- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Pregnant after 35
Crayola
member
XP: Not doing Nuchal Translucency
Crayola
member
My husband and I have decided against having the Nuchal translucency test Anyone else choose not to do it? Which would also mean we aren't going going to have the level 2 ultrasound. I will be 36 when I deliver, but I feel like the results won't change things for us beside make me worry for 7 months if the results were positive.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: XP: Not doing Nuchal Translucency
There's a post about this below that has some great repsonses.
as pp said, there is a thread about this below. here is the link:
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/67269570.aspx
There is some valuable informaton in there to consider when you make your decision (it's not all about termination, but about delivery and care at delivery too).
And FTR, these posts drive me crazy. Knowledge is power.
My Blog
I totally agree. I understand not terminating, but I don't understand not wanting to be an informed parent, which can only be in your baby's best interest.
I have never had an NT scan until this pregnancy (#7) - right before I turned 41.
The only reason I did this time is because I developed GD REALLY early & after having a friend lose her daughter from birth defects caused by high blood sugars (she's type 1), I wanted to be aware of any structural damage I may have caused - and have a plan in place for delivery & neo-natal care if there were any defects found.
FTR, these kinds of comments drive me crazy.
Knowledge is not power for everyone. Too much information can be anxiety overload for some people. Not everyone needs or wants to "be informed" that early. Processing and learning and healing at your own pace does not make someone a bad parent.
I hear you, Melle, but the NT scan can only be done at a certain point in time. I guess I'm more reacting to not having any ultrasounds done at all, when they are available, which is the direction the OP seems to suggest she might be going in. There are potential defects -- heart problems, kidney problems, etc -- that can be prepared for in advance, with the proper team of doctors ready to go. I'm not talking about healing from knowing your baby has a terminal abnormality, but rather being really ready if there is something that can and should be dealt with if possible upon birth. For some people, that means choosing a different hospital, etc. I'm sorry, but I do think that's responsible parenting, and that it's worth anxiety to have a scan and learn what you can, since you can, insurance/financial resources permitting, of course (I am aware that not everyone's policies permit these things, unfortunately).
Your comnment reads as: "Women who pass on this test = angels who love their kids more. Women who get tested = Heartless cows who see their babies as expendable." Not cool.
Like Benoitfan said, it's about being prepared, not about terminating. And the reason these posts drive me nuts isn't because I'm terribly bothered by what choices other women make in their pregnancies it's the self-righteous, holier than thou tone they take on.
My Blog
I could see how you could feel a holier than thou tone with some statements however those of us on the other side feel that way as well. When a comment is made saying we are making choices to be uninformed parents and we are not choosing what is in the best interest of the baby, that just flips the coins. Then we read comments that insinuate "Women who pass on test = Selfish cows. Women who get tested = angels who love their kids more." It boils down to, we both feel very passionately about our opinions and it doesn't help to ridicule each other.
Sometimes knowledge is not power. Sometime knowledge is just knowledge. The knowledge that my little girl had a SUA and there was nothing we could do didn't help me a bit.
Sometimes the information gathered from an NT scan gives us, good information we need and will help us with labor and delivery. Sometimes the scan just gives us information that we hold onto for weeks or months waiting for the inevitable. Ultimately it is their decision to make and they just need support!!
EDD: 06/25/2006 M/C: 11/03/2005
EDD: 04/08/2012 M/C: 09/03/2011
EDD: 12/27/2012 Born Sleeping: 07/19/2012
EDD: 12/07/2013 M/C 05/30/2013 & 05/31/2013
EDD: 07/01/2016 Born sleeping: 03/02/2016
Which is why, on the other thread and every time this comes up, I always state that the major reason I decline is because this is a twin pregnancy, I am already very closely monitored with ultrasounds every 4 weeks - which I pay 100% OOP for because prenatal care is not an insurance mandate in Texas. I am also delivering at a hospital with a level IIIc NICU.
I also note in all my responses that it is NOT about the choice to terminate or not. I have views about why i would or would not terminate a pregnancy that went right out the window when this became about twins.
That said, there is nothing I can learn through the NT scan that would not be caught by the 12 other ultrasounds I am scheduled to get during this pregnancy. Obviously some things could be missed. But as I told my Dr, unless it will change the way you manage this pregnancy, I don't want to know. I don't need to know.
And I don't think it makes me irresponsible for not wanting to "be prepared". Some women NEED that knowledge. They would break down without it. Others cannot handle the anxiety it brings. I am really neither, I just have a strong opinion about how I want to manage this pregnancy, however I always defer to my Dr for the final word, but in this case, she agrees with me.
Melle, just to be clear: my response wasn't directed to your specific situation and more to the OP's and others of that sort. I already saw your post on another board about all your monitoring--guess I should have said that, since your decisions seem perfectly reasonable to me. And ultimately, yes, these are all very personal decisions. The problem for me is simply the general thought that I myself wouldn't be able to bear going through a pregnancy thinking my baby was healthy, imagining his/her future, and then having to do an about-face -- and potentially make very complex medical decisions -- right after going through the incredibly exhausting experience of labor. I have a hard time seeing how that's in anyone's best interest, but I guess some are able to.
Mom to Ava 12.21.04 and Austin 10.22.06
BFP 12/5/11...natural m/c 12/23/11
I passed on the test as well. It is not diagnostic and didn't need another reason to worry. I discussed it with my doctor and there is much that be determined at the anatomy scan. If there is a need further testing can be done.