Please share with me...

firefliesandfjords

Hi ladies, I was referred here by some of the wonderful mommies on the November '13 board.

I'm 22 and expecting my first - she was a surprise, too (but that's a whole different story). I had the anatomy scan on Monday, and as far as the ultrasound tech could see, there is a strong baby girl growing inside of me. She said she saw no cause for concern, no abnormalities, all the measurements looked great and matched up perfectly with the EDD according to my last cycle, etc. My doctor has not done the final report yet, however, so I'm still waiting to hear on that.

Then my husband and I got a call yesterday afternoon telling me that my quad screen came back with a 1 in 12 chance for Down Syndrome. My doctor scheduled me for a level II ultrasound with a specialist on the 17th, and from there I have to decide if I want an amnio done.

I am so confused and scared by these results. I know it is just a screening and that my chances are around 8% according to the quad screen alone, but I want to be prepared to love and care for this little girl the best that I can. Like I said earlier, this baby was a surprise, and I still have a year of college left to finish up, so I am very overwhelmed at the moment.

I guess I was just wondering if any of you had any experience or stories you could share about prenatal testing and raising a child with Down Syndrome or if you have any resources you might want to pass along?

Thank you so much.