Hello!
Dana/Sarjon - I didn't go away unfortunately just spent the week at home with dd because the childminder was away. Can't complain I suppose, I went to the Maldives in May and we're planning a trip to Canada in November, so I haven't done too badly this year!
Welcome Loveverona! Good Luck to you!
Homemama - that seems a sensible decision, but hope you'll still be around to catch up on all the news and rejoin those of us that are left when the time is right for you.
Lilaclotus - I more than most can completely understand your fears and they are very normal. I fell pregnant with dd straight after getting married and coming off the pill. I never really considered the possibility of miscarriage, or disability, or problems of any kind. Anyway, the farce of a birth that I had with dd resulted in her having Cerebral Palsy and when she was 2 she was also diagnosed with Williams Syndrome (a rare genetic disorder). I, like most, thought that these were the kinds of things that happen to "other people"...until I discovered that in actual fact there is no such thing and they can happen to anyone.
All that said, having a disabled child does make life more challenging, for them and for you, it's a different experience than the one you planned when you set out on the conception journey and at times it is overwhelming and devastating BUT it is not the end of the world - you cope, no matter how much you think you won't and no matter who you are, you cope. Better than that, as with raising any child, for the most part it is a fun-packed, laughter-filled, wonderful experience. Of course, I would give anything for my daughter to have been NT, but at the same time, knowing her and loving her as I do now, I wouldn't want to risk changing a thing about her, because what if taking away her disabilities took away the essence of the happy little madam that she is?!
Of course, of course, of course, I am hoping and praying that this time around we have a straight forward NT experience. I will be considering ante-natal testing because the thought of coping with 2 disabled children is overwhelming, even though I know deep down that somehow we would manage and enjoy it!
What I am trying to say, amongst all this waffle, and hopefully help you rationalise your worries, is that sometimes things do happen that you haven't planned, sometimes your life does take a different path than the one you set out on, but "different" does not have to mean "better" or "worse", just simply "different".
And it doesn't stop you wanting to set out on that journey all over again - look at me!