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Update- NIPT results (pregnancy mentioned)

(Also on CMP, but posting here for friends). I didn't know how hard it was going to be for me to be back at the high risk clinic for what I thought was going to be a NT scan. I was supposed to be there at 7:30 to register for my 8 AM appointment, but DH was still in bed at 7, and children aren't allowed in the ultrasound rooms--only in the waiting room with adult supervision aka my husband. So we got there at 7:45, I went to the bathroom because hello I needed to pee, and this woman got in front of us. It took her about 45 minutes to get registered. So finally around 9:30 I was in an ultrasound room with a tech whom I'd never seen before. I'd pretty much met everyone who works there with my first pregnancy but no, I get a complete stranger. Her words "So we're gonna kind of like do a dating scan you know?" And I was like, "No. I've had a dating scan, this is the NT scan." So she argued with me for a few minutes before trying to find the baby. I should have left and asked to speak to her supervisor but I stayed there idk to be nice or something. Baby was perfectly positioned on his/her side for an NT measurement, but the tech was like "baby is not cooperating. Come back next week." And I responded "No, my husband got off of work so he could watch our daughter while I have this scan. Last time, my daughter didn't cooperate, but I drank some water and came back 30 minutes later and we got the measurement. I'm not leaving." So she gave me this look and went to talk to an MFM then gave me a piece of paper and said "the dr says come back in 9 weeks for your anatomy scan." Like hell I was leaving then!!! Turns out there was a new policy at the clinic where mom's can forego the NT scan and go straight for the NIPT. I found this out after meeting with the geneticist (who, thinking my now 8 month-old daughter could have trisomy 18 after normal NT results, told me it wasn't too late to terminate the pregnancy at 31 weeks if we drove to another state) that I could do the NIPT and not worry about getting the measurements: just get blood drawn and wait 7-10 days for results that would hopefully be low risk.

Then the geneticist showed me a picture of the baby facing forward and said that the tech explained she couldn't get a good measurement and the baby was in completely the wrong position. I was furious and snapped back saying "she chose to give you the worst image of my baby facing front and looking like a deformed badger when really she has 6 other better pictures of the baby lying on its side. She couldn't get a measurement, so she's trying to cover her ass." And then I bawled my eyes out because the tech didn't give me any pictures of the baby at all. Usually the clinic gives you 4-6 pics in a cute little envelope that says "Baby's First Pictures" but that didn't happen. So the geneticist went and spoke to the center's director--who recognized me right away because I was there every week for my first pregnancy. The director hugged me and apologized and sent me to another tech so I could get some decent images of the baby. That's all I really wanted after so much uncertainty. I didn't do the NT scan but chose NIPT because it's more definitive. I just didn't think it would be so hard to be back at the clinic.

But a week later, I got normal results and found out to our surprise that we're having another GIRL!!!! I'm so excited. Less clothes to buy lol and I hope my daughter and her sibling will be very close. Now just trying to enjoy this pregnancy no matter what the outcome. We're waiting to reveal the sex because my mother-in-law (ew) said she would host a gender reveal party.

But I'm still a bit frightened by how hard it was to be back, even though my daughter is ok. All I can say is: ladies, please advocate for yourselves! Even if you feel crazy, you have a right to your feelings and to as much info as you can legally get.

4 Comments • 6 years ago • Edited

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