I got a call yesterday from the doctor’s office (9 full days after my amniocentesis was performed), and they said that everything was normal- the baby is negative for Down’s Syndrome!  They also confirmed that it definitely is a girl.  I can’t even begin to explain the weight that has been lifted off my shoulders. I would have never been able to go on with the rest of this pregnancy without knowing. The stress of that alone would have been bad for the baby I think.  I go back to the doctor next week to get the full 20-week anatomical ultrasound performed, even though they checked a lot of the organs when doing the amnio.  It’s still exciting though because I get to see her move around, which I love.

As for my Diva daughter, who’s now 18-months old, she’s been pointing to my belly and kissing it, and saying “bay bay,” which I THINK is her saying “baby”; who knows.  I tell her there’s a baby in mommy’s belly, but I don’t know if she grasps the concept.  Her temper tantrums have been awful lately–it’s really getting me nervous how I’m going to handle her and a newborn at the same time. I was originally going to get a double stroller, but she’s so bad with the stroller now.  But when I take her out to walk, she doesn’t stay with me—she runs away like I kidnapped her and she’s finally been set free.  If she was good with holding my hand or walking with the stroller I’d probably skip getting a double stroller.  But I’m thinking at this point that maybe I’ll get one (used) just to secure her in (even though she’ll kick & scream like she does now). Oh, the challenge of having an intense, spirited child.  I’m so jealous of people with easygoing babies.  They have NO idea what it’s like.  I really hope my new baby is a little easier.  I know that sounds bad, but I need a break!!

I’m 18 weeks pregnant and had my amniocentesis performed today to see if the baby has Down’s Syndrome. It’s going to take up to 2 weeks for the results, but a good sign is that there were no visible “markers” on the ultrasound showing deformities that may occur when a baby has Down’s. Plus, they also reaffirmed that my ratio from the blood screening is only slightly within the “higher chance” level, so the chances are about 1 percent (1: 235). I think I was more scared today about the risk of miscarriage from the amnio itself. The actual procedure didn’t hurt at all. I’ve had worse experiences with techs at the blood lab drawing blood from my arm. It feels like a pin prick, like you get when you have blood taken or have an IV put in your arm, but you only feel that on the outside of your skin. The doctor then goes through your muscle & fat layers, and that just feels weird (deep), but not painful. He did say I may feel mild cramping when he hit the uterus (like period cramps), but I barely felt anything. Since the doctor was viewing an ultrasound at the same time, he waited to push through to the amniotic sac because the baby decided to move its hand right where he was going to prick. I think it took about 2-3 full minutes for the baby to finally move its hand, (they jiggled my belly so it would move), so the doctor then pushed through and took out about 4 tablespoons of amniotic fluid. The baby then decided that it wanted to touch the foreign object in its environment, so it moved its hand over towards the needle (while I held my breath!). But the doctor said that it would only touch the side of the needle, not the pointy part. And I guess it didn’t touch the pointy part because it didn’t jerk away. Curious little baby I guess. The tech said it’s a girl, and I was thrilled about that because I have so many beautiful clothes that my 18 month old daughter barely got to wear. I think my husband is a tad disappointed, but oh well. When the doctor pulled the needle out, I could feel the needle going through all the layers of tissue, and that felt creepy. Then they had me lay there for about 5 minutes and told me to rest for the next 24-48 hours. No lifting, strenuous activity, sex, etc.

They said you can spot blood or amniotic fluid and/or feel mild cramping for the next day or 2. It’s been 9 hours so far, and I haven’t had any spotting/leaking thankfully, but I get very mild cramping when I stand or walk. So I’ve been laying down or sitting all day. My husband stayed home from work and my mom is coming over tomorrow to help me with my daughter (lifting her up, etc). The doctor said that usually if a miscarriage is going to happen, it happens within the first 2-3 days of the amnio, but usually the 1st day. After that, the other concern is infection from the needle, which can happen within 2 weeks. I’ll just keep focusing on positive, happy thoughts, so I can have a healthy little girl.

I’m 17 weeks pregnant now. Last week I went to have Step 2 of the Down’s Syndrome Screening Test done, which is blood work. Step 1 was the screening ultrasound where they check the thickness of the back of the baby’s neck to see if it has signs of having Down’s Syndrome. That part came back okay. Well, I got a call yesterday that my blood work came back as higher risk, which they call “positive,” but it doesn’t mean the baby has Down’s. The cutoff ratio for the screening risk is 1: 270. I’m 1: 235, which isn’t too far below the “safe zone,” but it’s still enough for them to call me. I know there is a very high false positive rate for this, which is a reason that many women choose not to get it done in the first place, but just the idea of it floating around in my head is freaking me out. I’m 32, and I found out that actually many women under age 35 have babies with Down’s also (not just women close to age 40). My husband and I decided we’ll get the amniocentesis done to be sure the baby doesn’t have Down’s. So I go next week for that, on August 18th. For those who don’t know, the amniocentesis procedure itself has a risk factor of causing miscarriage- a very low risk factor, but it exists. I think what’s terrifying me the most is what if they do the test, I miscarry, and then I found out that the baby didn’t have Down’s to begin with. That would horrify me. But my husband I both agree that with our circumstances and place in our lives right now, we want to take the risk and have the test done. His uncle, who is in his 50’s, has severe Autism and my husband’s 85 year old grandmother takes care of him. Once she passes away, the uncle will live with my husband’s parents and sister, and frankly, we can’t imagine how that’s going to work out because they have their own issues. It’s something I don’t want to think about. I have no siblings and my husband’s sister is incompetent, so again, I’d be lost if that was our situation. I know there are those with different beliefs, and I respect that, but that’s how I feel.

Statistically, it’s more likely that everything is okay, and the test will come back negative. But as with all things, it’s very scary to think about. I’ve read some blogs online about what other women have gone through with this situation, and majority of them have eased my fears. However, there were 2 I read about where the women went into pre-term labor and lost their babies after the procedure. It’s always that 1 person you hear about that sticks in your head. Of course those could have been natural miscarriages, such as from a weak cervix (which usually happens around the 20-week mark if it’s gonna happen) or some other issue.  I don’t know what the time period is of when you’re in the “safe zone” for miscarriage after the procedure…I’m hoping not more than a few weeks, so once those weeks pass I can relax and not be afraid. Actually, I’ll probably be too worried thinking about the results anyway (which takes 2 WEEKS) to think about that part. I’m putting all of this out there because I want to vent, and then let it go. I don’t want to think about it and just pretend in my head that everything is fine, and picture my little healthy baby in my arms, and seeing how my toddler will react to him or her. Visualize, visualize, visualize the positive. Actually, I think I’ll go find my book, “The Secret,” to help me with that. I always turn to that book when I need a pick me up. Thanks for listening everyone.