Nuchal Scan

A question for you all.....

I am due to have my Nuchal scan on Friday and am still unsure whether to go ahead with the test. Basically this is how I see it:

DH and I have been waiting nearly 5 years for this baby and now we've made it this far I don't think either of us could terminate.

Speaking to our OB she said that if we weren't going to act on the test (i.e. have further testing or terminate) then don't go through with it.

Even if we were to go as far as having the Nuchal test done and it came back high, i don't think I go any further, I couldn't go through with an amnio - so only having part information (being told we were in a high risk) would worry/stress me out for the rest of the pregnancy....I'm the worrying type.

Now of course I'm assuming the worst, that I'm going to be told I'm in the high risk category....My brother is Downs Syndrome and I've had genetic testing and know I'm not a carrier.

So am I worrying too much?
Should we go ahead with the nuchal test (I know it's our decision)?
Do I put aside all my concerns and go through with it and be fore-warned/prepared for the future?

Any of your thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated - I realise the final decision is ours, but getting this out there and discussing it may also help.

I'd go ahead with the test simply because I feel that finding out definitely at the same time you're trying to deal with a newborn is more than enough to cope with.

I also remember reading this
this and thinking how lovely it was. And this.

I found that having the test (and it being ok) put our minds at rest and it was one less thing to worry about! In the scheme of things the odds are in your favour that things will be fine.

We found the 12 week scan really exciting and was probably our favourite scan as we could see the baby so clearly. It helped DH get more focused on the baby too, as I didn't look pregnant at that stage.

Whatever you decide, all the best!

We still had the scan but asked not to have the nuchal measurement done. They still did the scan to check the baby was growing and check the heartbeat etc. It was awesome to see our wee baby in there but we were like you - we wouldn't have done anything further if something had been wrong. We did the same with our last pregnancy also. It is such a personal decision though. I know for me, if I wasn't going to terminate then I didn't want to know any odds and worry throughout the pregnancy. Like I said before though, it is such a personal decision and one only you can make. All the best with whatever you decide to do.

Thank you all for your posts - DH and I made our final decision last night.

We are NOT going ahead with the Nuchal test but definitely having the scan, looking forward to that part. We felt they were only giving us the odds that baby would possibly have Downs and it wouldn't be definitive and as katie1 said like her i'd worry throughout the pregnancy.

Again thank you for your posts.

We chose to have the scan even though we wouldnt have done anything further had we been high risk.  Our reasons were twofold.

1).  We really wanted to see the baby

2). If there was a problem it would give me 6 months to research and prepare

 

THis time round we have been offered the maternal serum screening which is  a blood test as well as the scan.  I was undecided about that but figured I could cope with a couple of bruises on my arns to get a more accurate risk.  I dont think I would do amnio though.

 

Good luck with your decision.

Go with your gut feeling on this one.

Personally I looked forward to the nuchal scan - I looked forward to seeing our baby on the monitor and it made the whole pregnancy seem so real and exciting. Like you have mentioned, if there was anything wrong with the baby, I wouldnt have taken any further testing or action, however it would have given me time to get my head around it and prepare for the baby arriving and any issues surrounding it.

Its such a relief to see your baby on the screen and I just adored it. It made the morning sickness seem all the more worthwhile for me.

I am having this scan next week, I cant wait to see the baby looking more like a human.

I am a bit scared about the scan for down syndrome I hope it goes ok.