Did you agree to all bloodwork "recommended" during pregnancy?

Question

Did you agree to all bloodwork "recommended" during pregnancy?

Answer 1

Yes...I want to make sure I can do anything and everything to make my baby as healthy as can be.

Answer 2

I did all the bloodwork but on my second pregnancy, declined the triple screen due to me being 35 and the high raye of false positives anyways. My baby was born perfect.  

Answer 3

yes. I mean i would want to know if there was something wrong with my child or me. But there are some people who just don't want to know. It a personal thing.

Answer 4

Umm, yeah?  Why wouldn't someone do that?  It doesn't hurt them or the baby, and it's in the best interest of both the mother and the baby. It's only logical.

Answer 5

Yes, why wouldn't you? they take a couple viles of blood and run them all at the same time.  

Answer 6

No, I didn't. I had the initial tests done, as well as the cystic fibrosis screening-because that's something you want to know about so that you can begin treatment as soon as the child is born. As for the other screenings, for Down's, etc, I passed- because I knew that no matter what the outcome, I would still keep my baby. In addition, I am an extreme worrier- and false positives are common on those tests, so why make myself more stressed than I absolutely need to be? And if you get a could be positive result on the blood test, they suggest getting amnio or CVS..which can cause miscarriage. So I passed, and I'm completely happy with my decision. All u/s's have been perfect. Hope that helps you!

Answer 7

I had it all done while pregnant with my first, and declined only the HIV CF test with my second pregnancy. I am pregnant with my third and again declined the HIV and CF, and was going to also forgo the Quad screen but decided to do it anyways. I am very I glad I did. During my ultrasound they found a marker for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. Having only found this one marker the likely hood of either genetic defect is unlikely, especially coupled with low result I received on my Quad Screen. If I had not had a negative Quad Screen I would be much more worried then I am right now and would probably be strongly considering having an amnio done. As it is I have another U/s this friday to check on the baby and double check for any other markers. The Triple/Quad screen is not the most accurate and may cause more anxiety than necessary in some situations, but in a case like mine it can also provide great reassurance and actually prevent an amnio from being hastily considered. The testing is a good way to make sure the parents have all of the information necessary to make the best decisions possible. For us that means being properly educated about any possible conditions to prepare for our beloved child's birth.  

Answer 8

Yes, your doctor needs to know as much about the baby as possible to ensure a healthy child and a safe delivery.  As for the MSFAP that tests for risk of downs and neural tube deficits, I got this test and it came back with a higher than normal level (sometimes this is even due to and detects twins).  I was then given ultrasounds to check everything out.  The reason why these were important is because with spina bifida sometimes surgery can be done in-utero that can close the defect before any more damage is done.  And with downs babies, there can be common accompanying abnomalities such as heart problems.  My doctor was able to do an ultrasound (echo) on my daughter before she was born to ensure her heart would be normal.  If it wasn't, they would know to have advanced life support ready in the delivery room.  Thankfully everything turned out fine with my daughter but if there had been a problem, she would have had a better chance of surviving it because of the testing that was done.  

Answer 9

Yes, I did.  

Answer 10

I agreed to all blood work apart from the downs syndrome bloods. But that's because, If the baby is born with downs, it wont make a difference. The baby will still be loved and wanted. Some people think I'm insane because if I find out I can prepare for when its born, but it wont be able to tell me how severe it is, so either way i'll be unprepared!

Answer 11

why wouldn't i?  they are just trying to make sure i'm healthy and that i have a healthy child.  

Answer 12

I sure did its the best for u n ur unborn child ....the doctors keeping tabs on ur health

Answer 13

By bloodwork for testing of all the normal stuff, yes. When it came to testing for Downs, no. I think it's stupid for people to get the Downs testing because it will stress you out your entire pregnancy and if it did come back with a chance of your child having Downs, would you abort it? There is no way to prepare for a Downs child. There a special just like any other baby =) And plus, more than 50% of the time they come back telling you your child will most likely have Downs, then they send you for more testing, and then your baby comes out fine. Unnecessary stress. That was the only testing I didn't get.

Answer 14

All but the genetic disorder test. I figure that I will love my baby whether or not it has a genetic disorder. So why bother getting it done? (That is the test that has to be done around 16 weeks.)

Answer 15

sure did....wasn't a big deal.  

Answer 16

Nope, just the initial blood work.  If I was going to have a baby with any problems, I was going to have the baby regardless.  I'm a worry wart as it is, I didn't want to be worrying about any false positives.  A lot of people do for many reasons (planning mostly), this was just my decision.

Answer 17

Yes, of course.

I wanted my doctor to have all the information he needed to know exactly what was going on with me and my pregnancy.

EDIT (To Brittany):  You posted "I think it's stupid for people to get the Downs testing because it will stress you out your entire pregnancy and if it did come back with a chance of your child having Downs, would you abort it? There is no way to prepare for a Downs child."

That isn't how it works, and that is not the only reason to have the screening done.  People like to throw around the terms "false positive" when talking about the Quad screen, but that really isn't accurate.  Those tests do not come back with "positive" or "negative" results--they just give you an idea of your relative risk of having a child with Down Syndrome, so you can decide if you wish to have further testing done.  That doesn't mean that everyone who opts for an amnio after getting screen results that indicate a possible elevated risk intend to abort--they just want to know one way or the other what the situation is, and yes, try to prepare as much as possible if they find out that their baby does have an extra chromosome.

While you can never fully prepare for what it will mean to have a special needs child, you can at least have the chance to speak with other parents who have been through the same thing, get support, and have a better idea of what it will be like.  

Friends of ours had a baby born with Down Syndrome after having four healthy children.  They declined all screening, because their strict Catholic faith meant that they would never consider a termination, so they really didn't see the point in having testing done.  They didn't know anything was wrong until she gave birth, and they were absolutely stunned and completely unprepared when they heard the news.

Had they known ahead of time, they still would have had their baby.  But in hindsight, they wish they had had the testing done so that they didn't find out the news at the baby's birth.

Answer 18

I declined a test for cystic fibrosis and HIV.

I'm not in a group where CF would be likely, and I know a lot about CF already because I had a professor friend with it.  I was tested for HIV - for free at Planned Parenthood - before I was with my current and only partner, whom I have been with for over 4 years.

I am letting them do all the other tests, though.   My midwife kindof talked me into it by saying I'd have a chance to know and prepare.

The blood tests for abnormalities aren't 100% accurate though, so I'm not going to put a ton of stock into them.

Answer 19

Yes...I wanted to make sure everything was 100% okay...they wouldn't recommend it if it wasn't for your benefit...They take a couple viles about two different times and they run them for all sorts of things...Good luck!

Answer 20

I did all but the genetic disorder test.  I figured that it didn't give me a for sure answer and that it didn't really matter anyways, I won't love him any less.

Answer 21

I did, I thought it was a huge relief when everything came back normal, no sense in stressing over something you can get an answer too.

Answer 22

i got all the blood work... its very expensive, even with insurance....  but worth knowing!

Answer 23

I did.  I was scared to death when I went in for my 12 week ultrascreen where they test for down syndrome and neural tube defects, but when I went in for it, I was pleasantly surprised!  They pricked my finger for blood and did an ultrasound to check for fluid behind the baby's neck.  The ultrasound was so awesome!  I got to see so much, and the technician was able to tell me that from what she saw, the baby looked good so far!  My results came back a week later and everything was perfect!  Now, I'm not as scared.  I had my AFP blood test last week.  Still waiting for the results but I'm sure everything is fine!  It really depends on the person.  I felt that I had to know if something was wrong, so that I could prepare for what was ahead!

Good luck!

Answer 24

Yes!