The neucal screening test is very time limited. I was too late for it by 2 days. I believe it is done at 12 weeks. When they realized they had fubared the neucal test, they gave me the AFP that day. Then waited for the results that indicated that I was at elevated risk (1/100) more than my “advanced maternal age” risk. I then had an amnio and waited 2 1/2 weeks for those results. And I was still within the range of being able to abort.
It is horrible for me to think about now all the doubts we had while waiting for all those tests. I didn’t even want to find out the sex. Now that we are parents, I may or may not test for it, even though now I am 39 and automagically a higher risk than I was at 37. Since she was my first child and we were Clueless, I think it was easier back before we knew what we were getting in to. Now? We are very different people. We are parents.
Well, here’s a bit more anecdotal information: the little Torqueling is now 29 days old. My wife turns 34 this month, and I will turn 34 next month. So, we’re in that “after-30” group you wanted to know about.
My wife has a condition called McCune-Albright Syndrome, which causes quirky (at best) functioning of some body systems, including reproduction. We had been told that her chance of conceiving naturally was less than 1%. We tried in vitro, but that didn’t work. So, imagine our surprise when, on the same day we received the last document we needed to send to the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs to adopt a baby from China, she took a pregnancy test and it showed positive.
Because of our age group, and because of her MAS, she was determined to be at high risk of having a Downs baby. She’d been told that even when she was younger; “the longer you wait, the greater your chances,” said her doctor.
Anyway, I’m afraid I don’t remember exactly when it was, but I believe it was around month 4 or possibly 5 of the pregnancy, we did the triple screen, which I believe was mentioned above. Basically, it’s a blood draw test, wherein they measure different hormone levels and determine the odds that your baby is at risk for Downs. As I understand it, it also assesses the risk level for other “neural tube defects”, although what exactly those defects may be, I do not know. We were called in to discuss the results, because they were abnormal. Great. So, first they showed us a video about how wonderfully simple and low-risk amniocentesis is, and then the doctor came in and told us that rather than 1 in 250, which would be normal for our age group, the screen showed our risk as 1 in 10. That is a mighty scary number to hear.
But, we carried on. I reassured my wife that, first, the screen is just a screen, as the name implies; it doesn’t mean that the baby DEFINITELY has Downs, just that the chance is higher, so they need to look at it closer. We decided to wait on doing the amnio, because the odds were so greatly against this baby’s conception that we wanted to wait until after the age of viability, just in case something went bad. In the meantime, we made sure at every ultrasound that they looked closely at other potential Downs indicators, like the nuchal fold, femur length, brain hemispheres, the heart, all that good stuff. It was all always perfectly normal, but still, that blood test will nag at the back of your brain.
So, around week 28 or 30, we did the amnio. If you can avoid watching it, do so; that long needle freaked me out, as did the appearance of the fluid, and I never enjoy seeing my wife in pain (they don’t numb the area or anything). Anyway, we waited impatiently for the results as they grew the chromosomes in a little dish somewhere. Results: 23 pairs, no extras, so no Downs. Also, two Xs, definitely a girl, so no more telling the wife that ultrasounds sometimes overlook a penis.
Our daughter was born by C-section on April 17th, earlier than the planned date of April 30th, because the doctor was concerned that my wife was preeclamptic and becoming toxic. It’s good that they moved it up; the day after the birth, my wife weighed more than when she was pregnant! The extra weight was due to fluid retention, and her body just wouldn’t let it go; she got very scared when she went to the bathroom and her legs were so swollen that she couldn’t bend her knees enough to sit down. But, thanks to monitoring and lasix and such, she finally started giving up the fluid. I think her ankles are skinnier now than before she got pregnant. Anyway, if you want more specifics about delivery or C-sections, just say the word.
Because you’re over 30 just like us, what I’d advise is this: pay very close attention to what’s going on with her body. Swelling should not be taken lightly. If she hurts, make her tell her doctor. I had a big problem with this; my wife would think she was just a weenie, because other women hurt during pregnancy and they just suck it up. Turned out she had shingles, which was causing an inordinate amount of pain on top of the pregnancy. So, watch for that crazy stuff.
One great thing about having a baby later in life is that most folks your age have already done it. That means that, not only can you sponge baby clothes and toys and furniture off 'em, they can tell you who the best pediatrician in town is, who the best OB is, what hospital is the best for delivering the baby, advice on breast feeding, and all that kind of stuff. Which is the last bit I want to pass along: if you plan to pump breast milk, rent a medical-grade breast pump. Worth every penny.
Amen. My wife also wanted to be super woman and suck it up. Some pain and discomfort is to be expected, but lingering pain is something that should be checked up on.
I also second the medical grade breast pump should you choose to breast feed. Those ones at the baby centers suck, in a bad way
We have had two kids in the last two and a half years; my wife just turned 37. Both times we were offered the screening for Downs Syndrome but declined it, since it would not have had any impact on our decision to carry the children to term (both were healthy, btw).
I had my kids at age 37 and 40 (I feel like I’ve typed that about a dozen times in the last couple of days…there are a lot of threads going where it’s relevant!) We decided not to have the tests for the same reason. My doctor advised against the blood tests, because there are too many “false positives” (it’s not really a false posititve, because the blood tests aren’t conclusive, they just tell you more specifically what your probability is.), and that it would probably just worry me for no reason. And I didn’t want the amnio because one of my best friends was on bed rest for nearly 5 months because of complications from her amnio that caused a fluid leak.
I will say this, though…I wouldn’t necessarily recommend my course of action, even if you intend to carry through with the pregnancy. I had some very bad moments during my pregnancy (especially this last one), worrying about Downs and other chromosomal abnormalities. I think it might have been good for me to just find out, so I could prepare myself. I remember deciding that the first thing I would do when they handed me the baby was to check his hand creases (a lot of Downs babies have just one crease across the middle of the palm). When he was born, as they were suctioning out his nose, I couldn’t see him yet, but he reached a little hand up, and I could clearly see the creases! I think he was trying to help me out. Regardless of the outcome, I would have had the baby, but I think sometimes good to know in advance, just to prepare yourself.
Regardless of the outcome, I would have had the baby, but I think sometimes good to know in advance, just to prepare yourself.