Share
Home ›

The Baby Has No Stomach?

QUESTION

Dear Ms Ultrasound,
I hope you will be able to shed some light. Yesterday I had my Level II Ultrasound. Everything supposedly looked good according to my doctor except that he said that the technician was unable to get a view of the baby's stomach. I never heard about this before. My doctor did not appear too worried because he said that my fluid levels were normal. Have you ever heard of a fetus developing without a stomach?

My doctor said that he needed to wait to talk to I am assuming another tech person who examines the video on the ultrasound and if the technician thinks I need another scan done then I will. I am a little nervous about this because I have a lot of friends who have been pregnant and we never heard of this. Plus I have had 4 previous miscarriages and I also looked on the Internet and did not find much.

Am I worrying about nothing? I did not ask questions at my doctor's because I was too much in shock. I did call my doctor today and hoping he will get back to me later on. I just wanted to get another opinion from someone with experience. By the way I am over 18 weeks along. I would appreciate any response.

Thanks so much,
Eileen

ANSWER

Hi Eileen,
When you have a level II ultrasound, all organs are examined. In addition, the amount of amniotic fluid is assessed, along with a few other things.

In a case like yours, the most common explanation would be that the baby's stomach had just emptied. The fetus drinks the amniotic fluid and it will go through the body the same as yours or mine.

When there is a true problem with the stomach, the amniotic fluid level is significantly low. The fluid will not go through the baby's body, consequently showing additional problems, not just one thing like "no stomach." I have a sneaking suspicion, when you go back for your recheck everything will be fine.

-- Jane, RDMS

Jane Foley

Jane Foley has worked as a Sonographer (Ultrasound Technologist) since 1979. Jane has lived and worked in many parts of the world including Saudi Arabia. She is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer or RDMS. She pulls a wealth of information from her experience in the field of Radiology and her interactions with such a broad cross-section of cultures she has visited. She now makes her home on the island of Maui with her English husband, Michael.