3rd baby but feeling so overwhelmed with worry over all the tests and odds!

kknoll59 · February 2016

This is my 3rd baby and I just turned 35. With any pregnancy there is always some level of risk but every time I go to the doctor I leave in tears over all the tests they suggest I run and all the extra risks due to my "advanced" age. On top of this, I visited the Dominican Republic in november (prior to conception) so there is the potential risk of the Zika virus. I feel like if this baby comes out healthy it will be a miracle at this point. I'm scared, but I just don't know if I need to be? Did you have the many extra tests run that they suggest you have? I don't want to ruin my last pregnancy by being so worried about everything.

emgee27 · February 2016

I firmly believe that just because I turned 35 (the bottom threshold for AMA) it didn't mean suddenly by ovaries, uterus, eggs, body, etc. decided to call it quits on all their normal biological functions. They did not throw a retirement party in there.

I chose to do the blood work for risk factors, which are done by the state I live in and after those came back normal and low risk, I passed on the MaterniT21 and Harmony tests, etc. There were no risk factors in my family history, and my husband and I are reasonably healthy people. I had the normal ultrasounds - NT scan around 14 weeks and the anatomy scan at 20 weeks and everything measured normal and I have had no abnormal symptoms in this pregnancy so far. All of my care is through my midwives group, so I felt supported in not having anything 'extra' done since the routine exams were all normal. I was in Brazil when I was 8 weeks pregnant and it was before the outbreak was announced and fully followed by the CDC so I didn't have any tests done at that time. When the news broke and I told my midwife, she said they could have done a blood test between 2 and 6 weeks after travel and maybe added more u/s but at that point, I had already had the NT and anatomy scan and everything measured normal, so I just moved on, trusting my body to do what it's meant to do.

I hope you can find some peace of mind in the fact that your body has done this before. You can have the regular bloodwork done for peace of mind and also the regular u/s will really help ease your doubts. After that, as far as amniocentesis and all the other, more-invasive tests, unless there is a need post-bloodwork to gather more information, you don't HAVE to do any of them. Keep open conversation with your doctor and ask a lot of questions! Don't be afraid to get a second opinion or change doctors if you don't feel supported.

Sporty1216 · February 2016

I think @emgee27 put it all beautifully! I was 38 with my first and am now 41, pregnant with #2. There is no way we can control all of the possible risks--and really, that's true at any age! I think the most important thing is that you work with a care provider who supports you and helps you make informed decisions about what kinds of testing are right for you! My OB never pushed me to do any testing I didn't want to do and I always really appreciated that. I'm sure she was on the lookout for risks (as she would be for any pregnancy), but she never treated me as a special AMA case. She treated me like a woman who was pregnant and helped me make the right choices for me. She's doing the same thing this time!

Hang in there and I wish you a happy and healthy 9 months!

carrieandr · February 2016

I appreciated that testing was covered because I am over 35. I wouldn't have had that luxury otherwise. I got to have peace of mind and found out at 11 weeks that we're having a girl.

lillebowski23 · February 2016

I am nearly 36 and just over 19w with my first. The amount of tests they offered were certainly overwhelming! Because this is my first, I didn't realize all the tests were extra! I had read a little about what to expect being AMA and thankfully both DH and I are reasonably healthy. I'm with @CarrieandRoy as far as everything being covered which is fantastic!
As for your Zika concerns, probably a good idea to get tested if you can, but try to be positive about being Zika-neg! We still don't know everything about the virus and unless you were bit by tons of mosquitos I don't think you have to worry. OP You didn't mention that you had mosquito bites in ur post just that there is potential for Zika, I don't want to make assumptions!

kknoll59 · February 2016

I don't actually recall being bit but I think there was a little mosquito activity at night. But honestly, I didn't even pay attention! I did read that if you conceived after getting back (it was about a month later) you should be ok. My doctor said there are no tests that can be done to determine whether or not you actually have the virus. Just have to monitor using ultrasounds.

mthoomom · February 2016

I had the harmony test only. It tests for the most common big anomalies, like trisomy 18, 21, and sex chromosome disorders. I was offered the triple screen, but since NIPT like the harmony test exist, I didn't see any reason for it. I was at very low risk for neural tube defects, and had been taking prenatals for a year before conceiving, so I decided that wasn't even worth worrying about. I was not even offered a nuchal scan, because where I live the nuchal scan and the harmony test are seen as redundant. I am 38.

I think the most important thing to consider when it comes to prenatal testing is what you would do if there were a problem. If you are going to have testing done, you need to have a plan about how you will proceed before you get the results. I think that if you don't have a plan all the testing can start to feel very out of control and overwhelming.

gemini2005 · February 2016

I'm 36 (will be 37 a month after my due date) and the only testing I had was the Harmony NIPT. Nothing is really different about this AMA pregnancy except that I will have weekly NST starting at 35 weeks. Try to be positive and not worry about the risks. Like pp said, I was glad to be AMA this time since the NIPT was covered by insurance and now I have peace of mind that everything is okay.

Glow360 · February 2016

I'm 35, I'm going to go through same tests...when you say advanced age I laughed. Did you ever see that show 70 and pregnant? That's advanced, shoot we are spring chickens in comparison. A lady from my church started her family in her 50s and has three healthy kiddos. I was 19 years old, healthy and young when I had my first child....he was born with special needs. It can happen at any age. The Zika virus would be rare, media attention makes it a bigger deal then it is.

peregrinefalconx · February 2016

I like all the extra tests, actually. You're only 35...the whole AMA thing is kind of ridiculous.

As for the Zika, try not to worry (I was just in the Caribbean myself). The only known cases of the deformation seem to be coming out of Brazil. People may have carried the virus in DR, but there don't seem to have been other connections, as far as I know. [I hat to calm down about it--now I am on to new worries!]

The anxiety could be a function of your hormones. It's a mind game, calming yourself down.

kknoll59 · February 2016

Thanks guys. I had a really nice conversation with my OB and she told me that she has a child with special needs. She was born before a lot of the testing we have now was available and said she thinks a lot about the options people have now and what she would have done. But she says that even if my baby had some issue, it's not the worst thing in the world. She says her daughter, like any of our children, has brought so much enrichment into her life and wants mom's in our position to know that it's really ok. It helped to put my mind at ease and I'm trying to just have peace about everything. Things will work out as they will and there's just nothing I can do about it.

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3rd baby but feeling so overwhelmed with worry over all the tests and odds!

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