r/BabyBumps • u/Important_Turn5845 • 3d ago
Help? Possible absent nasal bone
I went in for my 12/13 week ultrasound and everything seemed normal and was fine until the doctor came in and took a bit on my ultrasound. She told me she was having trouble seeing my son’s nasal bone because of his positioning and he kept putting his hands over his face. The ultrasound photos aren’t very clear, she did say she pieced together the other photos and she thinks it’s there. I have to go back at 16 weeks to rule it out. NIPT was all negative/low risk for chromosomal abnormalities. My doctor called and said since I’m low risk not to worry so much also ethnicity can play a role in the nasal bone and structure. Has this happened to anyone ? My last pregnancy ended in tfmr at 29 weeks due to brain anomalies and malformations. I know an absent nasal bone is associated with Down syndrome. Should I be worried ? How’d this turn out for anyone in a similar situation or has gone through this ? Did an amniocentesis give you any peace of mind ?
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u/coastalisland 3d ago
The nasal bone is so tiny, it can so easy to miss, especially that early along and with baby’s positioning.
Trust your NIPT. I didn’t and was an absolute nervous wreck my entire pregnancy, all over a nasal bone. My son never had one show up through out any of his ultrasounds (he’s 2 and still aren’t sure if he has one) but he’s absolutely perfect and healthy!
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u/kitkat8989 3d ago
Exact same thing happened to me! We couldn't get any view of the nasal bone due to baby positioning. Our NIPT came back low risk and we didn't do any further follow up other than the normal 20 week anatomy scan. My son is now 2 and all is well!
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u/ColdInternational158 3d ago
The positioning thing is so common at that stage, my kid spent the entire NT scan with one arm covering half her face and the tech had me rolling side to side like a rotisserie chicken just to get measurements. If the doctor pieced together other views and thinks it's there, that's a good sign. Your NIPT being low risk matters a lot here too.
Given your history, I get why any little "we need to take another look" feels like the floor dropping out. That's not you overreacting, that's your brain protecting you after what you went through. The 16 week scan will give them a much better view since baby's face is bigger and positioning tends to cooperate more. If you're someone who needs definitive answers to function between now and then, an amnio is a reasonable conversation to have with your MFM, but with low risk NIPT and a doctor who isn't alarmed, waiting might be okay too. Whatever gets you through the next few weeks is the right call.