prenatal screening

andrea1stbaby

Is anyone doing any of the screenings like down sydrome.trisomy 18.trisomy 13.neural tube defects.abdominal wall defects.smith-lemli-opitz syndrome. I just wanted to know everyone who is deciding to do them or people who aren't and what your reasons are for your decisions

dobiemomma

There's another topic going w this too. I had the blood test done. Came back abnormal, I went through 2 weeks of TOTAL stress. Went to a specialist, who did an ultrasound and found baby to be very healthy. Also the specialist told me the blood test is very inaccurate. There are lots of false positives. Unless u have the genetic carrier type of downs in ur family I would not recommend it just bc of all the stress and the blood test isn't. Accurate

andrea1stbaby

@dobiemomma what's the title of the other topic I haven't seen it. I just wasn't sure because my doctor gave me a book to read and decide if ide want to do the tests or not but I don't want to if they come back wrong

dobiemomma

Thoughts on first trimester..... its a long title. The way I first looked at the test was I could be ready for a child w a birth defect if the test came back abnormal. Well then it did! And from there my mind set changed. Either way id love my baby, and it put me through wayyy to much stress. If u r healthy, u shouldn't have any issues concerning a defect. I actually regret doing it bc I was not aware of the innaccuracy of the test b4 I had it done, and put my self through unnecessary grief for nothing

2girls1boy

I had all of the tests but only bc I spontaneously had a daughter almost 3 yrs ago with down syndrome. I am now pregnant with my third so I had the nuchal test, cvs, genetic screening, blood test, etc

2girls1boy

@dobiemomma, I was perfectly healthy and had a fairly simple pregnancy and still had a child with down syndrome. Your health has nothing to do with it. It either happens at conception or it doesnt.

andrea1stbaby

I just don't get the point I guess like there's nothing that can help or fix your baby so why don't people just wait until the babies born cuz the test aren't 100% accurate. Its my first baby so I was just wondering if the test are worth it but @2girls1boy I understand for you since you've had a baby with down syndrome so you test to know this time if that happened to me ide test for sure but I was reading and like @dobiemomma said it could add more stress but is it better to know before the babies born or better to wait

2girls1boy

The only reason I am an advocate for the testing...at least the nuchal ultrasound is bc had we known about the DS the dr would have paid closer attention and most likely found and corrected her kidney issues in eutro. But since none of that happened we have dealt with alot. But thats one of those hindsight things. I just felt the need to speak up bc no one educated me until I lived thru it.


I wish you all of the luck and I am sure ur baby will be just perfect

andrea1stbaby

@2girls1boy thank you I appreciate it(:

dobiemomma

@2girls1boy I was in same boat, was not educated until I went through the tests. But yes its a chance n u can't prevent it but certain factors do increase the risk from what I learned. I just don't know why they (ob/dr) don't inform us BEFOrE all the testing! Its not like we don't have enough goin on to remember to ask all the right questions, it should be provided!

2girls1boy

The scary truth alot of drs dont know enough about trisomy to educate us and that is sad. Even after delivery the hospital had to print documents off of google for me to read. Its pitiful

dobiemomma

They went to medical school for a reason right?! I met with a genetic counselor when my tests came back abnormal and everything she told me I learned in bio classes for my degree. It wasn't anything new. How sad.

2girls1boy

We had a genetic councelor meet with us in the NICU after she was born...what an idiot. She told us our daughter could live in a group home and be a bagger at the grocery store bc thats every mothers dream for their newborn! I thought I was going to kill her