Quad Screen, Take 2

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. And I would be a selfish fool to think I have little to be thankful and grateful for. I'm 18 weeks pregnant with baby number two, and though the pregnancy was a bit of a surprise, we always wanted to have kids close in age, so we're ecstatic. However, as a mother of a child with Down syndrome, my risks for having another child with Down syndrome dramatically increase to 1 in 100 vs. the 1 in 800-something during my first pregnancy. So of course, it's been hard to breathe easily during these first 18 weeks as I awaited the Quad screen that reveals if there are increased levels indicating Down syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities.

We had the Quad screen done last Monday, and I thought that surely the results would have been in by now, so I called my nurse to find out and she was able to reveal that everything on the screen was negative, meaning I'm carrying a baby with 46 chromosomes. I don't know why I was so happy to receive the news. In fact, when I got off the phone with my nurse and called Dan to tell him, I started crying because I felt guilty and ashamed for being so relieved, mainly because I wouldn't change Bear for anything.

So as I said, today is the day before Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for: a child with 47 chromosomes who is the most perfect gift, a child on the way with 46 chromosomes who will be a compassionate and courageous individual who fiercely loves and protects his/her big brother, and a husband who is the glue that holds us all together.