going in for more tests-

genetic counseling is required for anyone who is over 35 and pregnant (at least thru my health care). so, back in may, we got an ultrasound, had genetic counseling, and had blood taken. about a week ago, i had to go in again for more blood tests. the lab compared the 2 samples to determine the likelyhood of the shrimp having down's.

i guess i was a bit naive, b/c i've been thinking everything was fine. b/c of my age (35), my regular chances of having a baby with down's is 1 in 275 (less than 1%). during the ultrasound, they measured the neck membrane and said that it was the right size, which dropped our chances even more (by 40%). so, basically, i had put it out of my mind for the last month - with no worries.

i got a call monday with the test results from the blood work. my odds have jumped to 1 in 5 (20%) of the baby having down's. of course, i was upset & in shock, but i knew we had to do what i've been dreading...... the amnio test. for those that don't know - amnio is when the doctor sticks a 7 inch needle into my belly to pull fluid directly from the uterus. since they're pulling the baby's actual dna, they can tell with more certainty if the baby has down's, spina bifida (i think), and other possible problems. they can also determine the sex of the baby. it'll take 2 weeks to get the results back. oddly enough, i think the wait's going to be hard, but not as terrifying as dreading the procedure itself!

wish us luck & think good thoughts!