A Sigh Of Relief For The New Baby....

About 10 days ago while Angelina was in the hospital for her 24 hr EEG I got a call from my OB/GYN. Actually, Larry got the call at home and they wouldn't tell him why it was so important that I contact them right away. Of course he knew something was wrong. He called me and told me what they said and to call them back ASAP. The nurse told me that my quad screen came back positive for a higher risk for the baby to have Downs Syndrome. Now I didn't completely fall apart right there on the phone because about a week before that Lisa and Andar had told us that happened to them but it was a huge false positive. So, I asked the pertinent questions and the nurse tried to assure me that this test is wrong so many times but just to make sure I would go see a Maternal-Fetal specialist and talk to a Genetic Counselor. After that all I could do was just sit and think OMG this really can't be happening, I mean not again. Why can't I just have a normal pregnancy??!!?? Anyway, I called Larry and couldn't get him on the home phone or the cell phone. If you know me at all, you should know that I was pretty ticked because why the hell do we have phones at all if you're not gonna answer them??!! He called me back right away - thank goodness for him - and I proceeded to tell him what I had just been told. He was beside himself as well and couldn't believe that this may be happening again. By "this" I mean Special Needs Child. Angelina is one thing, we are used to her and are so committed to her but it does take a lot of time to do all the things that need to be done. Add another one similar to that and OMG when would there be time for Brady - or anything else for that matter. I realize that this was mostly shock and fear talking but still is was so scary.

We decided not to tell anyone because all the things that we could find on it said that there was a huge possibility that this was simply a false positive. There was no reason to worry the rest of the family during the holidays when this very well could be wrong. Besides that, I didn't need another reason for anyone to look at me with that "poor girl" look or ask if we are okay or all the other things that would get old and make you remember this thing anyway.

SO after 10 days we went to see the specialist and genetic counselor. The counselor answered all our questions and explained what they would be looking for in the sono. She explained that the only real way to know for sure if the child had Downs was to do an amniocentesis which we had already decided was way to risky regardless of the health of this child. Either way if God wanted us to have another special needs child, then so be it. We already know how to do all the things you do for that so what was one more -know what I mean?? So we went for the sono. All the physical characteristics of a child having Downs were absolutely not there. The doc was impressed with the size and weight of the baby and showed us all the different things that could alarm them for Downs.

Yippee! We were so relieved! This was the same specialist that I had gone to with the twins so I was very careful not to wear anything that I had worn the day he admitted me in 2007. I know that is retarded, but what can I say, I needed all the help I could get! I don't think I have been that relieved since the day we brought Angelina home from the NICU! It was great!

So if we have been short or edgy these last couple of weeks, that is the reason and we hope you can forgive us!!