Any one else opting out of all the extra tests?

Shawnslovely

I absolutely did not want an amnio so we did not do the quad scan at my 10 wk blood draw.  I can't even handle the thought of someone sticking a needle near my child.  They let me opt out easily enough.  Really we would never even consider terminating a pregnancy so I thought what's the point of having the scan.

 Anyone else opt out?

BarefootContess

yes.  I have the anatomy scan and that is about it.  

ssull1974

I opted out. I spoke with my mid-wife about it today and her first question was, "What would you do with the information from the amnio?"  We've already discussed it and knew it wouldn't make a difference for us.  She then went on to say that if we already know we aren't doing the amnio or CVS then it doesn't make sense to do the screening because if the recommendation was to do further testing we wouldn't do it so it wouldn't really be that helpful.  It was reassuring and it helped for her to put it in the perspective of based on my history and age the chances of me having a "normal" baby are x% instead of saying your chances of having a child with an abnormality is x%.  Much better to hear the positive then the negative.

kikibird

I did the NT scan and will do the anatomy scan, but the results of the NT scan were good enough that I don't feel the need to do anything more (and the doctors didn't pressure us to; in fact, they said our results didn't indicate any further testing beyond the Level II scan).  If something comes up on the anatomy scan, maybe we'd do an amnio, but even then I'm not sure we would. 

ETA parenthetical.

married2mrpooh

I will opt to have any test that is covered under my insurance.  I would like to have as much information as I  possibly can have.

ccorso

We did the quad screening (have one more blood test in a couple of weeks) but we opted not to do the amino...after have a few years of unexplained infertility, we are taking no chances when it comes to mis-carriages.  We opted to do the quad screening because I wanted to know the risk factor for the defects.  If I had a high risk factor, I would still not do the amino, but the doctors and myself would be prepared at birth for 'something'.  For me it was peace of mind - I know for others this would drive them nuts!

Jen&Louie

We'll do the quad screen (did with DS as well, returned very low risk) but, will not do an amnio regardless of the quad results. We would not terminate and don't want to chance a loss.

mcwhittaker

If you're not going to do anything with the information you get from the amnio or other screenings, then no, it's a waste of time and money.

My husband and I were going to terminate the pregnancy if the baby had downs or any of the other genetic maladies.

I had my amnio done Monday, baby is normal (preliminary results came back yesterday).

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

Either way, you are the one that has to live with it, and if you're prepared to live with it, either way, then i totally agree, don't bother

 

 

LauraLynneC

more than anything - I want to be prepared. I want the doctors to be prepared.  Bringing home a healthy baby is stressful enough.  To have the shock of a disability on top of that is more than I could bear.  I will take whatever tests my doctor recommends.  Our NT scan is at our first appt. on the 27th.  We'll go from there.

kj910

I will be 13 weeks on Sunday and we decided that we were not going to have any testing done.  This is my first pregnancy at 39 and my DH and I deiscussed all the tests with the ob when we had our first appt.  She said if the tests were not going to change our minds about the baby(which we do not care) then she doesnt advocate we get them.  We did opt to get a level II sono at 18 weeks but that is also to check the babys heart growth due to congenital defects that run in the family.  If you are not condisering termination due to results I say skip it all and enjoy your pregnancy.  I know I am!!!! 

stever

mcwhittaker:

If you're not going to do anything with the information you get from the amnio or other screenings, then no, it's a waste of time and money.

My husband and I were going to terminate the pregnancy if the baby had downs or any of the other genetic maladies.

I had my amnio done Monday, baby is normal (preliminary results came back yesterday).

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

Either way, you are the one that has to live with it, and if you're prepared to live with it, either way, then i totally agree, don't bother

 

 

I totally disagree. If you don't want to get the extra tests done, fine. But having peace of mind or time to prepare for potential issues is not even remotely a waste of time or money IMO. 

And, FTR, saying "I want to opt out of testing because I would never abort," is kind of like implying all of those that test would. I've been on The Bump for 2 years and that phrase still bugs me. 

::Runs back to Parenting After 35::

Peppernut

Stever!

I am another one from Parenting 35+, though I suppose I should really come here more often since I'm about 7 weeks into a new pregnancy.  BUT ANYway, the subject.

For me, I understand not wanting to risk anything going wrong with a CVS or amnio.  For the NT, though, if there were something awry with my child I would want to be sure I was prepared, had a hospital with an excellent NICU, that I was not going to be overwhelmed right after or even during childbirth with any serious baby health issues that I could have known about if I had tested.  I loathe the NT scan because it's just odds rather than a diagnostic tool, but if it helps me prepare myself for possible serious complications you bet I'll do it.

Lisa102304

kikijbird:

I did the NT scan and will do the anatomy scan, but the results of the NT scan were good enough that I don't feel the need to do anything more (and the doctors didn't pressure us to; in fact, they said our results didn't indicate any further testing beyond the Level II scan).  If something comes up on the anatomy scan, maybe we'd do an amnio, but even then I'm not sure we would. 

ETA parenthetical.

This is me too. My NT scan was perfect, and unless something comes up at the anatomy scan, nothing else will be done.

CharBart

mcwhittaker:

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

This statement bothers me quite a bit...the whole post bothered me, but I realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and descisions.  I just feel like this statement is just ignorant to so many different aspects of special needs children.

I do not believe that NDSS wants anyone to not be able to make an informed decision.

Information is the strongest weapon...special needs children need different things and making sure you and your hospital are prepared is probably one of the most important things.  Not being armed with information is, in my opinion just plain ignorant.

ClomidBabyMama

stever:

mcwhittaker:

If you're not going to do anything with the information you get from the amnio or other screenings, then no, it's a waste of time and money.

My husband and I were going to terminate the pregnancy if the baby had downs or any of the other genetic maladies.

I had my amnio done Monday, baby is normal (preliminary results came back yesterday).

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

Either way, you are the one that has to live with it, and if you're prepared to live with it, either way, then i totally agree, don't bother

 

 

I totally disagree. If you don't want to get the extra tests done, fine. But having peace of mind or time to prepare for potential issues is not even remotely a waste of time or money IMO. 

And, FTR, saying "I want to opt out of testing because I would never abort," is kind of like implying all of those that test would. I've been on The Bump for 2 years and that phrase still bugs me. 

::Runs back to Parenting After 35::

 

I totally agree with you. The whole "if you're not going to terminate there's no reason to test" mentality really irks me. I had no intention of terminating when I had my amnio. None. If my son has a disability or health problem I want time to educate myself as much as possible before having to make major medical decisions for him. I can't imagine having to approve a medication or invasive procedure all while being exhausted from giving birth, elated because my son is here, and reeling from finding out my son has a health problem - oh, and without having any idea what I'm being asked to authorize for my child. I'd also like time to go through the roller coaster of emotions that comes with finding out your child has a disability before he arrives so that by the time he came I was excited to meet him and had a better handle on my emotions.

 

I think there's nothing wrong with passing on the tests at all. I would never try to pressure anyone in to getting them. It's just that termination is not the only reason to be tested.

kristennd

To the last two points let me add that some of us are in small enough towns that a test that reveals a potential high-risk birth or other immediate medical needs means that we'll need to make arrangements to deliver in a completely different city, which certainly requires advanced planning. Plus the time required to upgrade health insurance policies, alter expectations for length of maternity leave, etc. It's just being prepared.

BarefootContess

mcwhittaker:

If you're not going to do anything with the information you get from the amnio or other screenings, then no, it's a waste of time and money.

My husband and I were going to terminate the pregnancy if the baby had downs or any of the other genetic maladies.

I had my amnio done Monday, baby is normal (preliminary results came back yesterday).

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

Either way, you are the one that has to live with it, and if you're prepared to live with it, either way, then i totally agree, don't bother

 

 

Well, it is a fact that an amnio can cause you to go into labor and depending on when the amnio is done, you can lose the baby.  This happened to a close friend.  Sadly, the baby was in fact healthy.  So this is not just "hub bub" by advocates for those with Down Syndrome.  

Mrs.EMS

I am doing the big ultra sound instead if anything pops up there thne we will do cvs. other than that we opted out of the others. not sure what we will do if there are issues we cross that road when we come to it. I will continue to pray for a healthy baby

mcwhittaker

CharBart:

mcwhittaker:

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

This statement bothers me quite a bit...the whole post bothered me, but I realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and descisions.  I just feel like this statement is just ignorant to so many different aspects of special needs children.

I do not believe that NDSS wants anyone to not be able to make an informed decision.

Information is the strongest weapon...special needs children need different things and making sure you and your hospital are prepared is probably one of the most important things.  Not being armed with information is, in my opinion just plain ignorant.

 

I guess I forget the average reader's IQ is about 30 points below mine.

The statement "do NOTHING" means exactly that. No preparation, no decision points, nothing.

People need to get their heads out of their proverbial backsides and read all the words rather than getting on their moral high horses. I don't down people if they choose to bring a life into the world that would not normally survive the natural order of things. That's your choice. But don't dare call people ignorant that choose not to burden themselves or society by making a different choice. 

Piperle

Information is never a bad thing.  We opted for the NT scan and our odds were 1 in 400.  We went to the specialist and had a consultation with them to see what they thought.  I wanted to be well informed from a specialist and know what we were getting ourselves into.  Not thinking termination or not but what our lives wold be like and the life of our other child.  Having a special needs child would require alot of sacrafice on everyone in the family. 

We ended up having the amnio because after getting all the information then it was pretty clear that the odds of having a miscarriage are so low. But having the information whatever it was would be better than learning in the hospital there was something either lifethreatening and having to make decisions there or taking home a baby with no support in place about the special needs I would have to learn about.  Having a newborn is tough enough and overwhelming in the best circumstances.  I just can't even imagine trying to wrap my head around anything extra during the first few weeks when baby comes home.

 When they started doing amnios 30 years ago the risk was much higher and when you see stats it is with those numbers in there. Now they use a smaller needle, do the test much quicker and the ultrasounds they do while they do the test make sure that baby is no where near the baby and the test only takes about 10 seconds.  I had some mild cramping and just went home and went to bed and I was fine by the next afternoon.  I had a battery of questions for the specialist like what his odds of miscarriage were and how many years had he been doing them.  My dr. had been doing them for 20 years and never lost a baby.   

Everything was fine with our baby and we have the peace of mind of knowing that no special accommodations need to be taken when this LO comes into the world.  But I am not the kind of person who sticks their head in the sand and crosses their fingers and hopes for the best.  That's just me and my story.  You do what works for you and your family.  It's a personal decision.

praline

mcwhittaker:

If you're not going to do anything with the information you get from the amnio or other screenings, then no, it's a waste of time and money.

My husband and I were going to terminate the pregnancy if the baby had downs or any of the other genetic maladies.

I had my amnio done Monday, baby is normal (preliminary results came back yesterday).

Frankly i think a lot of the 'hub bub' about how scary an amnio is from groups like the national downs syndrome society that would rather you have the baby then make an informed decision.

Either way, you are the one that has to live with it, and if you're prepared to live with it, either way, then i totally agree, don't bother

 

 

 

I just want to point out that having a normal amnio result is a long way from knowing that you will have a "normal" child.  And I don't think that the National Down Syndrome society is wasting time going to the media and inflating the risk of amnios to scare women into :gasp: giving birth to children with Down Syndrome.  Believe it or not, some women, on their own and with accurate information believe their child has a right to life.  You don't, fine.  But don't chalk it up to fear and misinformation on the part of other women.

You have a lot to learn about being a parent.  Best wishes with your normal child.

loveizgrand

kikijbird:

I did the NT scan and will do the anatomy scan, but the results of the NT scan were good enough that I don't feel the need to do anything more (and the doctors didn't pressure us to; in fact, they said our results didn't indicate any further testing beyond the Level II scan).  If something comes up on the anatomy scan, maybe we'd do an amnio, but even then I'm not sure we would. 

ETA parenthetical.

I agree with you 100%! When my doctor stated the NT was perfect, I felt there wasn't any need to probe further.