amniocentesis

[Melly]

Hello everyone, hoping that some of you might be able to offer some advice or share your experiences on amnio. I am due to have one tomorrow and will be 16 and a bit weeks. I had an amnio when I was expecting my dd and thankfully all was well. This time round I seem to be even more scared, even though I know what to expect etc. Apart from the obvious worrying about the result, the thing that is worrying me is coping with my dd after the procedure. I've made arrangements for her to stay with relatives tomorrow and over night and will collect her on Friday pm which should give me a good chance to rest as they advise you to do. I'm wondering how long you are at risk after the procedure? DD is toddling now but still has to be picked up, carried up the stairs, lifted into her cot etc etc. Is there anything else I can do to minimise the risks? I am also getting myself into a complete state worrying about the result, which I know I have no control over, I was 37 when I conceived and am 38 now. Would be really grateful to hear from anyone.

Melly, not sure how to advise you re: risks. but spookily I too am having an amnio tomorrow, am 17 weeks pg, had an amnio with my dd (which was fine), and I'm 37...weird stuff. I have a friend's wedding to go to up north this weekend and I'm worrying about how tiring the travelling will be. my dd is 28 mths so there's less picking up but she still loves her cuddles. I'm interested in why are you having an amnio, mine is because of a 1 in 30 risk of the baby having Edwards syndrome, which showed up on a Barts blood test. best of luck. ps where do you live?

Hi Bundle & Sobernow. Thanks for your support. Yes Bundle, that is a coincidence isn't it, I sincerely hope everything goes well for you and I will be thinking of you tomorrow morning. My dh and I decided last time that we wanted an amnio (I was 36 at the time) after the midwife had explained the various blood tests etc. For us, we felt we wanted to proceed straight to amnio without having the blood tests, as we knew we wouldn't be reassured with these blood tests alone. We both know that amnio, whilst detecting certain syndromes, doesn't guarantee that you will have a healthy baby, but after weighing up all the pros and cons, we felt that we needed to have the information. This time round we feel the same and even more so, as we have dd to consider. With dd we were told about Amnio PCR which you pay for and gives the results in a few days and we are going for this option again. We live in Devon. I think the decision is always a tough one and especially so if you have had problems earlier on in the pregnancy, (I had continual heavy spotting from 6 - 12 weeks), so putting yourself at risk, albeit very small, of having a miscarriage is hard. I haven't dared to surf around on the subject as I am sure I will end up scaring myself. Will just have to wear my lucky earrings, follow every bit of advice given and pray for a good outcome

I had 2 amnios at ages 36 and 41 and I know what you mean, melly, about dreading the result more the second time around. Having experienced motherhood, the idea of losing a baby through me choosing an anmio test really got to me.

I think the hospital advised me to take two days to physically recover. You have probably been given some fact sheets with information like this? However, if I were you, I would definitely ask again once the amnio has been completed - and do it face to face, so the consultant can talk to you as an individual.

I didn't have the problem of lifting a toddler, because my first son was 5 years old. I felt fine after the amnio, but think it's a good idea to have time away from your toddler initially. If you're with them, it would be difficult to avoid all lifting and cuddling, especially if they get themselves in danger. Any way of extending that time by another day? Alternatively, could you just stay in bed for a day if your partner can take over?

Hope all goes well for you and for bundle.

melly
you sound very sensible! IKWYM about the blood tests confusing the situation. because my main fear is Edwards syndrome, the consultant may be able to pick up any of the possible abnormalities on the scan and I suppose then the amnio would just confirm things. Must stay positive though! I've just remembered the wedding is on Sunday, so I don't have to charge up north on Friday, and dh can share the driving which is a relief. I'm in London and I don't have to pay for the PCR, or at least it wasn't mentioned last time. best of luck melly

Tigermoth, yes the plan is that after the amnio tomorrow I will put myself to bed for the day and stay there until Friday lunchtime......bliss!!! Just hope dh gets portable TV working in time! Dh will pick up dd Friday mid afternoon and will be there to do all lifting and carrying etc for the whole weekend, so I'm hoping this will minimise the risks. Don't know about you Bundle, but I am a nervous wreck, have spent most of today going over and over things, sort of viewing myself as a race horse with three big hurdles to get over, the test itself (dh's hand will be under huge pressure!), the risk of miscarriage and then getting the result. Wish I could fast forward a bit to next week!

I had an amnio when expecting my fourth at 41. It was done in the morning and then I set off on a 1000 mile round car trip for the weekend after the hospital okayed it. When I mentioned it to a doctor friend she nearly passed out and said I should have rested for between 24/48 hrs. However, nothing untoward happened and the result was fine, too. Good luck both of you, it's a difficult time.

fastforward is exactly how I feel. hadn't thought about the telly - I'll get dh to move ours from the kitchen
I hadn't really thought about Friday (I work Mon-Weds) because I was thinking in terms of "rest" for a day..but I could get dh to work from home possibly. I had my panic day yesterday (worst case scenario including all-out nuclear war!) and am feeling quite calm today. probably be a wreck by the morning...

Melly, have not had an amnio myself, but read somewhere that it can help to reduce miscarriage risk if you ensure the amnio is done under continuous ultrasound - and that the area on your abdomen where the amnio will be done is swabbed beforehand (I guess to minimise the chance of any skin-borne bacteria entering via the needle). I am sure that most units where amnio is a regular procedure do both nowadays as routine.
Fingers crossed for you and for Bundle tomorrow and hoping that both your results are good. Glad you are both planning to take it easy afterwards.

thanks Marina, my last one was with continuous ultrasound and I definitely remember a wipe! we even got bonus photos last time

I had an amnio with my last pregnancy. It was fine, felt a little 'odd', but no pain. I took in headphones and a portable CD to play to calm me down in the procedure. We also paid extra to have the early result, which was a huge relief. Take things easy the next day. I hope that things will go well, and am keeping my fingers crossed.

"We also paid extra to have the early result"- blimey, that makes me fume!!! Surely if its possible to get a result out early, they should bl**dy well do it, not charge you extra for the privelege! Similarly, if no-one was allowed to jump the queue, then everyone would get their results a little earlier.

Sorry, hmb, I wasn't meaning to imply that you jumped the queue maliciciously, and put in your position, I would probably do the same, but I do hate it when I see the health service trying to profit from people's misery- who wouldn't want an early result? I bet that idea was dreamed up by some NHS manager who did their basic training in Tesco's or somewhere similar. BTW, I work in the NHS, and am constantly irritated by the management (said with a "Hale and Pace" accent!).

well said, Tissy. It's not the psychological trauma of waiting. If - like me - a bad result means that you'd opt for a termination then the earlier that can happen, the better.

Haven't had an amnio but if I get pregnant again might end up having to - I'm 36. Melly and bundle, good luck both of you for tomorrow. Agree that the health service should provide results fast for no extra money...

Tissy,
I agree that it should be available for all. However it isn't. Also the hospital I went to doesn't offer it , and my sample had to be sent by courear (sp?) to London to get the test done, and we paid extra for that as well. I didn't jump any queues, and waiting the extra days would have driven me out of my mind, and helped no-one. The system that gets the result quicker is a different technique (PCA rather than tissue culture IIRC), and my taking it didn't push anyone else further down the list. It doesn't give you the full results, for those you still have to wait the standard 2 weeks.

I also had to go private to get treatment for an infertility problem that was caused by a cock up made by the NHS. I went to a private hospital, and hated to do it, but I couldn't cope with waiting the 2 years that NHS treatment would have taken. I was already 32 and didn't feel that I had the time to waste. Lest anyone berate me for putting my life before having a baby, I didn't. We had to wait because my Husband had been diagnosed with cancer. And that was to clear up a blunder the NHS made.

The payment for the Amnio was IIRC 200ukp. It stinks that you have to do it that way, but for me it was worth it. And I would do it again.

Sorry Melly, I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I do hope that things go well for you tomorrow. I also had a little one to look after the amnio, but they can be helpful when you least expect it. Take care.

hmb where do you live?

Lincoln

gosh, I thought you were going to say Outer Hebrides. glad I live in London to have the luxury of speedy test results.

I think that we almost count as the Frozen Wastes up here! Just a joke, I do like the place. This all happened 3 years ago so things migh have moved on a little by now.

hmb, I've been once to Lincoln. Seem to remember nasty shopping centre, nice cathedral, lots of steep streets.

Yes, that is about it. The top end of town is very nice, and quite posh. The castle is there and they have a copy of the Magna carta which is worth a look. The bottom end of town is not so nice, and has the sort of modern shopping centre that could be anywhere in the UK.

Ok, so I sort of got the wrong end of the stick! I really didn't mean to appear judgemental . It seemed from your post that your hospital was offering early results at extra cost, and in my mind that would have been immoral. I wasn't aware that there are different ways of analysing the results of an amnio, but consider me well and truly told!

Good luck for tomorrow, both of you. I know exactly how you are feeling as I did it all last year.
When we got into the room it wasn't my consultant-which just sent me ballistic. Luckily the replacement was very nice and managed to locate him to do it in the end- just a mix up. The whole point being that this was his specialty and one of the reasons I chose him- he is the Clinical Director of the hospital. Infact, if you watch baby ER later on, he is one of the 'stars'- Alan Mathers- brilliant guy!
Take as much rest as you can- I told work I would not be in for the rest of the week- I stayed off till I got my 3 day result as I knew that until that came through I was a nervous wreck.

Thinking of you both tomorrow. I had an amnio last year, dd now 8 months old. An early scan/blood test had brought up a higher than expected chance. The consultant who performed the amnio (whose photo is on the amnio page in one of the Dorling Kindersley books), was great. He said that it was obvious from the scan that everything was ok and that we shouldn't have been so silly as to have had an amnio. Although that sounds harsh, at the time when we had to wait a week or whatever for the results his comments were actually reassuring. I was told to rest for 24 hours, so I came home, went straight to bed and stayed there until the next morning.
Fingers and everything else crossed for you