Good news!

At our first pre-natal visit, the Nurse Midwife had gone over a huge list of items and one was to think about whether we wanted to do any early genetic testing. We had discussed it even before we were pregnant and thought it might be something that we wanted to do. We wanted to know if we would be having a child with special needs so we could be prepared as possible and have the tools to help us be the best parents we could be. After talking a little more, Jen and I had decided that we wanted to do the sequential screening to determine whether or not the baby would have Downs Syndrome or Trisomy 18.

Last week we headed down to the medical office in Springfield and started off by meeting with a genetic counselor. She explained to us what they would be looking for, the types of tests that would be administered and what our testing options were. We decided on the sequential screening because it was non-invasive and neither of us wanted to take our chances with an amniocentesis if it wasn't necessary.

After our meeting, we headed in for an ultrasound where we got to see little Sprout and my very full bladder! After a couple of measurements, the sonographer had me go to the bathroom (thank goodness) and come back to finish the ultrasound. We saw finger buds, arms, legs, brain, eyes, chin, spine, belly...our baby. :) Afterwards the doctor came in and did a little more looking, again confirming everything looked good and we got an A+ for the day. Next up was the blood draw. I have to say, probably my least favorite part of the day! I survived and we were on our way back home.

And then the wait begins...we tried not to think about it. Just focused on work and home and all of the other things we needed to accomplish in the following days. Yesterday I got a call from the genetic counselor who said she had good news! Our blood test came back excellent. There is a 1/7000 chance of Down Syndrome and 1/10,000 chance of Trisomy 18! The counselor said those were very good numbers and we felt so relived! We love our child no matter what, special needs or not. Jen and I both have members of our family with special needs that are treasured and loved. We want whatever child we are intended to have. But are still very happy that things seem to be just fine.

The final step is a 2nd blood test closer to week 16 of pregnancy, which the counselor felt would be confirmation of the results we'd already received. We'll also need to do a 2nd trimester ultrasound,which we both love because it means we get to see Sprout again!

Thanks everyone for their love and support! We'll continue to keep you posted!