Today a co-worker and friend of mine called to thank me and tell me I was right(guess they didn't know I am always right), lol. Today their grand baby was born healthy. Months ago I had a frantic call from my friend telling me that they had diagnosed her daughters baby with Edwards syndrome. I thought I had heard of it and looked it up. I did know about it. It is mainly known as Trisomy 18. I went online and found this wonderful video called 99 Balloons, it is a tear jerker but well worth watching. Trisomy 18 is almost always fatal but not always. I bought the video to give to my friends daughter. I never gave it to her, because the next time I talked to her she told me how the doctors decided her baby had T-18. Through the AFP blood test. I about died, but then started laughing. Yes, I couldn't help it. I asked my friend what they saw on the ultra sound as markers. Nothing!! Yet they were telling her doom and gloom stories and never telling her there was a HUGE chance nothing was wrong with her baby. They sent her to specialist and geneticist and yet most told her that her baby was more than likely going to have T-18. The mother wouldn't have an amino because it didn't make a difference in the outcome, she also has alot of medical problems and was worried what that could do to her baby. The worst is that they NEVER explained to her that the AFP just tells you your chances, that it doesn't tell you if your child will have a trisomy for sure. They made it seem like, she was carrying a child with T-18. Today she gave birth to a child that was healthy. Doctors can be horrid about dealing with these things.
Lets talk about me. I have my first child, no idea anything is wrong until she is born. When she is two months old we go to a geneticist. whom explains that I carry a gene and have a 1 in 10 chance of having another child with down syndrome. These are his next words exactly as he said them (can't forget stuff like this), "The next time you get pregnant, you will want to have an amino and if IT test positive for down syndrome, you will want to abort." I proceed to tell him I don't believe in abortion and he informs me "You'll change your mind, your baby is still young" Hmmmmmmm, he didn't know me well, as my second child with down syndrome was born less than two years later.
This is suppose to be the age of choices but for some reason, most drs don't give women choices when it comes to this. They make them think they have to have these test, that they have to abort a baby that is not healthy. Some may disagree but I have seen it happen way too often. I run across women all the time over 35 that thought they HAD to have an amnio. I'm not kidding here. It happens. I have never had any of the testing while pregnant except ultra sounds and fetal echo's. I did have to sign papers for the drs. refusing the amnio. That is to protect their butts from me suing them, if my child isn't born "perfect". I can understand that in this day and age, as long as they give me the choice. Anyway I am done for now, but I am sure I will be back on this subject to rant some more.
Mendadak Semirang
4 months ago
