Baby blues

From the day I was tested positive for pregnancy way back in July, the journey into motherhood has been wrought with both physical and emotional challenges.

I have been in and out of clinic for fever and abdominal pains and was once in the emergency ward of a hospital for 'light bleeding' or in correct medical term 'spotting.' Everything was all well again, thankfully, after a shot of progesterone in the region of my 'derriere.'

But nothing prepared me for what to come next. After undergoing a triple-blood test in the middle of September, which is routine for mothers-to-be to check for abnormality or other kind of genetic incompabilities, my gynae hit me with the most unexpected news.

When the results of the blood test came back, he informed us that I have a relatively high marker for down syndrome. I was shocked and sad. That is, compared to the world's population with cases of down syndrome, I was nestled somewhere in the high percentile. He advised an amniocentesis procedure to ascertain for sure the presence of a down syndrome baby. Or in correct medical term, a fetus with chrosomal disorder(s).

I was crushed. I was not prepared for such news. We both were not.

We were weighing our options. Should we opt for an amniocentesis or just wade it out and pray for the best? And another dilemma unfolds - if the amniocentesis was not in our favour, should we just continue with the pregnancy or Heaven forbids, terminate it? I would always be brimming with tears whenever I think of the consequences of our next action.

We were in a lose-lose situation, it seems. And an amniocentesis doesn't come cheap. At least not in Malaysia. It is NOT something that it's covered under my husband's employment benefits. My benefits would be zilch when compared to his company's.

And I think it's preposterous that they draw the line for eligibility to undergo this procedure. But an insurance company must draw the line SOMEWHERE to make profits. The current criteria are for women of 35 years old and above and with a family case of down syndrome. Since I didn't fall under the former criterion, I was not covered under the company's insurance plan.

We then decided to opt for the procedure, despite having to fork out our own money. It was expensive but at least, we would have a peace of mind thereafter.

Amniocentesis involves taking a sample of a pregnant woman's amniotic fluid by inserting a special finehair-like needle into the woman's stomach. The sample is then being sent to the lab for further processing. It will be cultured and tested to detect and produce definitive results on different kinds of abnormalities such as down syndrome and neural tube defects. Since the fluid contains cells from our baby, chemicals, and micro-organisms, it can answer many questions about our baby's health as well as inform us of the baby's gender.

Amniocentesis is also not without its side effects and risks. According to www.babycentre.co.uk Website, about one in 200 women develops an infection or some other complication as a result of their amniocentesis that results in miscarriage. So imagine what a nervous wreck I was!

The procedure, thankfully, went along smoothly - thanks to this soothingly professional gynae (recommended by my own gynae) who is an expert in fetal-related surgery. I would go so far to say that he is even better than my gynae. Sorry doc!

However, the results would only be known in a week's time. We were relieved that the amnio was over with but the anticipation of the results was making us glum and downhearted. It was like, in my husband's own words, walking on shards of glass.

Could you imagine we didn't laugh ever since we found out about the blood test's results? And another week of waiting would mean two weeks of gloomy faces.

Then, on a fine Saturday afternoon, I received a phone call. It was from that fetal expert's clinic. The nurse informed us that the baby is normal. I didn't expect the call since the procedure had just taken place on Wednesday. It wasn't even a week! Wow, I was SO glad that they called earlier rather than making us wait for a week!

I was reeling from the news, busy telling my husband, that I forgot to ask about the baby's gender. I had to call back. Earlier on, we had both agreed that we wanted to know.

It is a girl.

Sigh. A girl!

My husband was hoping for a girl. But after that heartwrenching, emotional turmoil, we had both concurred that any gender would be heavensent as long as the baby is healthy and normal.

Now, at the beginning of my third trimester, my babygirl is quite active, kicking and making somersaults. Just hold tight girl, February will beckon us sooner or later!