Friday, August 8, 2008

Triple Test and More

Last week, I took a blood test to do something called the triple test. The main aim was to see if I was in high risk for any Down Syndrome or neural defects.

The doctor then called me on Tuesday and told me that I was tested negative for neural defects, but was a high risk for Down Syndrome. The probability was high at 1 in 50. I was stunned and close to tears. I was shocked as I had not expected this.

An amnio test was scheduled on Friday (which is today) and so I went with hubby. The whole procedure took abut 30 mins including making sure the baby is ok before and after the procedure. The horror of seeing a 1.5feet needle being stuck into the stomach was too much, even for me. My legs melted, luckily I was lying down and not standing.

The needle went through the placenta and some blood was drawn out before the fluid came. They collected 2 test tubes of it and will be studied in the lab to determine if the baby is fine.

While the doctor said that all looked well on the scan, I am still worried. I think it is only normal, but I have faith that God has a reason for whatever he presents us.

The doctor said he has seen so many fetus problems that he said "so long as the child is born with 2 eyes, 1 nose, 1 mouth, perfect limbs, that is what matters, don't ask for brilliance, intelligence etc. Having a child born healthy is already a miracle in itself."

So, here is to the next 2 weeks - hope that the results will show I have a healthy baby.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't be too nervous. The blood test is only 80% accuracy. Let's wait patiently for the amnio results. In the meantime, take a good rest at home.

Anonymous said...

i think that is always the debate whether to take the test in the first place. The question remains what do you do if you find out that your baby does have a high chance of Down Syndrome.

Anonymous said...

Dont worry too much. When I was pregnant with Kyrie, my blood test also showed high risks; but thank God, the amnio result came back as -ve. Today my Kyrie is healthy and active. Dont worry, you will be fine!!

Cowie