Today Kurt and I visited a maternal-fetal specialist for our 1st Trimester Genetic Screen, or Nuchal Translucency (NT) Scan. I'm a little blown away because this is a whole new set of tests for genetic abnormalities that were not widely available - and certainly not to me - as recently as my pregnancy with Emma. The screen combines a maternal blood test, ultrasound of the nuchal fold (space behind the baby's neck), and the mother's age and genetic history to identify risk levels of certain genetic abnormalities. It can identify 85% of babies with specific chromosomal issues, which is much higher that other non-invasive tests that have been available in the past.
Since I will be 36 at the time of delivery I am considered to be of an "advanced maternal age," a term I've loathed since I first heard it. Yet the reality is that our risk of having a baby with some type of chromosomal issue has nearly doubled as I've aged since I was pregnant with Emma. Although that's still a risk of less than 1% (odds of "winning" I'd certainly like to take with me to Vegas!), we're people that are all about having as much information as safely possible, so we opted for the screening.
The ultrasound showed nothing abnormal, which is perfect as far as I'm concerned. So now we wait just a few days for the rest of the results. Overall, I think we're feeling relieved so far - a certain level of peace of mind is all a parent can really ask for.
In spite of the seriousness of the screen, it was fun seeing Number Two up close and personal on the ultrasound. I couldn't believe how only 4 weeks after the first ultrasound how much Number Two has come to look like a "real" baby! He/she is an active little one, jumping and rolling all over the place in there! And Emma was excited to see the "pictures of the baby in Mama's tummy" again when we got home.
0 comments:
Post a Comment