Genetic Screen

Today we went in for my genetic screening. Basically it's a test that shows whether or not I have higher or lower risk of birth defects like Down's syndrome. It doesn't tell for sure whether the baby has it, but it can tell us if there is a reason for concern or if we should consider further testing (in this case, it would be an amniocentesis.)

THE DOWN SIDE: I have really good platelets. Part of the test requires a finger jab (middle finger) and 5 really big drops of blood. By #4, I was clotting. By #5, I'd stopped bleeding entirely. So I got a second finger jab in my index finger. OW. One more enormous drop and I had two bandaged fingers to take home as a souvenir.

THE UP SIDE: Baby's feet. Well, they were pointing up, anyway. The other part of the test is an ultrasound to check the size of this little space in the skin on the back of baby's neck. The space was well within normal size and baby is exactly where she/he should be for growth. Placenta is posterior and not low (perfect). But it was also a grand excuse to gawk at our little one that finally looks human. Baby was standing on its head, feet pointed up. The Dr. turned the sound on and charted the heartbeat, so we got to hear it again. So fast and loud! 150bpm, which is gloriously healthy.  We saw the heart beating and the spine and the itsy nose and chin and - best of all - watched baby wiggle its arms and kick its teeny legs and I even saw the mouth open and close. We have a string of printed pictures that I will post at some point.

A couple bandaids as a tradeoff for baby wiggles? Deal. :D