11 Weeks Pregnant - High NT (Nuchal Translucency)

I have hit week 11 of pregnancy and with each passing day I feel like I am in uncharted territory. You would be forgiven for thinking that this was my first baby, not my second. 

Leo was such a straight forward textbook pregnancy, after his scan at 9 weeks I knew that at the end of the pregnancy I would have a baby in my arms. This time despite having 2 scans already in a mere 11 weeks of pregnancy, there is more doubt than ever that I will ever hold my baby in my arms than ever before.

In some respects I do feel pregnant now, I’m waking up anything between 2-5 times a night for a wee. I don’t remember that starting this early!? It’s a real thing though, and my boobs are really sore and veiny. 

That aside though, if it wasn’t for the high NT... this really would be another dream pregnancy. 

Since my scan on Thursday I have been a crazed pregnant Google lady. I have been re-searching high NT (Nuchal Translucency) testing and results, I have been finding some incredibly amazing, heart warming positive stories that have given me hope in the darkest of days, and I have read some equally heart-breaking accounts of what high NT actually means.

My CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) is happening tomorrow at 4pm. They will be inserting a needle  into my abdomen and removing a sample of cells from the placenta. They will then work up my baby and his or her chromosomes. Within 3 working days I should have my first set of results back that will tell me whether or not our little Nugget has one of the 3 Trisomies.

- Edwards Syndrome

- Down Syndrome

- Patel Syndrome

It's ironic really that I spent the first 10 weeks over thinking another missed miscarriage that I took my babies over all health for granted. I agreed to the Nuchal Translucency test at my booking in appointment without giving it a second thought. I saw a heartbeat on the screen and a active real looking baby dancing around and just expected to hear that everything was OK, that everything was as it should be.

In my 3rd pregnancy I am learning yet another valuable lesson. 

I wonder if there was something I could have done differently, is the high NT because I had flu and took a few Paracetamol? Could I really be having a poorly baby at the age of 30? 

In my research over the past few days I have been given a glint of hope, my first findings were that the NT scan should actually take place between 11 - 13 weeks and when the baby measures a minimum of 45mm (1.8 inches). At the time of our last scan I was 10 weeks + 5 days, and the baby measured 39mm. 

Another theory for a raised NT is the way the baby is or has been laying within the sac, if the baby is too flat then sometimes the fluid can pool there with nowhere else to go... It may be wishful thinking but I am intrigued to see what the Nuchal Fold measurement is tomorrow at the scan where I will be 11 weeks + 3 days.

I have made the decision to stay positive, I am going to get answers and request only facts. Speculation will not serve me well so I have prepared a list of questions. I feel that I have addressed everything that has gone through my mind over the last few days. 

I know that ultimately it is a waiting game, and that the real answers will come in the form of cold hard facts from the results of the CVS.

At 11 weeks I should be feeling excited at making the announcement of our baby to our friends and family, but right now it feels like a big secret. Right now I am trying to work out and fathom the fate for my unborn child, and I have a feeling that this will be something I fight for my entire pregnancy.

Tomorrow I will push for a new NT measurement, I will ask all the questions about how the overall structure of our baby is looking, are there any other markers/anomalies that jump out at them?

Can they see any issues with the heart at this stage? 

Is the heartbeat strong and normal?

My actual list of questions is rather long and I feel that they may wonder what force that have allowed into their office. 

Of course I am hoping for a happy ending, I am hoping that I am one of the lucky ones who's baby had an un-explainable high NT that was born fit and healthy. 

Right now I don't have the answers, I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if it means getting our baby at the end of it. 

I am setting mini milestones to get through this pregnancy. The first mile stone is tomorrow, the CVS. If baby is still fighting and the heartbeat beating away, the next milestone will be the 12 week scan (which we don't currently have a date for). After this I expect that I will be booking an additional private scan so that Leo can see his baby brother or sister on the screen, I want to do this sooner rather than later just in case.

After this I have been told that we will most likely have a heart anomaly scan at 16 weeks so that they can see the heart in more detail and see if that is the reason for the raised NT. 

My biggest milestone in this set of milestones will be the 20 week scan. If we can get through the CVS, if we can keep Nugget's heart beating away, and we smash all of our upcoming scans... the 20 week may just finally offer some hope and relief. 

Right now based on our NT of 4.7mm we have a 50% chance of a healthy baby at the end of all this. 

50%

This could increase or decrease based on what they find tomorrow. .

Last night I found Nugget’s heartbeat at home with a Doppler at 11+2. Right down low behind my pubic bone. It’s crazy how low they are right now, and even crazier that I found the magical beat beat beat of their heart.

I know it was definitely Nugget because last week I found my own (Insert Laughing here), Luke thought it was hilarious, but there was no mistaking this!

Where there is life, there is hope.