Finally, the scan!

Finally, the scan!

After a looooong wait and a few slips of the tongue telling our friends, we can finally announce it to the world. Nick and I just went to have our 12 week scan. I did exactly what the letter said ‘drink 1 ½ pints of water an hour before the appointment.’ So I did. By the time we got to the hospital and paid a ridiculous parking fee and made sure we had 5 pound coins for the photo of our baby I was DESPERATE for the toilet. As we sat in the waiting room with lots of other women wriggling, Nick tried to help by talking nonsense but with the nerves and bursting bladder I wasn’t interested.

Finally my name was called and the nurse took us into a dark room with a T.V. monitor on the wall, lots of equipment and a dentist chair to lie in. I laid down and the nurse put some paper towel on my lower stomach. She said she was going to put the gel on and see how things were. I was told by a friend who had children that the feeling of needing to wee goes as soon as you see your baby- boy was she right! As soon as I saw a clear head and hands, my heart skipped a beat. Nick held my hand in silence. He just stared at the screen in awe. I asked the nurse if everything was ok, and she said that at this stage everything looks normal. My worst fear was no heartbeat but after asking twice I felt confident that my baby was alive and kicking. He/she really was kicking too, having a great time moving around in my womb! I suddenly felt very emotional and thought that this is what some women dream about and here I am, the luckiest woman alive watching my tiny baby move inside me.

The nurse took some measurements and said that it was 6cm which means I am 13 weeks and I thought I was 12. The nurse said the due date is 7^th March! It was great to get a date from a professional rather than looking at my calendar. The nurse then said she was measuring for excess fluid at the back of the baby’s neck to check for signs of Downs Syndrome.

After 5 minutes my sensation to pee came back and I rushed to the toilet as soon as I could. When I came out the nurse gave Nick and I a photo, I couldn’t believe it! I keep looking at it and feel so proud! I am already one of those ‘look at my child’ mums! Nick and I went to get a blood test and sitting next to me was a lady I saw in the last waiting room I tried to sneak a pic of her scan photo to compare but I couldn’t see! There is lots of ‘is my baby normal?’ thoughts going through my mind.

When I got my blood test I asked new nurse if everything was ok and she said that if it wasn’t the other nurse wouldn’t have told us to chat to you. In 4 days I will find out if I have a high risk of having a baby with Downs. If I get a letter it will be to say I am low risk.  I pray I don’t get a phone call in the next 4 days!

When I got home I couldn’t help but look at what a normal NT depth is and compare it to my baby’s! Mine is 1.8mm which is in the healthy zone, 2.8mm and above is a high risk. I feel a lot better now! I did realise though, after all the exciting stuff I forgot to ask questions about antenatal classes and if I should stop taking folic acid now…

An uploaded picture and 20 congratulation messages on facebook I can finally enjoy the attention and share the news with everyone!

Decisions already!

I had the midwife come round my house. She was great but blimey there was a lot of paperwork. I now have a file I must carry with me everywhere in case anything happens and someone can see that I am pregnant. Most of the questions were about family health and my health but then she told me about the 12 weeks scans. I got a little confused and ended up asking lots of questions, but was left with a big decision to make. At 12 weeks (I am 8 weeks now) I will need to go for a scan. I need to choose which scan to have.

I either have a regular scan which tells me a rough date when it’s due and if it is healthy or there at all! Or I can have a scan which tells me whether my baby has a high risk or low risk of having Downs Syndrome. This scan will also tell me about when it is due and growth so far. I immediately thought, well, if this scan tells you more then I would have the second option. But then came the ‘what ifs’. If the blood test and scan and health history all add up to say my baby is at high risk of having Downs then I have an even bigger decision to make.

I can then choose whether to have a second, more invasive, scan which can tell if the child does or does not have Downs. This scan however has a 1% risk of miscarriage. And then you are faced with what to do if it does have Downs.

So, I can choose not to have the high risk/low risk scan and never know until it is born or a much later scan or I can get this Downs scan, find out if it is low or high risk and then either live with the fact my baby might have downs but not find out or risk a miscarriage to have peace of mind! I didn’t expect such big decisions this early on! I thought my biggest worry was lifting heavy things and staying away from shellfish.

So when Nick came home we discussed it. I have spoken to friends who have children but most said they didn’t have the option. A friend of ours has just given birth to her second child who has been diagnosed with Downs Syndrome, her first was completely healthy. As it has happened to someone we know it is such a scary event. I did some research and Downs Syndrome is nothing a parent can prevent. Apparently it is pure fluke that the chromosomes do not split evenly within the womb at the very early stages of pregnancy.

We had a week to think about it and then my midwife called and asked if we had made a decision. I said “yes, we will have the scan that tells us about the risk of Downs Syndrome..."

My friend gave me good advice, see what happens and cross the bridge when/if you come to it. I have a month to wait now…