Marking my space amongst the fellow batsh*t crazies!
Sorry to hear you're feeling crappy kat. Good news liesl and omri.
Can I get a straw poll on testing, please, unless this question would be too weird for you ((saggy)), given you're right in the thick of it at the moment. DH and I think we won't test (me 35, standard risk of any abnormalities 1 in 240, of Down's Syndrome 1 in 380). We didn't with my first (I was a total foetus in age, so didn't), and turned it down with DS. We got a bit of pressure from the old hospital so we changed to a different one (all this guff about 'oh, but the range of disability can vary, it can be really difficult'). We said it would make no odds to our decision, so there was no need for us to know (whilst utterly supporting every woman's choice re this with no judgement in any direction from us).
This time, I'm a bit older. I've worked with children with LD in the past (not a great deal), DH works a lot with children with LD, so we have a good idea of what the harder end looks like (because the folks with no problems don't bring their problems to us, IYSWIM). We just don't know. We wouldn't be doing headstands going 'yay' if we knew the baby had a genetic disability, but it doesn't feel strong enough to want to risk mc after an amnio (which I get the real willies about). As I wouldn't want the amnio, should I not have the bloods (due end of next week/start of week after)? I think it might make me worry, but then it might help me accommodate ready for the child we'll make space for.
Getting lots of pressure at the booking appt and my first 'own allocated' midwife appt about deciding - told both I don't have a fricking clue. Midwife 1 tells me that I should be deciding based on what my existing children would do when I'm dead, as the burden will be on them. This was exactly the problem focused attitude of the midwife at my DD's booking in that made me want to bite people. That isn't a reasoned space for me to explore my feelings, that's the midwife's own decision if it were her decision (which it's NOT - raaah!).
Sorry for the total saga. And so terribly sorry if this is not okay for you at the moment, saggy, if so just pop a line on, and I'll ask no more.