Enlarge bladder in Fetus 13 weeks

Just in case anybody happens to stumble across this, I wanted to post our journey...

At 12w + 3d(ish) we had our first u/s scan. All was going well until the sonographer stopped over one spot - A 12mm pure black circle over the stomach of our baby. We were told then and there it was rare (possibly megacystis - which carries mixed outcomes, largely negative) and she had only ever seen one case before where a baby had such an enlarged bladder so early. That baby's bladder continued to grow and tragically the baby passed away early in the 2nd trimester due to the increased growth, pressure and lack of bladder emptying.

We were referred to a fetal medical centre 2 weeks later and our local obs gyne 1 week later for a follow up. That wait felt more like 2 months - We both had to keep the pregnancy very quiet until we could be sure what the situation was. We read every single blog, forum and thread out there and sadly, most ended with devastating news - We tried to be positive but it was very difficult as we had no answers other than "it looks bad, very bad".

Anyway, 1 week later we went to the obs gyne unit - The scanner was dreadful quality but the doctor couldn't see the mass at all. We were left with a lot more hope but also confusion - How could it just disappear in a week? It's been growing abnormally for 12 weeks! We left feeling reservedly optimistic. For the next week I prayed, prayed and prayed. I asked for our baby to be normal, healthy and alive.

The following week we went to the specialist unit and saw a very qualified, very knowledgeable consultant. We had another u/s done and behold - The bladder had decreased to 7mm! He told us to consider CVS because this was still considered larger than normal and there was a possibility of chromosome issues (like everyone else seems to get, 1:10 chance). He advised we consider a HALO NIPT test if we did not want the CVS but it carried a hefty cost. Money was no issue but we discussed and decided that that 10% was a risk we would take and we would pray for a healthy baby. We did not have the CVS because the risk of miscarriage was far higher than we were prepared for or the Halo test due to it still not being all that accurate (according to our consultant), but did have the standard NIPT - Our chances of abnormality came back as 1:100,000.

Since that appointment at 15 weeks (02/07/18) we have had 2 follow up scans (one at the specialist unit and one standard 20 week scan). Both of these times we have been told that the bladder is not visibly enlarged, the kidneys/lungs/heart and brain are developing well. All looks as it should and he moves around a lot!

At 27w + 3d we are expecting our little boy on Christmas Eve this year - We are very excited and hope everything continues to go well. We know there's a long way to go, but he's been a fighter to now so will continue to go until we can meet him!

We have 1 more appointment at 32 weeks with the specialist unit just as a follow up and 1 more at obs gyne to ensure they are happy for a standard midwife birth with no specialist requirements or consultant lead birthing.

I'm not writing this to gloat, boast or trivialise anything, I'm writing this to give hope. Medical professionals are taught to be factual and are instructed to heir on the side of caution when giving news. I won't preach my religion, but prayer helped me get through a time that ruined me mentally and has left a burden of stress and caution throughout the pregnancy - It's been everything but enjoyable due to the problems at the start but as it progresses, the worries slowly subside and the excitement is really kicking in.

Our scans have gone from "you're baby has basically no chance of survival with a 12mm bladder to everything is looking very good indeed".

Keep the hope, pray if you need a quiet word and I wish everyone the best with their pregnancies - Enjoy it the best you can. These things can have a habit of working themselves out.