16 Weeks

This week, we learned a lot about the babies and how my medical care is going to go throughout the pregnancy process.  First of all, we got a lot of test results back.  First is the Cystic Fibrosis screening test.  According to the test, I am not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis.  This means that our children have very little chance of being born with the disease.  Also, we got the results of the Nuchal Translucency Screening.  This is the test that measures certain markers on the ultrasound and then plugs those numbers along with our ages and genetic histories into an algorithm to determine the risk of our children having chromosomal abnormalities.  According to this testing, Baby A has a 1 in 3,500 chance of being born with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), Baby B has a 1 in 6,800 chance and baby C has a 1 in 4,000 chance.  Just to give you some frame of reference, the average risk is 1 in 400, so our babies have a very low chance of being born with Down Syndrome.  Also, all of our babies had a less than 1 in 10,000 chance of having more severe chromosomal abnormalities.  

The good thing about this is that they don't recommend that I have any further testing such as an amniocentesis or Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS).  This is good news for me because I would have refused those tests anyhow.  With any invasive testing, there is risk of harm to the babies, and that risk increases with multiples.  I wasn't willing to do that.  In my opinion, there are only two reasons to have further testing done.  One is so that you can be prepared by knowing exactly what you may be dealing with when your child is born.  My thought on this is that no one can ever be truly prepared to raise a child with special needs and, like all parenting, you will figure out what works for you and your family when the child arrives. The second reason is to determine whether or not you would want to terminate the pregnancy.  As far as we're concerned, this is not an option. 

Lastly, we got back all of my blood testing and it was 100% normal.  This is good because it means I don't need any additional treatments or medications at this time.  In addition to all of these test results, we had an ultrasound this week.  The ultrasound wasn't meant to do anything specific, only to make sure that the babies were all alright.  They most certainly were.  They are all measuring right on track, their heart beats are strong and healthy, and they were moving around like crazy.  This time, they were more developed so we were able to see them a little more clearly.  As far as gender goes, Baby A and Baby B were happy to share, but Baby C had its legs wound up tightly and wasn't willing to put on a show.  Compared to the gender predictions we received at the last ultrasound, one was the same and the other was different.  As soon as we know the genders of all three babies, we will announce them all together.  

So what's in store for momma?  Things are starting to change for me as the pregnancy progresses.  This week, I go on half days at work which should help me get some rest that I've been desperately needing.  I was informed at my last appointment that I will be having ultrasounds every two weeks beginning at 16 weeks (that's this week), and that I will be going to the doctor every week beginning at 20 weeks.  Also, beginning 20 weeks I will begin modified bed rest.  Still not totally clear on what that means other than I won't be able to work or leave the house much.  I'm sure I'll have more details on it as the time draws near.  I'm also sure that it's going to be a tough time for me; I just have to keep the goal of three healthy babies in mind.  Next on the agenda is an ultrasound on Thursday and we are hoping that Baby C "opens up" about what he or she is.