Positive Triple Screen......

[jeliphish]

Needless to say I am a wreck right now....even though I feel like an Ass for being so upset.

The nurse called today concerning my triple screen. I had been concerned about this but it seemed like there was nothing to worry about when the ultrasound tech told me that the nuchal fold measurment was 1.6mm- which is relatively low.
The blood results came back and apparently the baby has a 1 in 100 chance of having DS verses the statistical norm for my age (26) 1 in 900. There were no other soft markers measured such as the thigh bones or the nasal bone (which is apparent on the ultrasound pics) but apparently what ever the blood is tested for shows an increased risk.
I feel scared...really scared, but at the same time there's a 99% chance my child is fine.
So many things are going through my head right now- and I just don't know what to do.
I can't stop crying but at the same time I am so mad at myself for crying- because I wouldn't want this baby to feel like they are not wanted in this world....

We are opting for the amnio- even though the results won't change our plans for having this child...NOT knowing is going to cause me and this child more harm I believe than the risks involved with the amnio. I worry obsessively about things and I just can't do that for the next 6 months.


Any similar stories or situations would be greatly appreciated

Hollie

[jennifer_lc1]

i believe this same thing happened with my sisters dd, who turned out just fine. shes a happy healthy 6 yr old now. dont worry yourself mama, it'll be ok

[temama]

With my second child the results for my triple screen came back positive and he turned out fine. He does not have DS. I was 23 at the time and quite truthfully unless someone else in the family had a baby with DS your chances are very slim. We did not opt for the amnio because of the risks involved. I would find out if there is anyone in the family that had a baby with DS under the age of 40 and if not I would not worry especially since you are not planning on aborting either way. The chances are slim the baby has DS and the risks of the amnio are so great for a miscarriage at this point I would really not want to go there. Your mental state about it will have more to do with the health of your baby than anything else. Good Luck and do some research.

[cpeckys]

We had almost the same situation with our first. I was 25 at the time, the risk was about 1:35 for us. We chose not to do an amnio because of the risk. We had a level 2 ultrasound that showed some abnormalities (a 2 vessel cord and kidney issues). Our baby was born healthy and the kidney issues were ruled out at 1 month of age.
I think I would opt for a level 2 ultrasound before an amnio, but that is just me.
Good luck to you!

[oldaussie]

My screen came back 1:29 (I am 43 yo, so was high risk anyway), with, like you, apparently normal u/s findings but very abnormal bloods. We also opted for amnio, and the FISH test for rapid (24 hour) preliminary results. Then the FISH result came back "inconclusive", so I too was a wreck for the next 2 weeks, convinced something was wrong etc etc. Lost weight, didn't sleep, miserable time.
Finally after nearly 2 weeks we got the definitive amnio, and he is fine.
Please don't put yourself through that. Nothing you do now can change the chromosomje result, so please look after yourself and remember that you have a very hich (99% after all) chance that this baby is FINE.
Interestingly, the doc who did our amnio was of the opinion that the presence of a nasal bone is the main thing to look for and a great indicator that all is well.
Take care
Nikki

[kirstenb]

Originally Posted by jennifer_lc1

i believe this same thing happened with my sisters dd, who turned out just fine. shes a happy healthy 6 yr old now. dont worry yourself mama, it'll be ok

Same thing with my sister- she just had a healthy baby boy last month.

[mom2annika]

Sorry you're going through this. I never had any scary results turn up in either of my pg's but I worried about it nonetheless.

The thing that helped me most was going to lunch with a friend at a tea room on the campus of a school for mentally/developmentally delayed kids and adults. Some of them lived there full-time, others just went to classes there during the day. The students and residents who were able worked in the tea room; others made pottery, etc. Everyone was so happy and patient. I didn't hear a cross word and the lunch crowd packed the room.

By the time I left I just felt at peace, like if my child was able to live or work in a place like that it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Good luck to you whatever happens.

[BohoMama]

I'm sorry for all the anguish and worry you are experiencing. You asked for others' stories. I can tell you my friend Sharon's. She had had something strange going on in her pregnancy (I don't remember what), so the doc ordered an amnio. He then told her that it was 100% certain that her baby would have DS. Sharon is very religious and went to consult with her priest. He said that she should pray and try not to worry, and leave it in God's hands. Guess what? Her little girl was just fine. Now, I am not suggesting that this is due to her prayers, I do not believe that praying would make someone's DNA change. However, I do think that medical tests are sometimes inaccurate and medical personnel can be brazenly arrogant about it. p.s. on Sharon. In her next pregnancy they determined that she should have an early c-section, so they did an amnio to see if the baby's lungs would be ready to breathe air. Result of test: positive. Result of baby: negative. He had to be put on an incubator and remained in the hospital for several weeks after she was released. Sharon looks like she would like to explode whenever she hears the word "amniocentesis" and yet she was lucky - she did not lose either of her beautiful children, or have her fertility impaired.

Since others have mentioned ultrasound, I will just fill in the detail that the 3-D ultrasounds are much more sophisticated than the grainy black-and-white ones that are used to look at nuchal folds. That may be a better option if you are set on getting as much information on this baby as possible. As my doctor pointed out, DS babies and others with special needs are benefited by having specially trained staff and equipment on hand when they are born.

A final note, if baby does have DS, it comes in many different "strengths." Look into the current research on "mosaic forms" of the disorder. My niece was diagnosed with it at the age of 7 because she was falling a little behind her peers in school. Imagine! A DS child who went completely under the radar because she was such a mild case! And there are quite a lot of these people who were...and are...never diagnosed because their genetic makeup is either mostly normal or they are somehow able to compensate.

Good luck to you.
Melinda