Ways to Terrify a Pregnant Woman

There are several ways to terrify a pregnant woman, as I see it . . .

-- Tell her the dip she just ate was full of seafood and soft cheeses.
-- Tell her the story of your cousin who thought she was having a girl and ended up delivering a boy.
-- Ask her to pee in a cup before her doctor’s appointment . . . but after she’s just gone to the bathroom.
-- Remind her that pregnancy really is 10 months, not 9.
-- Share with her the joys of breastfeeding . . . spare no details such as leaking boobs, mastitis, and clogged milk ducts.
-- During the 20 wk ultrasound, tell her you see a perfectly normal Choroid plexus cyst (or two) on her baby’s brain.

Although not quite terrified by the information, Jim and I have been dealing with the idea of Kate having two bilateral choroid plexus cysts on her brain since our wonderful sex-revealing ultrasound back on February 1st.

It’s not fun to think that – although the chances might be very, very slim – there could be a problem with the tiny perfect human growing inside of you.

On the day of our ultrasound, I was so shocked to find out that that we were having a girl, I nearly forgot to ask our ultrasound technician if everything else she saw on the scan looked good. I was so giddy at the idea of dressing a baby in MORE pink that I took for granted that she was 100% A-OK.

When I asked – somewhat jokingly and with an air of pompousness – if Kate’s scan had been normal, then technician said, “Well, I did note two small *blah blah blah* CYSTS on her brain . . . blah blah blah . . . something about fluid . . . it’s really not anything to worry about . . .”

I listened to every word, but I know that my face told the technician that I was only hearing something about cysts on our daughter’s brain. She didn’t go into much detail – passing that responsibility along to my doctor – but she did say a few times that the cysts are not a big deal, are fairly common, and don’t have any impact on the development of the baby.

Fast forward 10 minutes . . . Jim and I wait anxiously in another examining room, wondering exactly what she had called those cyst-thingies and where in Kate’s brain they were found.

Dr Graham entered, shared in our joy about having a girl, then proceeded to tell us again that the cysts that had been found were nothing to worry about.

Choroid Plexus Cysts, as I understand them, develop almost like a fluid-filled blister on the plexus region of the brain. This region is not responsible for learning, thought, language, or any other integral part of development . . . it actually produces the fluid your brain needs to be cushy, soft, and protected from your boney head. The little cysts form and dissolve entirely on their own and are gone by the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. They are considered to be a normal part of development for some babies.

So, why the alarm? There is an association between these cysts and babies born with Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome).

Tell a pregnant lady that her baby has cysts that could possibly be linked to Trisomy 18 or 21 and watch the panic ensue.

When the doctor told us about this association, my heart dropped. Maybe it stopped. I think I kept listening.

Luckily for me, Dr Graham explained, my Quad Screenings (the optional 16 wk blood tests that I allowed him to talk me into) were GOLDEN and shining and PERFECT . . . meaning that there were really no other signs of Trisomy 18 or Downs in this baby. I have no family history of either, I’m not a ‘geriatric’ mother (30 isn’t old!), and my blood work really was great. So, aside from the cysts, there were no real signs of a problem. Again – he assured us – don’t worry. We probably would not have a baby with any type of chromosomal abnormality . . . these cysts are isolated incidents more-often-than-not, and they end up having absolutely no effect on anything. We would most likely have a healthy baby.

Dr Graham said that, if I were his wife, he wouldn’t even send me for another Level II ultrasound. But, since we aren’t married, I could sue him for malpractice . . . so he’d have to send me to Parinatology at the hospital for a more intense and descriptive ultrasound to rule out any signs of any problems. He told me he would book my appointment for 2 weeks following my initial ultrasound because – he thought – the choroid plexus cysts would be dissolved and gone by the time I got in to see the parinatologist.

**Side Note Here: I have an undying faith in my doctor. He is the best gyno/ob out there, in my opinion. He is NEVER wrong – and he’s so fantastically reassuring along any road we’ve been down. I tell him he’s a genius all the time, but he’s humble and doesn’t believe me.
--Can’t get pregnant? “We’ll have you pregnant by the end of the summer . . .” I was pregnant with Meg in the first week of October – so close enough.
--Want another baby? “No birth control . . . well, I give you 3 months following your first post-natal period, and you’ll be pregnant again.” I became pregnant in my 3rd cycle after having Meg.
--Had a miscarriage? “We will take fantastic care of you . . . wait a month and you’ll get pregnant again right away.” I did, and I did.
--Got Choroid Plexus Cysts on your brain? “Wait two weeks, THEN see the doctor . . . I bet they’ll be gone by the time you have your appointment.” I sure did hope he was right on that one . . . he’d never been wrong before.

Back to the cyst story . . .

We waited the two weeks and went in to see the parinatologist at Northside Hospital. Today was our appointment. Today at 2:30pm, I was lying on a table, gooey stuff on my belly, peeking in on our little Baby Kate.

And they found no choroid plexus cysts.

After a nice long session with a sonographer and many many views of Kate’s girl parts, organs, face, and profile, the doctor took a quick peek at her and declared our second daughter to be 100% healthy with absolutely no signs of any problems at all. The cysts were completely resolved. No Trisomy anything. And then he said, “Congratulations,” to us more than once.

Congratulations, you are having a healthy baby girl . . .
or Congratulations, you made it through these two weeks of wondering/worry?

Either way, I’ll take it.

After a second look, we still have a bouncing baby girl that is healthy, perfect in size (1 whole pound!) and cooking along at just the right speed. We were never terrified by the idea of the choroid plexus cysts – we were sure that everything would turn out right in the end. Still, a few tears of genuine relief did slip out of the corner of my eyes as I laid on that table this afternoon. Whew, that part is over. Now on to the next 19 weeks of this pregnancy . . .

We have always said that we would love to have three children in our family . . . but with everything that has happened, days like today make me wonder why I should continue to tempt fate and push my luck.

Maybe I’ll ask Dr Graham what he thinks about one more Dahlby Baby, seeing as he’s never been wrong.