Today's Sunday & we're both feeling a ton better than the last time I posted. Wednesdays' events have all had a chance to sink in and heal & we're constantly remembering how lucky we were & still are that there are 2 more healthy, growing babies still cooking in there!
I wanted to define a few things for those of you who aren't too comfortable (& why would you be) with the world of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
When I refer to MN Perinatal - it is a group of Perinatologists - which are kind of like specialty Obstetricians. From Perinatology.com - the definition is as such:
We were originally seeing them b/c being pregnant with triplets is considered "high risk". Now that the pregnancy has been reduced to twins, we have/had the option to stay with them vs. seeing a regular Obstetrician. Due to the unpleasant experience (insert 4 pages of notebook complaints here), we have decided to stick with a regular OB.
We met with our new clinic last week & will go back this week to talk through our options for genetic testing on the babies.
I have what is called a "Robertsonian Translocation of my 14 & 21 chromosomes". Sounds cool huh? I would enter a definition from somewhere her but they are all very confusing... essentially, we all (as humans) have 26 pairs of chromosomes - all equal length, size, etc. At some point in the forming of what became me, one set of my #21 chromosome attached itself to 1 of my #14 chromosomes. What this means is that I have the correct # of chromosomes but 2/3 of the genetic material that I pass on to an egg has the potential of getting my 14 with the 21 riding side saddle as WELL as my regular copy of my #21. The result of this is called Trisomy 21 or Downs Syndrome.
There are ample amounts of tests that can be done to see what we can expect from these ever changing babies... some are very inconclusive & as a result, expensive and a waste of time. There are 2 options that we are currently considering... one is called CVS (not the walgreens wannabe), stands for Chorionic Villus Sampling.
Definition from the Mayo Clinic Website -
There are varying risks with this test but the most scary is a risk of miscarriage. Different sites report different risk levels - I have read anywhere from 1 in 100 to 1 in 400.
The other option is Amniocentesis - this is similar to the CVS above but is done a little later (15 weeks) and tests the amniotic fluid for DNA material for the same information. This test has a slightly lower risk for complications...downfall - having to wait until 15 weeks vs. 10 weeks.
We do not know which or if we'll do any of the testing at this point... it is a very confusing, stressful, complicated, and trying decision. We will meet with our OB tomorrow to hopefully get more information as well as his recommendation for our best plan of action! I'm sure there are very educated people out there - but I am asking that you please do not offer any type of advise or reference to other people that you might know who've been faced with similar or like situations. Jorgen & I will do the best that we can with the information that we get to build our family in the best way we can. All we ask is that you keep up the happy thoughts & prayers for these growing babies!
I plan to keep this blog & update with questions that people have asked us about what the next step(s) are. Please check back from time to time if you're interested in a progress report on these two precious bambinos!
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