I am getting the screenings done...while it will not change how i feel about my baby it can help me prepare if i need to. 

We did the screenings for both kids. The argument that "we wouldn't do anything different" holds no weight. Of course you would. If your child had a genetic disorder that might require specialists at the birth, you would make that happen. People on here will come in and say "but we'd love our baby no matter what and we wouldn't terminate" but that's not necessarily what's on the table.

For us, we wanted the information to be prepared. It's not all about termination.

We are doing it. Our first pregnancy, they descovered that our baby had no brain or brain stem. I am going tomorrow to get this baby's brain measured due to the fear. Plus we get to see lo!

Here's what me and husband decided.

For us at least, it would be a bit expensive.

We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy.

And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us.

For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test:
If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need.
If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

somerandomchick:

Here's what me and husband decided. For us at least, it would be a bit expensive. We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy. And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us. For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test: If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need. If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

 

Termination would only be a possibility if the baby would not live past birth. I do have a friend who did this and it was a very hard and scary decision.  While I am not high risk, I still would like to know how the baby is. The possibility of a baby with any defects would not change my love but it would change the approach of the birth and what would happen from there. I was mainly just curious on how many people do it. And thoughts on it. Thanks :)

somerandomchick:

Here's what me and husband decided. For us at least, it would be a bit expensive. We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy. And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us. For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test: If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need. If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

::head desk::

erbear:

We did the screenings for both kids. The argument that "we wouldn't do anything different" holds no weight. Of course you would. If your child had a genetic disorder that might require specialists at the birth, you would make that happen. People on here will come in and say "but we'd love our baby no matter what and we wouldn't terminate" but that's not necessarily what's on the table.

For us, we wanted the information to be prepared. It's not all about termination.

This.   

Bliss+Berry:

erbear:

We did the screenings for both kids. The argument that "we wouldn't do anything different" holds no weight. Of course you would. If your child had a genetic disorder that might require specialists at the birth, you would make that happen. People on here will come in and say "but we'd love our baby no matter what and we wouldn't terminate" but that's not necessarily what's on the table.

For us, we wanted the information to be prepared. It's not all about termination.

This.

Tritto.

I did. I just wanted to know what was going on in there. God forbid something was wrong id like to be prepared for a child with special needs.
Results came back normal.

erbear:

somerandomchick:

Here's what me and husband decided.

For us at least, it would be a bit expensive.

We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy.

And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us.

For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test:
If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need.
If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

::head desk::

The tests are expensive, and we're not made of money. We have a pretty high deductible and probably won't meet it this year, definitely will next year with delivery and all that. So spending hundreds of dollars to find out a1 in 1500 chance of Down syndrome isn't worth the cost.

I could go to the Dr and ask them to check me for all sorts of diseases and waste tons of money if I felt like it.

The risk is very low, and I don't think anything terrible is likely to happen if we have to call for a specialist instead of having one ready already. I'll be at a big hospital that's part of a big system if hospitals in a big city.

somerandomchick:

erbear:

somerandomchick:

Here's what me and husband decided. For us at least, it would be a bit expensive. We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy. And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us. For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test: If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need. If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

::head desk::

The tests are expensive, and we're not made of money. We have a pretty high deductible and probably won't meet it this year, definitely will next year with delivery and all that. So spending hundreds of dollars to find out a1 in 1500 chance of Down syndrome isn't worth the cost. I could go to the Dr and ask them to check me for all sorts of diseases and waste tons of money if I felt like it. The risk is very low, and I don't think anything terrible is likely to happen if we have to call for a specialist instead of having one ready already. I'll be at a big hospital that's part of a big system if hospitals in a big city.

Your response has absolutely nothing to do with the bolded line. 

Cory, the nuchal test and blood screening is non-invasive and there is virtually zero risk to you or your baby. You may feel differently about CVS or amnio which both carry miscarriage risks. 

erbear:

We did the screenings for both kids. The argument that "we wouldn't do anything different" holds no weight. Of course you would. If your child had a genetic disorder that might require specialists at the birth, you would make that happen. People on here will come in and say "but we'd love our baby no matter what and we wouldn't terminate" but that's not necessarily what's on the table.

For us, we wanted the information to be prepared. It's not all about termination.

Couldn't agree more.

My friend and her husband had no family history of genetic disorders and were in their 20s when their first trimester screening came back with elevated odds. They chose further testing and it was confirmed that their son had Down Syndrome. It absolutely changed everything. The results allowed them to meet with specialists, join a support group, and transfer to a hospital with a pediatric cardiologist since ultrasounds revealed he had a congenital heart defect that would require monitoring and surgery. Two years later, both will tell you they couldn't even imagine how difficult that time would've been if they had no indication of what was in store for their family.

We didn't do them with either pregnancy because even if something came back positive, we certainly would not terminate.....so we decided it wasn't worth the stress and worry. I also thought a false positive would cause undue stress.

I was completely against screening but now that I read all of you I realize that sometimes it may help because you can prepare better. I will personally not do it, also we are very young and have no family history. However, nobody is clear from having a Down's child.

I will not do it because I freak our very easily and am a really nervous person. Good thing, we like in Holland, and all medical care is completely covered by our insurance (that is not optional to have), so even if my baby would need special medical attention, I am confident that we would find it right away after birth. I prefer to have a calm pregnancy and worry about the problems if they come, when they come.

If I were a strong woman that can handle a lot of stress I would definitely do the screening, but I prefer my peace of mind as there's nothing to change before baby is born and abortion is not an option. 

SkyBee:

We didn't do them with either pregnancy because even if something came back positive, we certainly would not terminate.....so we decided it wasn't worth the stress and worry. I also thought a false positive would cause undue stress.

FWIW, the results are not positive/negative.  They are odds (i.e. 1/300, 1/2500, etc.) so you wouldn't get a "false positive." 

I never understood why people opted not to have the screening done? It's an amazing thing to have the power of knowledge when it comes to your baby. It doesn't mean you need to terminate the pregnancy if something is wrong. But if it means the difference of having the specialist your baby needs at birth or not, it's worth knowing! You would want to know the health of your born baby or why not your unborn one?

erbear:

We did the screenings for both kids. The argument that "we wouldn't do anything different" holds no weight. Of course you would. If your child had a genetic disorder that might require specialists at the birth, you would make that happen. People on here will come in and say "but we'd love our baby no matter what and we wouldn't terminate" but that's not necessarily what's on the table.

For us, we wanted the information to be prepared. It's not all about termination.

100% this.  I always hate the "we wouldn't do anything differently" because people are implying they wouldn't terminate, which is fine, but that's not necessarily the question.   

ETA:  Also, people should do some research.  This test screens for more than Down Syndrome but for some reason that's the thing everyone focuses on (hell, my own doctor did not mention that it tests for the trisomies, which come with far great medical complications that DS).

I have had the 1st tri screening, the first part of the bloodwork and the NT scan. I do not have any genetic defects that run in my family but I still felt that it was necessary to get it done just in case there was a problem. I would definitely get it done for each of my own pregnancies. Plus, you get to see your baby before 20 weeks.

coryjanine:

I live in California and the state offers prenatal screenings for genetic defects. I am very undecided on what to do. Neither of our families have any genetics defects or anything that really concerns us. And we haven't told anyone I'm pregnant so I can't ask my friends or mom. I need some insight. Have any of you had the screening? Did you feel it necessary? Would you do it again? And even if we found something wrong, it would not change how I feel about my little one.

  Help! 

You don't need a family history of anything to have an issue.

Having screening doesn't mean you don't love your baby. It could save your baby's life depending on what they found. Sometimes what they find can be helped in some way if they find it before birth.

I would do the screenings. I have and I did this time as well.

I had the screening done with my first pregnancy and will have it done with this one, as well.  I would also pursue further testing (CVS or amnio) if my results were concerning. This testing checks for Trisomy 18, Trisomy 21 (Down's) and spinal defects (such as spina bifida).

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but as someone in the medical field who has seen devastating birth defects that could have been detected prenatally, I would absolutely terminate if certain problems were found.

I had the screening done for both my pregnancies.  Thankfully, our insurance covered it so we really didn't see a reason not to.  Like some of the the other posters mentioned, having it done had nothing to do with termination.  If an issue was detected, we needed time to assemble resources, as well as mentally prepare for the diagnosis before LO arrived.

erbear:

We did the screenings for both kids. The argument that "we wouldn't do anything different" holds no weight. Of course you would. If your child had a genetic disorder that might require specialists at the birth, you would make that happen. People on here will come in and say "but we'd love our baby no matter what and we wouldn't terminate" but that's not necessarily what's on the table.

For us, we wanted the information to be prepared. It's not all about termination.

This.

My first pregnancy it wasn't standard to have a screening and they jumped right to "Hey can I stab you in the belly with a really long needle? (Amnio)" without offering a screening first - I said no.

With DS2 I jumped on it because it was non-invasive and knowledge is power, though keep in mind it really is just a screening and is not diagnostic, so if you decide to go ahead with it there is a chance you could be given a higher risk for a genetic abnormality even if there is nothing there (this happened to me with DS2). It's a guess that is meant to set apart the people who obviously have nothing to prepare for, from those who might be of higher risk and should consider further testing to be certain.

somerandomchick:

Here's what me and husband decided. For us at least, it would be a bit expensive. We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy. And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us. For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test: If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need. If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

All of these applied to me - I was 23 when I got pregnant with DS2 and 24 when I had him. DH was 25. No prior family history. We were in a low risk category from the start. -- I had the screening done anyway and was given odds of 1:13 for DS2 to have Down's Syndrome. This is high risk! (anything 1:150 or less is high) Never would I have dreamed of this, and luckily DS2 was one of the 12:13 not to be affected, but what if?...

I couldn't even imagine not knowing at all and not being prepared if he did turn out to have Down's Syndrome. Now, odds are better I would have at least seen something at my A/S, but these things can be missed so easily (chances aren't high but that it happens at all is enough) and I needed to know 100% so we could prepare. Down's Syndrome brings a higher risk of heart defects (among other health problems), and there IS a history of heart problems from both my mom and my dad's side, so I couldn't risk not knowing.

It IS a very personal decision, and you do whatever works for your own family and your own situation, but this is why I chose to do what I did.

I didn't do the screening when I was pregnant with my daughter. For lots of reasons I won't go into. Then at our 20 week A/S she had a few markers for downs. We did additional testing at that time and she was fine. It was a few days of thinking, ok how do we prepare for this. What specialists will we need? How will this affect her physically? Surgeries? Occupational and physical therapy? What hospital do we deliver at? Where is the best NICU in the area?

Like others said it's not just about whether you will terminate. It's about being prepared to give your special needs child (if you have one) the best medical care available when he or she is born.

I will be doing the screening the day after Christmas this year.

somerandomchick:

Here's what me and husband decided. For us at least, it would be a bit expensive. We're not very high risk I'm 23, my husband is 26. We have no factors especially increasing our risk. I've been taking folic acid since August so the risk of NT defects is less than an unplanned pregnancy. And the thing that really decided me against screening was thinking about what I would do with the info, if I would terminate. We seriously considered it, my husband was for that option because we feel overwhelmed at the idea of a Downs child. It's a scary thought. But, the idea of getting an abortion... I looked up the kinds of abortion and what would happen on Planned Parenthood. It would by then be too late for a medication abortion, and the process of a vacuum abortion just seemed too overwhelming. I decided I didn't want to terminate, so there was no point in screening, for us. For your situation, it sounds like you've decided you definitely don't want to terminate. So, reasons you might want to test: If you're in a high risk or very high risk group, or you're older or whatever other risk factors there are. If something is found, that may help your OB provide extra special treatment you might need. If its free or very inexpensive, also a good reason. The info may help your dr help you, and if it doesn't cost much you might as well IMO.

My friend's third child had spinal bifida.  She took folic acid and it was not an unplanned pg . .he is a happy 3 year old boy, but she delivered at a children's hospital, so that they can better take care of the child after birth and all his doctors were at the children's hospital.   

I am not doing the screening my hubby and I do not have any genetic defects . my DD was a healthy baby so skipping the second time as well even though Im 5 years older.  

kkee08:

I am not doing the screening my hubby and I do not have any genetic defects . my DD was a healthy baby so skipping the second time as well even though Im 5 years older.  

I hope you realize how ignorant this answer is. Just because you and your husband don't have any genetic issues (that you know of) doesn't mean the baby won't or can't. There are many issues that you could be a carrier for and many thing that develop without being inherited (such as Down's).

Just because your first child was healthy, it's not a free pass to a healthy child this time around. Testing is certainly your choice, but please educate yourself before you make this decision.

I did not have it with my son 4 yrs ago. Like pps have stated, I was young (24) not a high risk, and since it was not covered by insurance it was an easy decision. 

 For this one, we did opt for it, because it was covered. If it wasn't covered, I wouldn't have had it.  I really don't understand why people are getting so worked up about.