Feling overwhelmed as scan draws closer

[Teddybear33]

Maybe I'm hugely optomistic, or a bit naive, but whilst I know the baby might not be viable it's just starting to dawn on me how unprepared I am for bad news and how little I know about the various tests etc. I just went on to the antenatal section/testing and there are a lot of very sad stories :-(

When I'm scanned and have bloods what do I need to know and what should I be asking?

What is the Harmony test? Is it private/expensive? Or NHS? What's a CVS?

Grateful for any guidance.

Decide if you want a nuchal test or not. This shows your risk of Down's syndrome and is a combination of a measurement on the scan (the nuchal fold at the back of the neck) and a blood test. The scan itself can show if you are high or low risk, and the blood test is then more accurate. Overall it takes into account your age etc in working out your risk. It can't tell you for definite though, just a probability.

I think the cvs is like an amino which is an invasive test for Down's syndrome and other trisomies. This shows with certainty if your baby is affected. You would only consider this if your nuchal test shows high risk.

The harmony is not nhs, it's a blood test (so non invasive) that gives an almost certain indication of Down's syndrome and similar conditions. Again you'd only need this if you were concerned after the nuchal test.

There's a lot of information available if you google these tests.

Try not to be too scared by some stories you hear. It is good to be aware that things might not go to plan though.

I hope it goes well. Good luck!

I don't think I asked much, except how to arrange my 16 week appointment! The scan & bloods are all fairly straightforward.

Bear in mind that people are much more likely to share the sad stories because they need support, than the millions of run of the mill 'everything was fine' stories! There's no reason why you won't have a great experience.

I think there is another test called NIFTY which can work out a bit cheaper than harmony. If this is a route you choose to follow when you get your risk results, it might be worth looking this up.

Best of luck for a fab scan and a happy baby

Thanks ladies x