Pumpkin - don't worry about being a newbie - I never did yoga before, just tell the teacher and you'll be fine. The moves aren't incredibly difficult at prenatal so you'll be totally able to handle it!

Anonymous wrote:LJ
I am so sorry! I can't even imagine the stress and anxiety you are feeling.

Thank you to whomever gave me the scoop on MCA, that is good to know. Do you know if Terri (from Fredrick) will still be delivering? She delivered my DD. I am glad that the new midwife is experienced. When I had my DD it was when two new midwives were starting Dusty and ??? it was a very difficult time for MCA with the transition and my wait times at appointments were awful. However, I loved the prenatal care I got.

I went for a measurement scan today (because I am now 35) and everything was good. My clothes don't fit and I know my bump is there, but I think because I am overweight to begin with, it is hard to tell I am pregnant. I love maternity clothes but they are too big in the crotch and I feel like a sausage in my regular clothes. I can't wait until the bump is past the "has she gained more weight?" phase.

The Memorial Day get together sounds fun but I will be in CA for my best friend's wedding. Without my 2 year old DD and husband (it is too expensive) and I always get anxious traveling without them.

Hope you are all feeling well.

-Sleepy (finally a little less sleepy)

PS
We are going to be suprised about the gender

Sleepy, pumpkin here again. We are also planning to be surprised about BB2's sex. We didn't find out with my first though I was so sure it was a boy (and was right - though as I say there's always this 50/50 chance of being right...). anyway, we are doing the same, and I have to admit that DH definitely wants to be surprised and this time, I find myself defecting from Camp Surprise just a little bit....part of me wants to tell Greg the ultrasound tech at MFA to give me a smoke signal or something to indicate boy or girl! And then I can just "know" again. Except this time I'll be cheating my face off! (Is that bad?) ha ha. It's just driving me a bit crazy that i had such a strong feeling the first time and this time...nada.

Pumpin here - blowin' up this thread lately! LJ, I just wanted to say, I don't think there is anything naive at all about not researching this more.

When I was pregnant with my first, my first OB (the one I went to for pregnancy confirmation but didn't return) presented all of the tests as standard, like the GD test or blood draws. He just said: "you'll see me every 4 weeks during the first trimester, at 12 weeks you'll need to schedule X, and at 15 weeks, Y..." etc. I barely realized I could opt out. I left his care for another reason but my second OB made a much more careful explanation of all of the tests and presented them much differently, like "there are a number of genetic screening tests available to you if you are interested in taking them, and we should talk a little bit about what each test covers and what the results might mean if you decide you are interested..." He was not discouraging at all, in fact he urged me to at least meet with the genetic counselor to discuss the pros and cons, but ultimately it was 100 percent different presentation from the first doc. I think it's great, when pregnant, to do a ton of research for yourself but at the same time, the burden should not be solely on a woman of any age to sit there and do independent medical research for every test that comes along; instead our providers should explain them well and make an effort to help us understand. Rant over...! But I think you have to just take this in stride. Given the 1. inordinate high false positive rates of this test 2. uncertainty of "elevated" risk anyway and 3. near certainty that they're using an inaccurate gestational age, then you should probably feel pretty confident that your results are just about meaningless. I'm a born worrier, but I would probably NOT be worried (given all of that), in your shoes. I know you don't really know me in person, but if you knew what a worrier I am, you'd see that as the reassuring statement I mean it to be!

Last thing: pretty sure that M21 is covered by insurance for anyone at higher risk for a chromosomal abnormality, and your test result would put you in that covered category. That said, I can see where your DH is coming from. Maybe you could call back the genetic counselor and make sure they know that your due date is questionable at best and see if she can reevaluate the numbers based on new info?

To everyone else: There is a prenatal yoga in my neighborhood (Brookland) on Tuesday nights. I'm thinking of signing up although I think I've mentioned I've never actually done yoga before . Anyone up for joining? I could link to the info.

Oh, LJ...I'm so sorry you are stressed about this - probably unnecessarily. It's awful that they messed up the results then gave you possibly wrong/awful news anyway!

I'm hopeful that things will be OK - statistics are weird, and still in favor of everything being completely fine!

If it were me, I'd want to know simply for planning purposes if it weren't going to change my decision on keeping the pregnancy. Planning for educational/childcare/financial issues are huge for me. And, the earlier I could find support (a group of people going through the same thing or whatnot) and the more I could learn, the more in control I could feel.

But I'm super anal retentive

Monday - Memorial Day? LPQ in Dupont? It's by the red line which could be helpful to people?

Poppy - thanks for the support. I am definitely kind of annoyed about the incorrect coding on the test order. So avoidable! The doctor mentioned one of the cell-free tests and said that it may not be covered by insurance. I am open to trying it but my husband is starting to feel like we should just stop with the testing as we both agree that we will not abort because of DS.

Thanks sleepy - glad to hear you are less sleepy! I am still a little sleepy myself haha

Pumpkin - Thanks so much for your post. I do appreciate it. I was definitely googling up a storm tonight and came across that information regarding due dates and inaccuracies in the testing. I had mentioned to my husband that if I knew of that issue, I would have never elected to get the test done in the first place, as I have felt all along that my due date they have is inaccurate. Initially I told them my LMP was 12/27 which yields a 10/3 due date. Then I told them later that I thought my LPM was actually 12/30, which would mean like 10/6. The baby always measured along the 10/3 due date or within a day or two, but for some reason one week they decided to set my due date as 10/10, just to have a standing point of reference. I have also always had an extremely irregular cycle so overall I really do not think the 10/10 date is accurate. I am kind of annoyed that I didn't know earlier how much that could affect the test results.

I did also look at a chart by age earlier and did note that the risk at 40 is one in 100. I was telling my husband that I find it very frustrating because all of the sudden I am told it is this risk and anything less than 1/250 is considered high-risk, but really we are still talking very small chances, even if the test is accurate. Overall if I had it to do again, I would not do the testing. I don't feel like the doctors explained the problems with the test well and I was naive enough not to really research it fully on my own. Being only 28, I really did not expect to get these kinds of results so I didn't spend a lot of time looking into them. I failed to think about how much stress this could cause!

I am actually a sped teacher and have cared for children with down syndrome. In some ways I realize it can be okay, but I also know some of the very real risks an then refreshed my memory today with some time on the internet.

Really what we have been worried about is autism as my brother-in-law has a preschooler with autism and there are not-well-understood genetic components to autism. This just feels like a whole new area to worry about.

I do plan to follow up with the genetic counselor with questions about the due date issue. Overall I think we will stop testing after this re-test. i just don't see how it will be helpful.

Thank you though for your kind words, it is helpful after a stressful day!

BTW, sleepy, so glad you are less sleepy! I hope you enjoy your trip even without your husband / child.

Ay yi yi pumpkin again - another link. This one from an expert noting the "inordinately" high level of false positives. I just read elsewhere that it is NOT 5 percent, but rather that's the accuracy of all the screenings combined - and it sounds like this is the only one you've had, and it is the highest false positive one.

http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/prenatal-care/false-positives_71408

LJ, sorry, Pumpkin here again, still worried that somehow I was super clumsy with what I wrote.... But more on the false positives and I think this is the specific page that talks about the gestational age thing:

http://www.babycenter.com/400_abnormal-quad-screen_1975454_949.bc?startIndex=20&sortFieldName=

LJ,

Weren't you very unsure about your exact dates? I am sure you've googled the hell out of quad screen accuracy and have already seen that any confusing over baby's age will give you a false positive. I wanted to get that in there right off the bat, just in case you hadn't seen it. Please google if you haven't, in this case Dr. Google will reassure you: you'll see both official pages warning that this is a factor in false positives, and literally hundreds of moms on various message boards recounting stories of how a slight miscalculation of gestational age (as small as 2 days!) threw them into 1:3 risk category, etc, and all was fine.

(This is Pumpkin BTW). So you may remember or not, but I'm 40. I am sharing this not because one person's stats are going to make another person's stats any different, or make you feel better, but in case it gives you some perspective: my age-based risks (1 in 100) are much higher than your test-based risks. (Although I get why screening stats could be scarier, since they are supposedly based on something).

We chose not to test for a number of reasons, I outlined some of them before on this thread, recognizing that it is a hugely personal issue. The chief reasons I declined the test is that, like you, I don't want to abort a fetus with Down Syndrome, and I wasn't willing to do an amnio, with its low but existing risk, just to resolve ambiguous results. My age means I'm even more likely to get a "false" positive. I am not a person who handles ambiguity well, so I didn't want to sit through the rest of my pregnancy over an increased percentage point (or two dozen...). I know this won't make much sense to everyone, because 1:100 is not exactly a super reassuring number - I mean, someone wins the lottery - but the truth is, it's a small number. If we think about it in the reverse, that we have a 99 percent chance of NOT having a healthy baby, a great number of us would probably decide not to roll the dice. And I guess I didn't want to go into it hoping to get a "better" risk stat than my age, but end up with a worse one, and think it must mean something since, as I mentioned, it's based on "something."

But of course, you have to remind yourself of the huge false positive rate and that this is a screening to begin with. The quad screen, in particular, is a troubling test to me. Not just because 5 percent, on its face, is a high number of abnormalities, but by how confusing and, well, I think at least, misleading that "5 percent" false positive number is. My doctor with DS broke it down for me like this, and I may not be remembering correctly. But a "positive" is not a positive, it's elevated. So that means there is a 5 percent chance that you are not, in fact, at ELEVATED risk of a fetus with DS. But there's still further margin of error. Because what does elevated even mean? Well, what that means is that you have a 1 in 150 chance that you MAY have a child with T21, but there's a five percent chance that even that is off. I remember my first OB telling me that in all of his years practicing, something like 99 percent of the false positives resolve in completely healthy babies, and thinking, how is that not more like 1 percent accurate as opposed to 95 percent accurate? But I guess it's all about the "elevated risk" rather than the positive...who knows....there is a reason I am not a statistician by trade!

This time around, declining tests was a no-brainer, even though my risks were higher, because I'd already done the research the last time, and I also knew how I reacted when my 20 week scan showed something ambiguous about my uterus (uterine "shelf" that thankfully resolved completely) and how much relentless anxiety that caused for me.

Only personal rant I'll allow in here is that I think doctors should be REQUIRED to make sure an expecting couple completely understands the accuracy of these tests and has considered the tools available for resolution (or lack thereof, if unwilling to do amnio) and is okay with the uncertainty. Too many women are led to believe the tests are plus / minus, or easily clarified. Until you're the one who gets that scary (and nearly certainly false) positive.

This is a touchy subject and I have personal feelings about it - I will feel just terrible if I've said the wrong thing, or offended you or someone else in sharing this. I promise I'm only trying to make you feel better, but please do forgive if I've missed the mark! You are in my prayers.

One last thing. With my last pregnancy, when my 20 week scan showed this shelf thing, I googled it and scared myself sleepless. I let myself handle the fear by giving myself permission to actually visualize life in the worst-case scenario, for a given period of time. I actually thought about it metroing to work in the morning. The risks of the shelf thing is that baby might have deformities due to lack of room to grow or the uterus forming tentacles, etc. So I let myself imagine a baby with major deformities, let myself imagine the looks at Target, etc. (I've posted this story before if you recognize it). And then I just made myself stop, and think about something else. It made me do two things: 1. limited the time to obsess about it and 2. let me explore the idea in my head and get a comfort level with what life might be like if the rare instance that I had "won the lottery" had happened.

I hope something in this helps.

xo Pumpkin

LJ
I am so sorry! I can't even imagine the stress and anxiety you are feeling.

Thank you to whomever gave me the scoop on MCA, that is good to know. Do you know if Terri (from Fredrick) will still be delivering? She delivered my DD. I am glad that the new midwife is experienced. When I had my DD it was when two new midwives were starting Dusty and ??? it was a very difficult time for MCA with the transition and my wait times at appointments were awful. However, I loved the prenatal care I got.

I went for a measurement scan today (because I am now 35) and everything was good. My clothes don't fit and I know my bump is there, but I think because I am overweight to begin with, it is hard to tell I am pregnant. I love maternity clothes but they are too big in the crotch and I feel like a sausage in my regular clothes. I can't wait until the bump is past the "has she gained more weight?" phase.

The Memorial Day get together sounds fun but I will be in CA for my best friend's wedding. Without my 2 year old DD and husband (it is too expensive) and I always get anxious traveling without them.

Hope you are all feeling well.

-Sleepy (finally a little less sleepy)

PS
We are going to be suprised about the gender

LJ, I'm sorry to hear your unhappy news. How awful that they ordered the test incorrectly; I hope the sequential screen can bring you some better information. If you're up for it, would you consider one of the cell-free DNA tests (Maternit21, verifi, etc.)? I know it's not diagnostic, and you may feel like not doing another test, which is completely understandable. The validation data they have on it are quite good, though, and the false positive rate is much lower than the quad screen. Perhaps doing that could give you some useful information.

Then again, perhaps not. If you know you wouldn't abort, just deciding to embrace the possibility and going from there may feel best. Some people like to know in advance so they can feel more prepared, others don't. It's such a personal decision.

The high false positive rate really is one of the major drawbacks of the test, in that it can cause so much undue anxiety. I wish I could help, other than blathering on the internet. I'll be sending good vibes your way.

Poppy

Lj here with some unhappy news.

I got the news that my chance of having a baby with down syndrome is 1:128 which is much higher than my age alone would predict (1:750). This was after the quad screen. However the genetic counselor said that the test was ordered incorrectly and they don't like doing it as the quad screen alone because it gives lots of false positives. She said it should have been a sequential screening that takes the first trimester screening into account. So I have to go back to the doctor to have the test redone. Hard to say if the re-test will have better results or not.

I know it is still a less than 1% chance but this is causing me so much anxiety. I regret ever doing any of the genetic testing. I would not abort so what am I supposed to do with this information now that I have it? I thought about not doing any further testing but then I could be missing out on peace of mind if the re-test offers more reassurance.

I am feeling very anxious about it all.

Hey all, Pumpkin here. Yes, J, strangers! Well, to be fair, one stranger. And my lawyer, who in fairness said "You're pregnant again, right?" I laughed and said yes and he said "you're pretty slim, I thought it was safe to take the chance." I'll take it, because I'm not THAT slim anymore....

Anyway, jumping on to post this maternity / clothes / toys sale info I got on my listserv (this is not my kid and we're not affiliated with the school, but I thought it might be fun to check out).

"My son's school is having a yard sale to raise money for an automatic drip irrigation system for their vegetable garden. The yard sale will be exclusively maternity clothes, baby clothes, toys, and other baby stuff. The yard sale will be this Saturday, May 18th from 8:30am to 2:30pm at Peabody Early Childhood 425 C Street NE."

I'm going to check it out and thought it might be good considering some of us are just getting into maternity clothes! Probably the good stuff will get scooped up early, which is too bad because my lazybones family will probably get there around 10 AM. If anyone else is going, mention it and maybe we can say hi!

Hi ! Peanut here. Monday on Memorial Day brunch works better for me since we'll have out of town guests for the weekend.

I'm so jealous of the ladies (and gents =) that already know the gender of their babies. I won't find out until May 28th!

I also haven't felt any movements but my belly popped out ALOT last week. I actually look pregnant now. In fact, someone greeted me Happy Mother's Day this past Friday so I'm assuming I now look legit pregnant instead of just chubby. lol. Because of last week's sudden belly pop, I went ahead and bought a pair of maternity jeans and a couple of work maternity pants. They're AWESOME!

The second trimester hasn't been treating me well at all. I think it's my punishment for having a somewhat easy first trimester. So far, I have sever sinus congestion, tooth ache and pain on my cheeckbones from the sinus congestion, daily headaches (I'm also assuming this is due to my sinuses) and lack of sleep because of all the above. My hubs finally bought me a humidifier yesterday and I slept sooooo much better last night.

At the very least, little peanut (although not so little anymore =) is doing well based on our 16 week appointment last week. His/her heartbeat was nice and strong and was detected much closer to my belly button as opposed to near my pubic none like last time. Mother's day weeekend was also great. My MIL is seriously the best. She made me sit in her uber comfy recliner couch all afternoon while serving me nonstop fruits and snacks and then took me to Old Navy later in the day to buy me some maternity clothes. Did I hit the MIL lottery or what??

strangers are funny - I'd NEVER ask someone if they were pregnant! Too many mistakes can happen!!! lol
(like in 2 weeks notice...."congrats on the baby!" "what baby? WHAT BABY?!")