Hi mamas,
I have just had a very scary experience during week 17 and i wanted to share this and my thought process with you all so to give some reassurance and hope to anyone experiencing the same.
I had my routine bloods taken last week to check for any birth abnormalities and i got the dreaded call from the midwife explaining that the results had come back high risk for spina bifida. The results should be less than 2.5 and i was 3.11. Needless to say my husband and I were distraught. Lots of thoughts go through your mind, "what did i do to cause this?" "should i have taken folic acid sooner?" "am i not eating right?". Even though the midwife explained it is a screening tool and is not a confirmed diagnosis, we should still be seen. But this didn't compute in my head and i was convinced our baby had a spinal defect. I was booked in the very next day for a scan with the consultant. That to me just confirmed that it must be a positive case of SB if a consultant is doing the scan the next day!
When we arrived we we're taken to a private waiting room, another reason to validate that it is a confirmed case, because why else would we have the special treatment right? After about a 10 second wait we we're taken in for the ultrasound. Quickest wait time ever..."mustn't keep us waiting when we have such bad news coming our way"
The consultant began and he went straight to the head and confirmed that there was no neural tube defect and that the baby was developing normally! The elation i felt is indescribable! A massive boulder had been lifted off my shoulders. I even started crying! He did a thorough check of all the organs and spine. We even got a nice clear picture to take home with us.
The consultant couldn't explain why my bloods were elevated. Some woman just have higher results as their norm. He also said that it is more common to have false positive results.
What i take from this experience, is not to listen to the automatic negative thoughts that swim around your mind making you catastrophise. Take each day as it comes, the pregnancy is a journey and it will have ups and downs, as with any road trip. Hopefully more up's than downs. So if you have the same results as me Just look for the facts that support your thoughts and any assumptions that you make just disregard them as well as you can.
Turns out the blood tests are just a screening tool and it does not mean it is a positive case of birth defects.
Being pregnant can be scary at times but i'm glad to be here along for the ride!