Enlarged Kidneys?

Hey Everyone...
Just wanted to know if anyone else has been told at their scan their baby had enlarged kidneys and what was the outcome??
We had out 19 week scan & i knew something was a bit off as the lady kept coming back to the kidneys she said they looked very prominent & sent me to the specialist at the hosp for a scan and talk... had my scan at 20 weeks & they mentioned it could be polycistic kidneys but wouldn't talk about that as it's horrible & not a good outcome - i googled it of course! They cant tell till 28 weeks apparently but at 20 weeks bubs kidneys were measuring at 30 weeks so she booked me back in for 24 week scan as she didnt want to wait.. saw a diff specialist for my 24 week scan.. who said she dosent think its polycistic kidneys as there is no cysts & its hereditory & no known history of kidney issues in the family.. she also said yes kidneys are very large but you're baby is very large too at 24 weeks bubs was approx 2pnd 2oz (an average baby is around 1.32 pounds at this gestation) i seem to breed them big! She also said that she didnt want to see me at 28 weeks as not being polycistic kidneys but would love a check up & scan at 34 weeks she said she cant say 100% baby is ok but 90% sure bubs will be fine.. i really hate waiting for this scan!! Just wanted to know anyone with similar experiences at all? Helps to talk about it smile I was umming and aaahing & was going to find out at the 28 weeks scan what sex bubs was as i thought i could bond a bit more if anything happend but now no scan till 34 & 1/2 weeks and they will be deciding then if i need a 3rd c-section or can birth naturally so only a few weeks really to wait from then on. Sorry for the Novel grin

Yooohoo... Anyone??
Nobody knows or has had any experience with this??

I'm currently 35 weeks pregnant. At the 20 week pregnancy ultrasound I was told the baby has a left dialated kidney. The Ob wasnt worried about it, said that there is nothing that can be done about it till the baby is born and then at about 5 weeks they will do an unltrasound to assess the kidney.

Was seen by a dr, our clinic is turn up for an appointment and who ever calls you in see you. She was very thorough and got me to have another ultrasound at 30 weeks to check the kidney. The kidney is still dialated and they actually say it can be related to the baby being a boy and it can fix itself.

Now from that ultrasound they have gone onto find that bub is measuring bigger so it means another ultrasound for me next week, but another story there.

I can't give you the answer as to what will happen when bub is born as im still going through it myself. Im pretty nervous about what will happen but at least i know bub is safe and sterile inside me.

Hope I was able to reassure you that you aren't alone, and I hope everything turns out for the best for you.

Oh thankyou soo much for replying i was really worried it was just me!!
We dont know what we are having but i did read that enlarged kidneys are more common in boys then girls. My mw isnt really familiar with this she has only had people like yourself with one kidney not both so i was a bit unsure as to whats next..
This bub is also measuring very big!!
I wish you the best of luck with it all.
Thankyou again for sharing your story the unknown is so hard but i agree wiht bubs being safe.. im finding it so hard and getting so down then my wee bundle gives me some kicks and its hard not to brighten up!

Hi,

I'm sorry I can't help you with experience regarding enlarged kidneys of the baby during pregnancy but I can share some experience of what happened with my very young baby who had enlarged kidneys.

When I was pregnant with DS, nothing was picked up in my ultrasounds about him having enlarged kidneys, so I think his problem came after he was born??

Anyway, when he was about 4 weeks old, he was diagnosed with a UTI which is very uncommon in boys. He was a very unsettled baby (understandably). Anyway, he was treated with antibiotics and had to have further investigation into his kidneys.

Firstly he had a Renal Ultrasound, which they discovered that he didn't have kidney reflux but he had a dilated kidney (hydronphrosis). He was then sent for a MCU http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Kidney_reflux?OpenDocument (He coped fine with it). That test revealed no blockages so then he was referred for a MAG 3 scan http://www.insideradiology.com.au/pages/view.ph...

That test came back good.

So in the end, for him he was ok - no known reason for the dilated kidney. He had to have follow up renal ultrasounds and in time the kidney went back to its normal size and that was the end of it. DS is now 5 with no problems.

I hope everything is ok with your bub. Just thought I'd let you know about the possible tests they may do on bubs. DS coped really, really well with the tests (DH and I weren't keen on the tests and were afraid of them) but DS was fine.

Hi,
Thankyou so much for replying!!
I am very glad for you it hasnt caused extra problems.
I googled it all myself after they didnt tell me anything so got a bit of info but wasnt sure what really applied to me.. when they thought it was polycistic kidneys they did say bubs might need surgery but it hasnt been mentioned when they said it wasnt that so i was unsure of whether that still applied or not.
They always check on the scan whether the bladder is full or half full etc so thats all working which they told me is good but i did see when i googled that they can get uti's.. I assume coz they have picked up on this early that means they will let me know warning signs of a uti etc?

Hi, like everyone else who's replied, my DD2 only had one enlarged kidney (left). It was picked up at a 32-34 week ultrasound. They told me not to worry as every case they've dealt with has cleared itself up before birth. Unfortunately, DD2's only got worse.

At 2 weeks old, we took her to the GP because she seemed slightly off. A little bit husky when she cried, and abit more sleepy than she probably should've been, and pauses in her breathing. She had been crying lots since day 1 so I just thought that's the way she was. Her temp was normal.


At the ED later that day, they discovered she had a really bad UTI, so we were in hospital for 6 nights with her on antibiotics. In that time they did an ultrasound & discovered her kidney was still enlarged & also discovered she had duplex kidney (2 ureters from left kidney to bladder) and one of them was severely dilated & there was a cyst blocking the flow of urine & making it reflux back to the kidney. This was all causing her ALOT of pain, which is why she had been crying so much.

She was on antibiotics daily since then.

She caught another UTI at 7 weeks, which meant the antibiotics werent working & also meant another 6 nights in hospital. She had another ultrasound & they discovered her kidney had worsened.

She was booked in to have surgery at 9 weeks old. There was a mishap during the surgery, but we havent had problems since. She has annual visits to a urologist at the hospital to make sure the cyst hasnt grown back & to keep an eye on the top part of her left kidney which isnt functioning much at all.

There were NO obvious signs AT ALL that she had a UTI. Our GP couldnt even pick it.

Hope this helps smile If u have any questions, feel free to message me!

Firstly thank you so much for replying to me!
And secondly thanks for sharing your experience to me, i am so worried coz its both kidneys here it will be worse..
I am very thankful it isnt polycistic kidneys as that is not good at all but obviously still very worried and on edge about it all!!
Do they keep a very close eye on you with the uti's now? Or you just would know?
I'm going to be very busy arent i!! My oldest just started school so school drop off and pick ups (lucky my mum can do this is somethings up) & my other wee one will only be abour 20 months when this one is born!
Did you notice physically when she was born it was swollen??
I did read on the internet that their tums can look enlarged..
It's really nice to hear from someone that has had to have the surgery too... do you know what they do??

Try not to stress about it (easier said than done, I know lol) It could completely clear up. It might be something that just needs monitoring. It is great that it's not polycistic kidneys. At least you can get that out of your head.

They dont keep a close eye on her with UTI's now, but we do. Because if she started getting them again, it would most likely mean her kidneys playing up again. I think now that she's abit older I would see more signs of a UTI. But when she was newborn, there were no obvious signs at all. She just seemed a little off & very whingy. But then what baby doesnt whinge lol.

You'll amaze yourself with how you work things into your life. You wonder now how you'll cope, and there will be hard times, but everything will balance out. Just take it one day at a time.

I couldnt tell her kidney was swollen by looking at her. And her tummy was always a little large, but she did eat constantly so it couldve been from that. The doctors could feel it when they checked her though.


As far as surgery goes, its a case by case thing. With my daughter, they inserted a tiny camera and special tiny wire thing up her urethra & poked holes in the cyst so the urine could flow properly. There was no incision site from that surgery. But it would depend on why bubs kidney's are enlarged as to what they decide to do.

From what Ive learnt, kidneys can do alot of strange things. I know of someone who was born with one, someone who was born with 3, someone who was born with them at the front of there body instead of the back, and they're all fine & healthy. It's only if it's actually causing a problem that they'll do something about it. And only if it's urgent that they'll do surgery on such a young baby. I would THINK, your bub would have an ultrasound at 1 month old, and if he needs them, they might give you antibiotics to give to him daily to prevent UTIs, and you'll have follow up appointments. Its fine to go to your GP if you think anythings wrong. So it shouldnt be REALLY busy if you know what I mean.

Same thing with my bub I'm 36 weeks and the ultrasound showed an enlarged left kidney. Not much help as I havent given birth yet but the doctor said the same thing not stress.

Same thing with my bub I'm 36 weeks and the ultrasound showed an enlarged left kidney. Not much help as I havent given birth yet but the doctor said the same thing not stress.

Good luck with your bub Marlee_C. Most cases do work out for the better, so the doctors right, try not to stress about it.

Same thing with my bub I'm 36 weeks and the ultrasound showed an enlarged left kidney. Not much help as I havent given birth yet but the doctor said the same thing not stress.

Have you had follow ups scans through your pregnancy?
Thank you to everyone for sharing with me.
Ive still got another scan at 34 &1/2 weeks to check them again and make sure everything is still working fine with the bladder etc.. i just hate not knowing but i hope all will be ok. If not and theres a few complications will take it on like eveything else! smile Good luck Marlee_C with your birth and i hope your baby is ok