Kevin wanted to get it done to use the pregnancy to educate ourselves on a possible Down Syndrome baby. We now know the chance is very small, so we aren't going to do that. But what if...? We might have considered giving birth at the hospital if it were likely that this babe would have heart troubles due to Down Syndrome. But now we know that the chance is very small, so we aren't going to do that. But what if...? So really, what was the point? I know that some people would have had an amnio to confirm possible abnormal results, but we would have just worried about it for 6 more months, for possibly no reason at all. If I had been given a 1 in 12 chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome, how would I have spent the next 6 months? Crying? Stressed? Worried? Probably. And I STILL might have had a perfectly normal, healthy baby. Now I am happy and reassured, but I STILL might have a baby with a genetic disorder.
This is not to poo-poo the test. I think it is a good tool in many cases, especially for women who either have a family history of Down Syndrome or are older mothers. And it IS very reassuring. But the genetic counseling they give you before the scan when you get to the ripe old age of 35 is a little frightening. They show you this graph of exponential increasing risk as you get older. It is scary and makes me want to not have any more kids. And it makes you feel like you are old. When my mom had my older brother in the early seventies, she was called labeled as AMA - Advanced Maternal Age - at 28 years old! I must be having a positively geriatric pregnancy! Well, actually, according to official definition, I AM! GERIATRIC! At 34 years old! Anyway, I digress.
This baby - like its sister - will be born at home. I will have a natural birth, possibly in a pool. We are seeing lovely all-green midwives. We cloth diaper. I breastfeed (still breastfeeding my 19 month old). What made us decide, amidst all this return-to-nature, keep-it-simple child birth choices and parenting made us decide to go all high tech for information that is, generally speaking, fairly useless?
My question is - did you get the First Trimester Screening done? Why? Why not?
I guess we DID get a great picture of the little nipper, though. So that's something.
Hey Jenny. We got the test, for the same reasons you did. If we had a baby with high probability of genetic disorder, we thought knowing in advance would only be an advantage. If there were indications of genetic disorder, we wouldn't alter the path -- we weren't going to do an amnio, or anything else. Out of 4 kids, the nuchal fold test was only slightly larger for one of our 4. Maxine. And guess what, she has a big neck :) Even at 3, she would measure larger than normal.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me its continued medicalization of childbirth. I do know of a twin mom who got the amnio and as a result she lost a twin. The amnio fluid leaked after the test and the hole never repaired itself. And without enough amnio fluid, a perfectly healthy baby died because without the fluid a baby cannot develop lung capacity to breathe. So, any test -- a test that would elevate the stress level or concern that could lead to another invasive test like an amnio -- is a bad idea. But at the same time, when the tests are offered and are "free" it is hard to turn them down. I'm glad your test didn't lead to any extra anxiety (even though, as you point out, the issues being tested for may still be present.)
That little nipper is awfully cute, by the way!
If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have gotten the test. We worried a lot until 22 weeks when we had the second scan, plus had a cardiologist in since we showed an elevated risk of cardiac defects. For that, I supposed it was worth it because if there had been cardiac problems we might have needed to consider options including not giving birth at home. But I agree, we worried and for what...
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