You suck , IPS results! - 18 weeks

IPS Test results 

Our results unfortunately came back at 1:110 (considered positive) for the the Down Syndrome portion of the test. Now, I know, 1:110 is still a 99.1% everything is fine and that seems extremely low and  a reason to be happy. However, you can't help but worry about being 5 times more at risk than the average person. Additionally, only 2-3% of women who get tested for IPS have a positive result so I wasn't comfortable just setting this aside. We were offered the amniocentesis diagnostic test.  I researched...

The pros are obvious: peace of mind, ability to make a good decision based on facts, preparation for what is to come
The cons are few but still scary: possibility of a miscarriage (approx 1/200), massive needle stuck in the belly...

There is a lot of conflicting information out there...most of it muddled by moral and faith based statements.  I eventually stopped reading and figured the best way forward would be to talk to professionals. We booked a meeting at CHEO with the genetics councillor to help up decide if we should go ahead with the amniocentesis test or not.

SO.

Tomorrow we are going armed with a series of questions. Hopefully posting these will help someone else in the future. I'll make sure to update you on the answers soon.

• How frequent are the cases of negative positives or positive negatives for the amnio diagnostic test?
• What factors come into play into being identified as positive in the IPS?  (weight on form, precision of due date, do levels in blood change daily, does sex of baby come into play)
• Is it too late to redo a blood test to compare?
• At what point was something noticed? Was the ultrasound and first blood sample ok?
• What are the real risks of the procedure? What are CHEO's track records for miscarriage percentages following an amnio? 
• What genetic anomalies do they test?
• Should we wait until the 20 week ultrasound before doing an amnio?
• Is it possible to book then cancel? 
• What kind of Symptoms can I expect? If there are issues, where do I go / who do I call?

PS: If you google amniocentesis, DON'T click on the images tab. GAH!

Mommy Update

I lost my phone. I washed a whole bag of golf balls. I tried to pay for clothing at Value Village with a Subway card. If anyone is bored, it's quite entertaining to follow me around until I have a brain fail. People who take themselves too seriously really shouldn't have kids.

Google is my BFF. I google all symptoms and all weirdness going on. It's fantastic because no matter what, you will find someone with the same experience. Cloudy pee? Check. Vision crappy? Check. Lately I've been googling about weight gain because well, I only gained 2 pounds and the pregnancy sites suggest I should be at 8 or so by now. BUT...I'm not the only one apparently so high five to google for bringing all us crazy paranoid moms together.

Maternity Clothing

Did I mention I lost my phone? Oh yeah. I did. So...there goes my personal money. I knew that maternity clothing was somewhat of a luxury and decided to save there. I'm happy to report that 3-4 trips to Value Village and 50 bucks later, I think I'll be ok for the next 4 months. Past that point,  I have decided to just wear a snuggie and avoid human interaction. 

I love that store. The slightly odd customers,  the weird smells emanating from the furniture section, the cool finds in the record boxes, and best of all, at this time of year, the dressed up cashiers! I'm pretty sure the only thing that beats purchasing a pair of jeans for 8 bucks is to hand that bill to a disco clown with bunny ears.

House Stuff

Momma Steph is panicking because nesting instincts are slowly kicking in (besides come on, we've been in building mode for TWO YEARS now) and the house isn't ready. There's firewood to gather and siding to finish and a front deck to complete and the bath needs to be tiled and the nursery floor needs to be varnished and trim work needs to be done...and...and...poor Francis. He hears this everyday.