Ventriculomegaly

How can ventriculomegaly affect my child?

Comments: Ventriculomegaly

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sofea lee - 233 days ago.
Two-on-board, I agree with u. Special babies are sent to special parents- whether real parents or adoptive. I am starting my new venture in support of this goal. All proceeds from my sale will be given to help special children who I have met at the hospital where my dd is. I am blessed to have met them. I wish I can do something to make them and their family happy.

aug2811 - 235 days ago.
madiNashtonsmom let me know what ur Dr says. i am so confused . what does Ovega 3 back of the label says regarding ingredient and the waring . does it says pregnant women consult ur Dr before taking the medicine . because when i looked some did . i am going to see the Dr on 6/30 so i will ask her if i can take more DHA. i my search i came to know that in all fish oil mostly they remove mercury and other harmful sub stains.but u never know whom to believe. in my prenatal vitamin it has dha from fish oil.

madiNashtonsmom - 235 days ago.
I did speak to the doctor but he was sorta vague. I'm going in tomorrow to my OB for a checkup and will take the vitamins in that I have and ask again. I'm also going to ask the perinatologist on 7.7 which is my next appt. I've never heard anything about what you were saying about the EPA but the one I'm taking by Ovega 3 and Expecta are solely plant derived (Algae). They do however contain EPA. It's so confusing on what we can and can't do. I just hope I'm not taking anything that would harm my little one. Now at my last visit I had started taking a 900mg DHA vitamin that was derived from fish. But it stated on the box that it did not contain mercury or lead or any other harmful contaminants. I did tell the doctor that I was taking this and he didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I can't help but wonder how read up they are on the subject...

aug2811 - 236 days ago.
madiNashtonsmom even i am thinking about taking additional omega3 but in my search i came across this link.http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/docosahexaenoic-acid-000300.htm. Pregnant women: 200 mg DHA per day . Algal(Sea weed)-derived DHA supplements: 200 mg per day. Supplements containing EPA may not be recommended for infants or small children because they upset the balance between DHA and EPA during early development. Pregnant women should talk to their doctor before taking fish oil supplements. DHA extracted from algae (which contains no EPA).... i am concerned of overdose and will that effect the baby?.. let me know if it is safe, can u provide me a link or if u have already spoken to dr and what they said about the limit.

two-on-board - 237 days ago.
Einstein had ventriculomegaly. Nobody can tell you how any baby will develop, larger vents or not, babies and children can be harmed and compromised by illnesses that they catch in childhood, we could all go out and be hit by a freak accident and suffer long-term consequences. The discovery of larger vents can mean something or nothing, regardless of worry or anxiety we cannot control that, what will be will be. Think about the fact that we all have developmental delays in some way, does it matter if our children talk later if they can communicate one day, does it matter if they dont ride their bike when their friends do, there are stabilisers to help them out, while none of use want our children to suffer or be in pain, there are plenty of children that are happy with being themselves with the support that they receive. I worry that our society has become so obsessed with our children doing things first or being perfect that we cannot tolerate differences. I know that Oscar's 'differences' albeit amounting in nothing certainly made me review my view in life and how wrong they may have been. Of course I prayed for the duration of my pregnancy when I knew but I dont believe that special babies are sent to special mummys and that we are sent the children that we can cope with, and I am pro-choice despite working with babies and children, these decisions need to be deliberated to know that people are making the right choices rather than the wrong ones. What did help was believing in Oscar, believing that he would do what he could and work towards the things that he achieves in just like any other child. Also believing in myself, believing that I would cope and would want to cope with any potential difficulties or differences because I wanted to because he was my little boy. I know that this is sent in hindsight and that is a wonderful thing and my heart aches for you ladies, but truely, you will love your babies as soon as you lay eyes on them, however scared you are of them now xxx

madiNashtonsmom - 238 days ago.
Aug2811 - I just decided to get the omega 3 by Ovega 3 it has 500mg DHA/EPA from a plant source. The Udo's only has like 150 to 200mg I think. Plus I'm taking the Expecta Lipil with 250mg DHA and eating walnuts which are rich in Omega's. I got my amnio results back today and everything was normal!!! What a relief that was to hear. I know this doesn't mean we're 'out of the woods' so to speak but it is definitely comforting. His Vents are both measuring 13mm and my amniotic fluid is high at 26 (25 is normal). Our next US appointment is 7.7.11 so I'm hoping things will still be stable or hopefully reduced.

aug2811 - 238 days ago.
Any body using Udo's Choice Blend Oil, rich in Omegas which brand is good.

aug2811 - 240 days ago.
i have seen people posting that out of 2 vents , 1 vent becoming normal and other remains the same. can any body tell me if they have seen any old posting where both the vents becoming normal during pregnancy term. or did vents size increasing. whats the normal size of the vent should be? my Dr said between 6-7.5mm / 6-8mm. she said10mm is still high , from 10mm onwards we should observe the vents carefully? can any one explain it last week i had Ultra sound one vent remained the same and 2 vent she couldn't find so she was guessing and measuring hoping it to be vent and it was of 8 or 8.5mm,and i asked the Dr if that vent became normal she said no and she explained the above info to me

LDMusgrave - 240 days ago.
iof0507, really wish you would contact me. You seem like a smart woman. I'm sure we would click well. Vents at 11 mm and 12 mm are almost nothing out of the norm. That's a total of 1 mm out of the norm on one side, and 2 mm out of the norm on the other. My daughter's was 22 mm and 60 mm out of the norm. A measley 3 mm isn't going to cause detrimental retardation in your child, and despite all my daughter's been through, she is a smiling, happy, healthy, thriving 6 month old with currently no delays. I really don't want to put it this way, but do you really want to put yourself through an abortion and forever reap the emotional devastation it will cause on yourself? Not to mention your body. It could cause you to not be able to have anymore pregnancies. I just don't want you to make a mistake based on ill-guided doctor opinion and forever wonder what your child would be like today. I'm really sorry if you feel this is what chastising is, but these are just my opinions. I do not mean to offend you. So from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry if I do.

mumbojumbo - 241 days ago.
Hi Folks, I am a 40 yr-old mom of two boys, third boy due on 8/28/11 (same as someone else on this site) Congrats to all of you. Remember that VM is a problem, but imagine if you were infertile, like some women on different sections of this site. Don't forget to thank God for all you do have, not just what you don't! I have been reading along for about 15 weeks now, since I was 15 weeks pregnant, and we received the diagnosis of VM. The VM has remained essentially stable with small fluctuations only. I had no intentions of posting, but felt compelled to respond to iof0507. I am happy that you are praying to God iof0507. That should mean that you believe in Him. Please trust that He is working on you and your baby. Don't give up on Him, because no matter what the outcome, He will never give up on you. Remember that your amnio came back normal chromosomes, and I don't think you mentioned that your doctors have found any other problems. My 30 week old baby in utero had vents measuring 14 and 17 at 28 weeks by ultrasound with an MRI showing colpocephaly (a term that describes the shape of the enlarged ventricles), agenesis of the corpus callosum (partial or complete absence of a structure that connects the left and right sides of the brain, in its absence the child can be anywhere from normal to delayed, have seizures, or be severely handicapped), and a hypoplastic cerebellum (small and underdeveloped, in my baby's case 8 weeks behind where it should be). But my baby has no heart defects, chromosomal abnormalities, or other organ system involvement. As far as they can tell, his head size has been normal so far, and there is no real hydrocephalus. So please count your blessings and realize that the problem diagnosis that you have may not turn out to be a problem with your child. Love your baby as much as God loves you and you will be blessed no matter what. I'm sure that you can all tell by now that I would be considered pro-life by most, but I prefer to refer to myself as pro-God. Trust in Him, no man knows more. Scriptures say that it is better to trust in the foolishness of God than in the wisdom of men (I don't have the exact passage for you, but can write back next time if you are interested) And as all Christians should know, there really is no 'foolishness' associated with God, but that word is used to emphasize that even the smartest and best doctors, scientists, and scholars can't hold a candle to the Almighty! Good luck, keep the faith and God bless you all!

amy6152 - 241 days ago.
Just found out at my ultrasound this morning that my baby's vents are measuring 12mm. Not sure if that's one or both. I didn't even know to ask. I am 27 weeks pregnant (the ultrasound was to check if a low-lying placenta had moved, which it had). When I had my anatomical ultrasound at 19 weeks, the vents were measuring normal. I am scheduled to go back for another ultrasound three weeks from today to see if the vents have changed. I have no idea what this is beyond a very basic knowledge. To worry or not to worry? Will it be fine? We all know I'm going to worry no matter what. I just hope my little boy will be okay. I'm glad I found this board and I hope for the best for everyone here.

aug2811 - 242 days ago.
I was in the same position just like iof0507 i cried and prayed day and night wanted some miracles to fix every thing. i was opting for termination.i thought i couldn't take care of this child, how can i cope up with the medical bills if insurance rejects, if some body abuse her she cant even express her self, who will take care of my child if some thing happens to me. I am against adoption because know body can take care like a own mother that what i feel. I have a sister who has down syndrome and i have see my mom struggling and i thought i don't have that much strength.but for me miracle did took place i found this website here people supported morally so much, i didn’t had much education about isolated mild ventriculomegley was, with this web site and discussing with Dr help me change my decisions ,removed all my negative thoughts.now i could say in simple terms that out of 5 , 4 will be normal and the 1 left out has learning disability that too minimum and can lead a normal life. i love this child but i still fear what i would be hearing at Dr place at my next appointment. i love my child and i am waiting for her arrival... turtlemom and LDMusgrave you both r loving mom with strong hearts. u inspire other mom. Keep it up. I thing ios0507 she just need some time. I recommend her to read the posting on this website which not only gives morel support but she can get good knowledge for condition like this

LDMusgrave - 242 days ago.
Also, sorry for spamming, but I know if I post it together it will just run together unorganized, but my Facebook contact is Lindsey Dewar Musgrave.

LDMusgrave - 242 days ago.
Our blog------ http://musingsofahm.blogspot.com/ I hope you can find this particular entry encouraging----- http://musingsofahm.blogspot.com/2011/06/happy-half-birthday-marlena.html And also, my testimony----- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXSOZ2cvt3o

LDMusgrave - 242 days ago.
Marley playing------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH383sbxz38

LDMusgrave - 242 days ago.
This one is of my husband making our daughter laugh----http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6fTyQNhFUk

LDMusgrave - 242 days ago.
My daughter's case was comparable to turtlemom's daughter, with her ventricles measuring 70 mm and 32 mm at birth. She is 6 months old and she's developmentally on track. It sounds like you're taking the news just as hard as I did, however at 20 weeks, my daughter's ventricles were both 24 mm and already classified as hydrocephalus. I was there, where you are right now, feeling the pain that something was wrong with my baby. You've already received so many blessings. No infection and a normal chromosome structure. The other thing is that ventricles at 11mm and 12 mm are not that big at all. Try to just enjoy your pregnancy and your baby whom God breathed life into. There are several stories on this board where the children's ventricles never grew past 'mild ventriculomegaly' and are developing just fine. In ventriculomegaly there is no pressure being put on the brain. When the ventricles grow bigger and bigger and bigger, then it becomes a problem and puts pressure on the brain, where a shunt is needed to reroute the fluid. I can't say I'm pro-choice, but I'm not the type who will chastise you. It just makes me very, very sad that women are advised to terminate a baby that with ventricles barely dilated with no other findings, could be terminating a 'normal' baby. As I was going through my pregnancy, with my daughter's ventricles growing rapidly throughout, I was devastated. I had hard days. I'm here to talk to you, and there's a world of support on Facebook with an entire group of moms who have children with hydrocephalus. It's not all doom and gloom. I haven't met a family who has a child with hydrocephalus yet who doesn't love their child possibly even more than if they didn't have a condition. But you don't even know if you're dealing with hydrocephalus. If your baby's ventricles stay the same as they are with no other findings, there is a 97% chance everything will be just fine. Please, please contact me if you have any questions at all. You can contact me on Facebook or you can call me. I'll give you my blog and some youtube videos.

deedee26 - 242 days ago.
Hey everyone I haven't been here for a long while! Just trying to get ready for my lo to come! I have 8 days left but am hoping she comes early so that I don't have to have the c section. I have had one last scan at 36wks were the doctor said that it's 20mm an the scan before that was 26mm so to me it looks like it's going down but the good thing is that her head is on the small side so I can still have vbca. To be honest am scared out of my mind because i don't know what's going to happen after she is born am scared that something also might be wrong but yet everytime she kicks me it's seems like she is telling me she is ok! Am just grateful for having found this site an been able to understand more about ventriculomegaly and having ur support!! I really appreciated!!

turtlemom - 242 days ago.
I am pro-choice. If you cant handle the possibilty of a Hydro baby, then I wouldn't want you to have one b/c it isn't a picnic. Have you considered adoption? And, Hydro can be acquired as well. You could get in a car accident today and develop Hydrocephalus. What would happen if you wound up with a 'normal' baby that developed Hydro later? Have you clicked on my name? My daughter had one if the worst cases on this board and she is now 'normal'. You might also look up cjengo and read her blog. Her son's vents went back to normal. He was born and had a typical first 3 months before he started developing seizures. Turns out he had a brain bleed (stroke) in utero and that caused the VM that resolved itself. He is absolutely precious but requires daily nursing care. So, now that you are pregnant, you will never know the definitive answer. Blessings to you and your baby. I pray you make the right choice.

iof0507 - 242 days ago.
Hi All, I'm new to this forum, mostly because I've found it to be an extremely helpful place to be over the last two weeks. Thank you all for your candor and helpfulness to one another. I don't know if I'll find support here for the path I'm willing to take with our baby, but I'm sure I will find support for the situation we're in. At 16 weeks we discovered that our child has isolated mild bilateral VM, with vents measuring 11 and 12. The reason we found out so early was because we'd gone in for an amnio after the quad screen came back 1/542 for DS. During the ultrasound before the amnio, the doctor saw the VM and a possibility of shortened limbs and said our chances were more like 1/12. We steeled ourselves for a diagnosis of DS or some other chromosomal disorder but 10 days later, everything was clear: no infections, no chromosomal abnormalities. Unfortunately, this brought us little peace. I am *losing my mind* knowing that something is wrong in my baby's brain. We've opted to wait until the 20 week ultrasound (on 7/6) to check for the possibility of improvement. I pray nearly non-stop - all day, at many points during the night - that God will see fit to revise the VM by some miracle... If not, we are prepared to terminate because we believe the possibility is just too great that the VM will get worse over the rest of the pregnancy and our child could be born with hydrocephalus. Please do not chastise me for admitting this. This has been the most difficult period of my life. Almost as difficult as this path we may walk down is the fact that this pregnancy itself has become a source of pain: remaining pregnant when there's a chance there will be no birth, trying to hide my belly because it hurts to hear comments about my getting bigger and bigger, not even mentioning this pregnancy to some friends for fear I'll have to tell one more person if there is bad news. Has anyone else had a similar situation? VM discovered early, vents about the same or worse, and experienced a miracle? Anyone terminated under similar circumstances and willing to share her experience? I honestly don't know what is right but as many of you have said, I think I should go with my gut - and I feel very certain of where I stand when it comes to that. Please help. Any words will help.

LDMusgrave - 243 days ago.
I agree with Turtlemom, I will pay whatever is needed for the stem cells. We're actually still paying our 2 infusions off right now. We're getting a third one done as soon as we obtain private insurance again.

turtlemom - 245 days ago.
$1800 one time then $100 annual, I think. We have already use ours so, we essentially paid $1800 for one month of storage. Techincally, Duke will store for free if you have a Hydro diagnosis. Duke is a public bank and CBR / Viacord are private. We wanted to make certain our cells were ours and we were trying to convince local folks to reinfuse for us so we banked privately. Technically, since we had a Hydro diagnosis, Duke would have banked ours for free (what we have left is there). I guess we flushed two grand down the toilet to see if we could get infused closer. We couldn't. Oh well. It is only money. I would have paid a million dollars for those stem cells.

madiNashtonsmom - 245 days ago.
Turtlemom, I've been wondering the same thing as Aug2811 but I never would have thought of all of those points but those are smart things to consider.

aug2811 - 245 days ago.
Thanks turtlemom . the $1800 is it for life time saving or is it annual.

turtlemom - 245 days ago.
We banked with CBR and the cost was around $1800. We didn't shop around for the cheapest b/c that wasn't what was most important. I wanted to make sure we went with a big company that would not be out of business should we need it in 10 years. Also, some of the banks are in areas where natural disasters could occur. CBR is in Arizona and it sounded at the time like the best option (I hope they are fireproof). That is how we made our decision. It was between Viacord and CBR. Also, you can 'register' once you decide so people can donate towards it if you need help and they have payment plans.