Amniocentesis Or Not – Part 2

Amniocentesis Or Not

Part 2 of 2

I went home and cried while staring at our baby’s ultrasound pictures for hours, trying to figure out what to do. Should I get an amniocentesis or not? Could I wait it out and hope for the best? Could I live with the consequences of not knowing and having a baby with a potential genetic abnormality? Would we continue with the pregnancy if we knew the baby did have a genetic abnormality? How would this affect our then one-year-old son, Dylan?

I was terrified of the idea—the thought of a long needle invading my baby’s amniotic sac, the risk of infection, poking the baby, and, worst of all, the 1/1000 risk of miscarriage. For me, I didn’t want to live the rest of the pregnancy being fearful, worrying about the worst-case scenario. If our child did have a genetic abnormality, would he be well or unwell at birth? Was there another genetic abnormality that was masquerading as a positive Down’s screen that could be deadly? I needed to mentally prepare myself for all the possibilities.

Read the FULL CONCLUSION on Amniocentesis Here.

Written By: Dr. Dina Kulik, MD, FRCPC, PEM

Dina is a wife, mother of 4, and adrenaline junky. She loves to share children’s health information from her professional and personal experience. More About Dr Dina.

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Amniocentesis Or Not – Part 2