Hello everyone. I joined forever ago but have been so nervous about this pregnancy not working out (miscarried last cycle) that I've almost been in denial that I am actually pregnant, despite the fact that I've felt AWFUL. Well, I'm now officially 13 weeks, still feeling reassuringly sick and hopefully here to stay! I'll have to catch up with the gazillion posts below but look forward to checking in with you all regularly.
Beccabump, I couldn't help but notice your post as I've just had a scan nightmare and wish I hadn't put myself through the whole ordeal in the first place. Like you, I knew that i would keep the baby regardless but I felt that I would like some idea as to what to expect just so that I could be prepared.
My hospital offer the combined nuchal scan and blood test (only offered scan with my two previous DCs). I agreed to both without much thought and went in for my scan on Thursday. The scan seemed fine but I was surprised that I was not given any information at all there and then (in my previous pregnancies, the results had been disclosed to me by the sonographer during the scan). I was simply told at the end, "I'll bring your report out to the waiting room. Just hand it in to reception, then wait to be called for your blood test."
The report was duly brought out to me in the cattle market that is the maternity waiting room. I had a look through and saw that my baby's nuchal measurement was plotted on a graph as above the 95th centile. I'm no medical professional but it was clear that this was not a great result. So, with no one to talk to, I held in my tears and stood in line for reception to hand this in, thinking that I'd be able to talk this over with my midwife when she took my blood. Half an hour later, I was called for my blood test, not with a midwife, but with a nursing assistant and was told that I'd recieve my combined results via post or by phone in the next couple of days if problematic. Too stunned and disorientated to argue, I left in tears. I'd been prepared for an answer of some kind, positive or negative, but having just some information and no counselling/advice whatsoever was awful. I spent all night googling the result that I'd seen (though, unhelpfully, I hadn't noted the mm measurement) and poring over statistics.
Yesterday morning I knew that I couldn't spend the weekend not knowing and booked in for a scan at the Fetal Medicine Centre that day. My blood was taken and analysed there and then and the doctor who did my scan was fantastic. The nuchal measurement was highish (2.7 mm), giving a 1/93 chance of chromosomal abnormalities, my blood took this down to 1/8000ish. So, 24 hours and £150 later (the best I've ever spent), I had an answer (I also know what I'm having!).
I think one benefit of having the tests Becca, would be that if, as with mine, your nuchal measurement is high, because this can be a marker for heart defects (not necessarily related to chromosomal abnormalities), this will be flagged for your 20 week scan. Extra special attention would then be paid to the heart structures in order to pick up any problems before birth but perhaps you could argue that this level of attention would be expected anyway. I dunno. This whole scan palaver has been more trouble than it was worth for me.
Sorry! Ridiculously long and probably not very interesting to you lot but grrr! had to get the events of the last couple of days off my chest...