) so it's not a for sure. I wish it was. I go to the doctor again on the 9th and if she is still breech then we will plan a day to do a c section. I am going a little bonkers at this point so I will plan it for their first available date. It is pretty rough having a full term baby doing flips all the time. My ribs feel like they will collapse. Steffie- I will definately let you know what the doctors do when checking her for DS and her heart, etc. I have been curious with the same question so I will try to detail it for you all once I know. Hope everyone is doing well today!!!

1moremom and Steffie hope you ladies are doing well I know how you feel when I was rushed for a c-section they all knew in the room about the WHITE SPOT and they had a Drs. from the NICU in the room with us to check the baby right when he came out I guess they know right away the first thing they do is the agar test were they test the babies movements and all that stuff the first min and again in 5 mins. Like that they would know if the baby will need quick attention but they told me right away he was fine even my dr. said he looks great so I think that was the way they check he also spent 2 wks do to infection in the NICU because I ran a fever at the end so I think if there was something wrong they would know right away. I will keep you ladies in my prayers and I know your babies will be just fine. Please keep us updated.

We found out she was a girl this Friday. And after a weekend of utter bliss. The nurse called us. I found out about my baby's eif on Feb. 3rd. I cried my eyes out and haven't been able to sleep well. She's a little kicker and I can't imagine that there is anything wrong w/ her. Luckily this morning the genetics dept called and I have a level ultrasound next Tues. Feb. 10th. I just turned 32 the day I found out about my baby's eif. Our blood test came back negative but we had it done around 15 1/2 weeks not sure if it is as accurate. Wishing everyone the best. I just pray for a healthy little critter and that she'll have a good life.

Mammabunny - I'm sorry you have to join our forum, but know that here you'll find comfort from a lot of moms going through the same thing. I found out about my baby's EIF on January 28th, like you I have been devastated. I've been having moments when I feel super positive, and other's when I feel like I'm going to be the one. Sleeping for me has been tough too, I haven't been able to sleep through the night like before. The first days found myself waking up at 4:30 and doing research in the computer, I'm not researching anymore.... The truth is no matter how much research, only God knows. Now I've manages to sleep until like 5:30, and instead of going online I just pray. I'm praying for God to give me Faith that things will go well. How far along are you? I'm 19 this week, since you just found out, you should be in a similar boat, so we can support each other the next 4 months. My last chance to do an amnio is next week, I have my off and on days about the amnio, as you can see in my past posts.... Yesterday I wanted to do it, today I don't know, Has anyone felt some days as though you know your baby has DS???? Like some kind of intuition???? Or am I confusing this with just being terrified and having great lack of faith??? Gretchen and 1moremore - Good luck! I'm sure your little ones will be sooo healthy!!! Please come back and post!!!!

Mammabunny - So sorry that you have to join this group but truth be told, thee are sooo many comforting stories on this board and it is the only place that I can make some sort of sense out of all this. We have all been to the dark side with this finding and all I can say that it does get better, but the doubt never goes away. I am almost 30 weeks now and I still have bad days - most of the time I am positive and extermely happy but there are times that I go online and search every pregnancy board I can get my hands on. Eugenia - You are not alone in your feeling, as a matter of fact, a few posts back, I posted the very same question...is it really fear or is it my inuition. All I can say is that I think it is fear of the unknown. We were not willing to take the risk with an amnio given that 1.) the peri did NOT recommend it and 2.) our risk ration was 1 in greater than 5,000 (bbefore the EIF it was 1 in greater than 10,000). I could not justify the risk and neither could my OB. Although he did say that he would send me for one if it would worry me that much. It was my husband who put his foot down and said no way. Gretchen - You had the amnio right?! Wishing you a very speedy and healthy delivery. You know that you LO is as healthy as can be...hang in there. 1moremom - Can not wait for you to post your good news. Good luck as well! As for me, we have our 3D/4D ultrasound tomorrow and I am excited to see her. The 20 week was the last time we had an ultrasound and it has now veen 10 weeks...eeek............

carlas- thank you for the information about the agar test. I was not aware of that. mamabunny - welcome hun, sorry you are here though:( Everyone here is feeling the same thing and can be a great support system. I hope you will find the stories on here comforting. They have worked for me when I am having one of my "bad" days. Eugenia - I think your thoughts of baby having DS are from being scared. I often have those days too when i wonder if it is fear or intuition. I really think it is fear because the docs have planted those exact seeds in our heads. Did you think that way before you found out about the focus? Gretchen and 1 moremom - I can't wait to hear your good news!!! wannalil1 - How exciting to get the 3D/4D u/s. Have a great time with that. I thought about doing that but haven't decided. I totally know what you mean about having a bad day and searching all the pregnancy boards. It can really be a bad thing for us to do in this frame of mind! So for me I had an u/s today and the baby is measuring 12 days ahead at 30 wks 3 days. The focus was still there but again everything else was measuring great. The tech made me feel better, even though it is a temporary feel better. I keep going to the same woman. She said she has seen this so many times and really it means nothing. I pray she is right. She feels so bad that my first pregnancy has so much worry attached to it.