And how did it affect your feelings this time around as far as screening was concerned? What impact did it have on your choices?
It was strange actually because I had said - well, I fell pregnant very quickly and it wasn't actually planned - but I had said that I would have everything done, that I would have the nuchal scan - obviously I'd have that anyway - and I would have a CVS or amniocentesis. I would have that done, because I would need to know a hundred per cent. I'd also had genetic counselling at a hospital and they had said that it wasn't myself or my husband, that it was the baby that had the extra chromosome, so I knew that as well, so that was an extra bit of information.
And I was offered that as well, the genetic counselling, so we took that up, we did that. But I went for the scan, the nuchal scan, which was obviously, absolutely terrified. And I remember you do look at people and they're all excited and that, and you just, you think, “Oh, if”, you know, you don't feel the same. You don't, I was absolutely petrified, absolutely petrified. And I asked for my husband to come in this time and they said, “Yes” so he came in as well.
And they, first of all she said that she wouldn't be able to do the nuchal scan because the baby was too small, and I worked myself into a state and cried and she said, “No, okay, I'll try it”. She obviously saw that I was very distressed, so she tried and she got the measurement, and we went outside. She said, “I'll work it out for you, but it looks good, it looks okay”.
So we went outside and she told me that the measurement was 1 point something centimetres, and that the risk was extremely low, even taking into account that it's happened before and my age. And at that point I remember thinking, “I don't want anything else. I don't want the CVS. I don't need it”.
So I'd completely changed my mind, which was strange, but I was offered it, I had a consultant's appointment straight after the scan and he went through everything if I wanted to that I could have done. I could have the CVS done, I could wait till 16 weeks and have the amniocentesis. They went through everything with me. |
