downs syndrome

[mtmom2]

Hi, i am pregnant with my 3rd baby at age 37. My dr told me my baby boy has a dilated kidney, and an undescended testicle. He said my baby has a chance of having downs syndrome. Both my other babies were born healthy, and I eat healthy. I dont do drugs , drink or smoke. So what is the chance of my baby being healthy and normal. I am 361/2 weeks along.

 

[Bumpblessing4]

Down's syndrome does not come from smoking, drinking, doing drugs or eating a bad diet. Problems like Downs and even other anatomy problems or birth defects can happen to anyone. As far as Downs Syndrome goes, age is the biggest risk factor, but most Downs babies are still born to young mothers because they are having more babies of the babies than we are. I do not know how likely Downs Syndrome is with a combination of a dilated kidney and an undescended testicle. I'm sure these things can happen together without Downs, but did your doctor give you an idea of how likely Downs Syndrome is with this particular combination? And did they offer you further more definitive testing?

 

[Stressbucket]

Yeah, as Bumpblessings says, diet and lifestyle (and genetics in all but one type) have nothing to do with Down, which is entirely down to chromosomes. There's nothing a mom can do to make her chances better or worse with this.

Both of the symptoms the doctor is seeing can go with Down, but they can also be from other causes. Did you get blood screening earlier in the pregnancy, and did they give you any risk numbers from that? Is the doctor planning to order another ultrasound to check for other markers?

They need to give you some real information here. All the best. Hope it's nothing!