Due Sept 2005 - Thread 3

[franch]

here we go

forgot to post (pg brain eh!)

has anyone else refused the downs/spina bifida blood test?

i saw a different MW yesterday and she seemed a bit blunt when i told her we'd decided not to have it.

i just don't see the point as a) i'm not high risk anyway and b) it doesn't matter to me....whatever fate deals me i will accept it.

Hiya and welcome to Moschops!

We havent really discussed having the tests for downs yet but I received an anti-natal appointment last night for 29th March (I think also for for blood tests) at the hospital so we will have to read up. My instincts are to not have the tests but if you can work out the probability yourself ie. your age / history in the family etc. then I reckon I should be ok. If it depends on your blood type then I dont know mine yet. I know a little about the amnoicentesis test but wondered if anyone on MN has had it before? It sounds very risky.

Nably, don't think you can work out probability yourself, apart from background risk based on age, as DS is not inherited in any way - it's just the way the chromosomes divide when the egg grows. I got an NHS booklet with my appointment details from the hospital which explains the whole testing thing really well. I guess if I was high risk (at 37 the starting odds aren't great) and decided to do nothing about it, it would be good to be prepared. I know a friend of a friend who had a DS baby but had no preparation as didn't have tests. It was awful when she was born as people didn't know whether to congratulate her or commiserate. I think she would have preferred to prepare herself and everybody else. I think the issue of what to do when told a positive result must be a nightmare that you just have to deal with instinctively if it happens. I think (?!) that it is different if you already have other children, as you have to think of the possible burden on them in future years, but I by no means have a cut and dried opinion about what I'd do!

moschops - I don't have the tests at all. We thought about it with ds1 but reasoned that it wouldn't make any difference anyway so there was no point in having them. The midwife was quite relieved really as she said lots of people have them without thinking through the consequences properly.
I can see the point of view that it would be nice to know so that even if you decided to go ahead with the pregnancy you could be prepared for whatever may lay ahead, but I prefer to 'enjoy' (?) the 9 months and see what happens.

Hello moschops .

All my worry about telling my parents was for nothing........my mum had already guessed and was very pleased about it .

My sickness is also SO much better - haven't been sick since Monday which is so nice. I am into eating food again which is also good.

Looks like we are moving house on 11th March ie 2 weeks today . As we are in Liverpool this weekend, going to Oxford next weekend, I have no idea how moving is going to happen, but it will somehow. I think I may be in denial .

As far as tests go, we didn't have any for DS. I'm not sure yet what we'll do with this one - we aren't having the nuchal scan and the triple test would be done at 16 weeks here. i think for me already having one child makes some difference although I think we are veering towards no tests other than the 12 and 20 week scans.

When I had my booking in appointment with the midwife, I couldn't remember what tests we'd had (or not) with DS and felt rather silly .

PC sorry to 'crash' Just noticed your post and remember you said you were going camping in France at the beginning of June. Are you going to be in Chambord over the Whitsun 1/2 term? If so I am going to be there too Small World heh!!

Hi Chrunchie - when is half term week (as DS is only 15 months not sure of these things yet ).

We're going on 7th June I think (it's a Tuesday) for a week. What dates are you going there?

I'm finding it more difficult to think about things like antenatal testing the second time round.

With DD I had the triple test and did not even think about refusing tests.... mostly becasue no-one had suggested I give it any thought and I believed everyone HAD to have the tests.

Now that I have DD and live in a world that is surrounded by children, I am probably a different person now than I was then. Also, since having 2 miscarriages, I wonder if I'd ever be able to go through with an amnio and it's rick of miscarriage - however small.

I think I will probably have the triple test and hope for the best. With DD I got a really reasurring result. If I don't get a good result, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

1/2 term is the week before We come back on teh Friday 3rd, So if I remember I'll post as soon as I get home if you have any questions about the campsite

Thanks Crunchie - hope you have a great time .

Thanks for that Andif. It sure is a difficult decision. My instinct is to not worry, but it also feels a bit like sticking my head in the sand. I think ill read more about it and dh and I can talk about it over the next few weeks.

I am going to South East Asia in a couple of weeks and my dad reckons I should be worried about the bird flu....there's always something I could work myself up about. Has anyone got any advice on using insect repellent when pregnant? Im not sure whether the deet is a danger, but I have heard that pregnant women are more attractive to mossies...fantastic!

Whereabouts are you going Nably?

We are flying into Bangkok for two nights and then heading to the coast, not sure exactly where until we get to Thailand but likely to be the Koh Samui / Tao area. Its been booked for a while so we still want to do our bit for tourism there. Can't wait!

There's always something to worry about isn't there! We're off to Lanzarote for a week pre Easter as figured that sun in the summer wouldn't be up my street! (We're off to Cornwall instead, but knowing my luck they'll be a heatwave like the summer I was pg with ds2!) I'm already worrying about the flight so I think you're very brave heading to Thailand, nably!!
I wonder when we'll all stop worrying? 12 weeks? Tests? After the birth? After risk of cot death over? When they're 18? Sorry to sound so neurotic but I am a bit prone to it!!!

I know exacly what you mean andif. It was only when I saw that blue cross on the pregnancy test that it dawned on me that this is where the worry begins and why any woman can be completely over the moon about being pregnant from day one was beyond me. My Dad always used to say that worry doesnt ever go away when you are a parent (yes, I rolled my eyes to that on a number of occasions when I was coming home early hours of the morning as a teenager!)

As for the longhaul holiday, ive been to that neck of the woods quite a bit and with not having much m/s or horrible symptoms it made it an easier decision to still go...and I know what to expect when I get there (fingers crossed). AFAIK flying isnt a huge risk when pg, only if there's a danger you will give birth in the air!! so I reckon its a small price to pay for my last decent holiday for a while. It was a good excuse to pursuade dh to upgrade us though

We also booked Corfu for July but that will be a definite no-no now.

Hi all, well after my good half-day yesterday and waking all optimistic this morning, I'm feeling utterly awful again and starting to get actually quite depressed about it as I'm nearly 13 weeks and this has been going on since I was 6 weeks. Really thought it would have gone by now - I'm sure I was fine by 12 weeks last time.

Funny holidays should come up, I've been fantasising all morning about going and chilling out somewhere ..... We might manage a short break in the UK in April, but really need to save our pennies as we've been invited to the wedding of a really good friend of mine in the US in late July - yes, I'll be 33 weeks - apparently this will be OK as long as I get a letter from my GP, but goodness knows what it'll be like, especially with an 18mo in tow. Anyone else travelled late in pg? DD has been asked to be flower girl, so I'd feel awful if we missed it.

In the meantime, I'm fantasising about going to some lovely spa somewhere and being thoroughly pampered .... maybe I'll start a thread for recommendations so that I can daydream some more ....

franch, sorry you're still feeling so awful . Definitely not fair.

Some pampering sounds like just what you need .

Franch - I would book that pampering session and holiday asap if I were you...it sounds as if its just what all us mners have ordered you to do!

i found this quite a good source of basic info on screening:

\link{http://www.handbag.com/family/havingababy/b4baby_downs1/}

nably - flying in pregnancy is fine, but I'd make sure you get the aisle seat as you may be needing the loo more than the other flyers! Also it's recommended that you move around a bit as pregnant women are more prone to DVT - a small increase in risk, but thats the advice.
I flew to the US in January, so only just pregnant, and have flown in both pregnancies before. With ds1 I had to travel quite a lot with work and was flying up to 28 / 30 weeks.

Franch - 33 weeks should be fine with the doctors note but do check which airline as some still won't let you fly even with this - not many but best to check now.

As for worry - I've always been far too optimistic for my own good and really don't worry much about anything - so I'm one of those women nably!!

Thanks for the advice Zubb, ive already pre-booked my seat and the plane is seated 2-3-2 so ive bagged one of the window & aisle seats for us, I might have to get some of those rather attractive flight socks though to be on the safe side.

Glad to hear you are not the worrying type though, you would make a fortune if it could be bottled!

The issue I have found with flying is not so much with airlines but with travel insurance. I shopped around in the hope that I can go to corfu if I want to at the end of July but the most insurers will cover is up to 8 weeks before the EDC. In Europe, you are covered by an E111 form for medical treatment but it warns against getting fast treatment on the Greek Islands. I might just have to let dh go with his sons and book a pamper week in the UK for myself!

nably, I found this thread quite useful re. travel insurance

hi everyone!
i am a newcomer to mumsnet. its a brilliant site. i am 10 weeks and due on the 21 september. my husband and i are very excited. i get nausea in the evenings and its when my husand wants to chat and i just moan about how bloated and nauseous i feel. its nice to have others to chat to about all the weird things happening-nose bleeds, nausea etc. i have my nuchal scan on the 9 march and i am a bit nervous about it. anyone else having it also?

hi kamini, I always feel at my worse just as dh gets home!
I hate the nose bleeds - thats always one of the first signs I get, that and feeling faint if I stand up too quickly. Seem to get bleeding gums to after I've brushed my teeth - it's all so lovely isn't it!

Hi kamini, welcome! Make sure you add your details to the stats thread. I've had my nuchal and so have a few others - the chat about this may be on thread 2.

Welcome kamini and congratulations. I had my nuchal scan last week and all was well, but I know that others have decided not to have tests. I just couldn't resist seeing baby and also personally would like some advance warning of potential difficulties, but its a very personal decision really.