Mom’s Concerns About Unborn Baby Dismissed—Then Devastating Diagnosis Comes
Summary
Lauren Musso of Schenectady, New York, said she repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal movement during her pregnancy, but clinicians reassured her and further imaging was delayed. After her son Avery was born, he had repeated health problems and cardiac arrest; a brain MRI later showed multicystic encephalomalacia, a severe and irreversible form of brain damage. A maternal-fetal medicine specialist said it is not possible to know whether an earlier diagnosis would have changed Avery’s outcome.Key Facts
- Musso said Avery’s movements in the womb dropped sharply and did not return to their earlier strength or frequency.
- Musso had severe hyperemesis gravidarum, which caused extreme nausea and vomiting and led to repeated hospitalizations, according to her account.
- Musso said an ultrasound showed Avery remaining motionless for extended periods, and a fetal MRI was scheduled weeks later.
- Avery spent a week in a neonatal intensive care unit after birth and later struggled to gain weight, according to Musso.
- Musso said Avery experienced recurring breathing- and heart-rate-related episodes, was hospitalized several times, and had a cardiac arrest in a clinic.
- A brain MRI later revealed multicystic encephalomalacia, a severe and irreversible form of brain damage.
- Dr. Jeffrey Chapa said reduced fetal movement should be evaluated and that ultrasound, and sometimes MRI, can help assess a baby.
- Chapa said the effect of an earlier diagnosis in Avery’s case cannot be determined, because severe brain injuries can have multiple causes and some cannot be prevented or reversed.
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