Today we are
officially starting our second trimester.
At our last appointment we had blood drawn to check for chromosomal
abnormalities for our baby. This test is
offered to women who will be 35 or older at the time of delivery, because
increased maternal age is associated with an increased risk of chromosomal
abnormalities. This was my first time
being offered the test, so I had a lot of questions. My doctor explained it to me like this: There
are placental cells from this baby in my blood.
Those cells can be extracted and examined for chromosomal abnormalities of
the 21st, 18th, and 13th chromosome. For those science folks in the crowd; Down
Syndrome, Edwards Syndrome, & Patau Syndrome. The test also examines the sex chromosomes
for abnormalities (Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, and Triple X and XYY
Syndrome). Our first trimester screen
came back negative for abnormalities at all tested chromosomes. This doesn’t mean we are 100% guaranteed that
our baby doesn’t have chromosomal abnormalities at these chromosomes, it just
means it is less likely. This is a relief
to us only because our last pregnancy had chromosomal abnormalities (69XXY).
So, why did we get
the testing? When it was first offered
we thought about declining. The outcome
of the test wouldn’t change our minds about the pregnancy. We had seen a heartbeat and knew baby was
growing well, so we weren’t worried about another 69XXY baby. Then I started thinking about how it might
change the way I behave during the pregnancy.
Because if we were going to have a child with different needs I wanted
to spend the rest of this pregnancy reading about which ever syndrome we were
working with and learning how to give my child the greatest start in this
world. I have some knowledge about Down
Syndrome from my work, but the others I know nothing about. So, how would a positive result for Down
Syndrome have changed the way this wife and her pediatrician husband reacted to this
pregnancy? It would change which
parenting books I read. I have always
enjoyed working with kids who have Down Syndrome (DS). They love music, singing, and moving their
bodies in joyful ways. They are amazing
people and I often wonder if they aren’t closer to God’s image than we
are. Like that extra chromosome is what
appears when an angel decides to be human for a bit. Doc loves days when he
sees kids with DS. They are always happy
and ready for hugs. They often happily sit in his lap for the exams and even if
they get shots he gets a hug before they leave, because they don’t hold grudges. Usually if I catch him smiling to himself that
night he will have a story of having had a fun day with a DS kid. They are simply amazing children and people
that we could learn so much from. Any
child with chromosomal abnormalities comes with a new set of worries for their
parents. They may have different medical
needs and will certainly have different mental health needs. However, these needs are all manageable. Maybe we have a different perspective because
we see so many things that seem unmanageable to us, but we weren’t really too
worried about the outcome of this test.
In fact, when the nurse called I had forgotten all about it!
Our final bit of
news from this test is that we found out the gender of our baby! We are having a boy!! This isn’t too much of a surprise because Doc’s
family hasn’t had a girl in many generations.
Each generation has 2 boys. Who
knows if we will have 2 boys, but we are having at least 1! J
As for the
pregnancy symptoms entering the second trimester, things are going well. The insomnia is getting better, thank
goodness! I am having fewer days of
morning sickness and fewer nights throwing up.
Our son decided to move up off my bladder a little early and that helps
a ton with getting enough sleep. I still
haven’t gained weight, but I think that will change soon. I have 12 days before my next appointment and
I am staying focused on how well this pregnancy is going. J
