Tag: mylomeningocele

D&E, Hydrocephalus, Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida

Rage Over Restrictions

By H. R. The pregnancy was very normal and everything seemed to be going fine. I had the free-cell DNA test and that came back normal, so didn’t feel the need for any second trimester screenings. I do sometimes regret that I didn’t have the second trimester screenings as they might have let me get this information sooner, and maybe the termination would have been easier physically. But I don’t know that, so I’ve had to let that regret go along with so many other regrets as I work through this grieving process. The 20 week level II anatomy scan at the perinatologist’s took a long […]

D&E, Hydrocephalus, Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida, Stories

I Just Miss Her

Anonymous It took almost two years to conceive our first child, Cade. We had him after seven rounds of clomid and one IUI. I got pregnant with Elise the month after I stopped nursing Cade, and the first time after my period came back. It was so easy. I was considered very low risk for everything and didn’t have my first ultrasound until 20 weeks. I was nervous, but also basking in how “normal” this pregnancy was. I got to celebrate and get nervous about how close in age my children would be (22 months). I was a lot sicker than I was with Cade, and I […]

Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida, Stories

Red State Blues

By Gracie’s Mommy I used to be a registered Republican, not because I completely identified with their ideals, but because I identified with them fiscally. Money. Money was important to me. I watched my dad work very hard to keep his employees employed in his small construction company while he took home less than half of his earnings. He struggled to pay his mortgage on a small three-bedroom house and to support his family while his employees bought new cars and went on vacations. That wasn’t fair to me, so when I turned 18 I registered as a Republican and voted Republican. I have never […]

Diagnosis Information, Neural Tube Defects, Spina Bifida

What is Spina Bifida?

The neural tube is embryonic tissue from which the brain and spinal cord develop. Failure to close can result in serious birth defects including spina bifida. There are three main types of spina bifida: spina bifida occulta, meningocele and myelomeningocele. Spina bifida occulta is the most common form and the mildest. One or more vertebrae are malformed and are usually covered by a layer of skin. This form of spina bifida rarely causes disability. Meningocele is where the spinal cord develops normally but the meninges (the protective covering around the brain and spinal cord) protrude from a spinal opening. The protuberances may or may not […]