CF and birth

Question

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Currently, I am very desperate. I am pregnant in the 23+4 week and 2 weeks ago I have been told, that my unborn child is likely suffering from this disease, as at the prenatal diagnostics, which I have done according to the recommendation of my gynecologist, one has assessed a "sickle of fluid" around the bowel of the baby.

I think that one can handle this disease in the normal case, now my question: what kind of therapy does the newborn need?
I am afraid, that the baby girl is born and is instantly connected to machines!
I would be very pleased for you help.

Best regards,

Answer

Hello,

Without knowing more exact details about your situation, it is not very easy to answer your question.

According to your information I assume, that at an ultrasound investigation a "sickle of fluid" has been detected around the bowel of the unborn child.
Such a collection of fluid, which shows up in the abdomen around the bowel at an unborn child, is not alone suspicious for the presence of CF, however it is an unspecific sign, that points in general at a disorder in the abomen of the child. In most cases this is a closure or impairment of the passage of the bowel of the unborn child. Also in patients with CF such a disorder exists in 10% of the affected newborns.

In order to clarify further if there could probably be as underlying illness of the problem a Cystic Fibrosis in your child, a DNA-analysis of you and your partner would make sense. You should contact a specialist for human-genetics for this as soon as possible, who can initiate such an investigation. Otherwise you could get advice at a CF-center at a large university hospital near your home.

Independent of the question, if your child suffers from CF, you should talk to your gynecologist, that contact is made to a delivery hospital which has an experienced pediatric-surgical departement and a pediatric gastro-enterology.
This is important, as it could be the case, that an operation on your child has to be done just after birth. Such an intervention can be done by experienced physicians without problems and greater risks for your baby.

In general, your pregnancy has to be classified as a risk-pregnancy now unfortunately. Probably your gynecologist already told you that from now on frequent ultrasound investigations have to be done, if possible already at the later delivery hospital, in order to decide, if an when a delivery should take place naturally or better as a cesarian section.

In case your child should suffer from CF, this agitative start into life would in no way influence the ongoing prognosis of your chid.

We wish you and your child all the best,
Yours sincerely,

Dr. H.-G. Posselt

04.10.2010