The Down Syndrome Test

I'm so glad all appointments have gone well and Yes, Sarah, you need to scan and post the pictures!

Hmm, with the food aversions, I'm wondering if there isn't some more blue heading our way. I definitely wasn't nearly as nauseous with Julian as I have been with baby girl, and I seem to remember some particular aversions. More prominent was the craving for Mexican - which I ate AT LEAST once a week.

Regarding the down syndrome test, yes, it's generallly the nuchal translucency these days. I had an AFP (just blood) the first time and got the nuchal this time around. Generally happens between 11 and 13 weeks and is a combination of a measurement of the fluid at the back of the baby's neck as well as a couple of finger pricks. Jenn Derkits had her blood work done like a week before her appointment, but for me they took my blood during the ultrasound. The test is a little tricky because the baby's chin has to be at a certain angle (nearly 90 degrees) from the neck otherwise the measurement can be off.

For me, it was the same as last time, essentially. The scan turned out fine, but the bloodwork showed an increased risk. That put me just above the cut-off so they offered to send me to the perinatologist. Of course, I knew what would happen - same thing that happened last time. I'd go in for the high-density scan and they'd find some small discrepency with something that would increase my odds, freak us all out and then I'd have an amniocentesis. Now that I've been there and done that, I was not in the mood to try it again. Especially when you really look at the odds. My odds sounded bad - like one in 270 or something. But when you look at the percentages, it's less than half of one percent. So, we decided not to do anything about it and I feel so much better. Trust me on this girls - amnios are NOT fun.

Sarah - be sure to post your due date so we know when the big day is for you (and how close you are to Nicole). Speaking of which, March 11th is Scott Huber's birthday! =)