When will I find out if my baby is "normal"?

Question

I am 11 weeks pregnant, Does anyone know when you find out if your baby is "normal" or should I say, Completely healthy? Do they give blood tests? Ultrasounds? Or do you just have to wait until he/she is born? thanks

I've been to the doctor and the heartbeat is perfect, I have no disabilities in my family, I work with Developmentally disabled adults so, it doesnt help me on thinking positive! :-)

Answer 1

There is no test for "normal". But they can do tests for most things during your pregnancy. The doctor will let you know when those test will happen because some things can't be detected until later. However, you have to wait until they are born to know for sure. It's every parent's worst fear. Just take care of yourself & your baby should be fine. Best wishes!

Answer 2

Natasha C is tripping, I never seen a woman have to do all that unless she dying maybe.
I have seen a Blood test taken and a few ultrasounds if you healthy. You have the option if you want to know the Gender or wait until the baby is born.
I would discuss calorie intake with my Doctor, I say about 1,200-1,500 per day, but, I not remember. My woman ate good well balanced meals and a few snacks if she felt hungry, stayed active until the day she went into the Hospital. My son was Healthy, 9 pounds 15 ounces by c-section and was one point from a perfect apgare or whatever they call it.
This is really not all that Technical, women have been doing this for Thousands of years, some way before Doctors were around and many without a Doctor even though they were around. Doctor just makes sure everything going OK. And helps to ease your worries and concerns.

Answer 3

There are many blood tests and an ultrasound that can be done to make sure all the vital functions of life are happening. There is the AFP test (alfa fetal protein test), The cystic fibrosis test, and then the anatomy ultrasound that is normally done at or around twenty weeks. I checks for the 4 chambers of the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, and the major blood vessels, the brain and other major parts of the body. If there is a fear that the baby may not be "normal" then you should really discuss this with your doc so that he/she may be able to help you better understand the changes that your body is going through and the changes that your baby is going through as well.

Answer 4

They'll do a 2 part blood test called an AFP at 13 and 17 weeks. This is the "big" blood screen, but there's some other tests they'll do as well. At 13 weeks you should have your first ultrasound, which will check for MAJOR deforamations, but it's really the 20 week ultrasound wherte they are able to look closely for structural deformations.

Answer 5

Of course they give ultrasounds, that's how they measure the baby, check the placenta and the uterus as well as your cervix. They do blood tests earlier in the pregnancy to be sure you don't have any defficiencies or that your blood and the babies blood is mixing well, they check you for everything fairly early. If you have concerns, talk them over with your doctor and he should be able to tell you when he'll test you and how soon you'll know afterwards. Don't fret about things like that, you'll worry yourself to death. I know that for a lot of women worrying is a big part of pregnancy, but I feel that as long as they have ten fingers/ toes, and a decent shot at life that I won't worry about what comes in between because I made a life that started to grow and no matter what I do, it's a part of me and my life. So I know that I'll love it no matter what.

Answer 6

In the uk no you cannot put a baby down. You can chose to keep it off life support however. If ou do not want the baby then you put the baby up for adoption I personally think every person has the right to live. Now a days you can see early on in a pregnancy whether the baby will have any disabilities so you can choose to have a termination Yes it's wrong. That baby could be cured

Answer 7

If something is wrong during the pregnancy they will do a test called Amneoosynthesis (Amneo) which will check the cells of the fetus and tell you if there are any abnormalities. Also ultrasounds at about 4 months will tell you if there are physical problems. But think positive if you and your partner are healthy everything should be fine.

Answer 8

well..they will do an ultrasound, and the Dr. will take measurements and make sure your baby is up to speed as far as growing goes.and then they will take blood from u and test it out, making sure your okay...then they will have u do theses tests called gentical testing which won't be done until your about 13-16 wks...what it does, is they take some blood, and test it for everything that's known to man kind. autism, down syndrome, etc...

Answer 9

The day it is born is when you will definately know. There are no sure firw tests and that is the truth some tests can show signs of a problem early on but birth is when you'll know for certain

Answer 10

• A real 20-week ultrasound
• Amniocentesis
• Biophysical profile
• Blood screening tests for specific genetic disorders
• Blood test for Rh status and antibody screen
• Chicken pox during pregnancy
• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
• Common first trimester blood tests
• Contraction stress test
• Doppler sonography
• Glucose screening and glucose tolerance test
• Group B streptococcus screening
• Hepatitis B blood test
• Multiple marker screening (AFP)
• Nonstress test
• Nuchal translucency screening
• Prenatal genetic counseling
• Prenatal tests: An overview
• Preterm labor test: Fetal fibronectin
• Rubella (German measles) during pregnancy
• Special event chat transcript: The March of Dimes' Mothers March with Deborah Norville
• Ultrasound
• Urine tests during pregnancy

What is amniocentesis?
Amniocentesis is a prenatal test that allows you and your healthcare practitioner to gather information about your baby's health and development from a sample of your amniotic fluid. This is the fluid that surrounds your baby in the uterus. An "amnio" is usually done when a woman is between 15 and 20 weeks pregnant to determine whether her baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. But not all moms-to-be choose to have the test, in part because there's a small risk of miscarriage.

Other reasons that you might have amniocentesis include:
• To determine whether your baby's lungs are mature enough for an early delivery if you appear to be in premature labor or require an early delivery for any reason.

• To diagnose or rule out a uterine infection if your water has broken prematurely or your practitioner has any other reason for suspecting you have one.

• To check on the well-being of your baby if you have a blood sensitization, such as Rh sensitization. This is a complex condition that can occur if your blood is a different type than your baby's. (Note: More and more hospitals are using Doppler ultrasound for this purpose instead of amnio.)



Which birth defects can the test detect?
Amniocentesis can identify several hundred genetic disorders, including some of the most common:
• Nearly all chromosomal disorders, including Down syndrome and Edward's syndrome. The test is more than 99 percent accurate in diagnosing these conditions. An ultrasound, a combined first-trimester screening, or a multiple marker test may indicate whether your baby is likely to have these problems, but only amniocentesis can tell you for sure.

• Other genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs disease, and Huntington's disease. Neither the multiple marker test nor ultrasound will pick up these problems. Only amniocentesis can provide the information needed to diagnose them in the womb.

• Amniocentesis can also help detect neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly.

More than 95 percent of the high-risk women who have amniocentesis receive good news from the results. Only about 5 percent will be found to have a baby with a problem. Amniocentesis doesn't detect every birth defect, however. A cleft lip or palate, for example, won't show up on the test.

Is this test appropriate for me?
Although most testing centers will do an amnio for any pregnant woman who wants one, the procedure isn't offered routinely to all pregnant women because there's a small risk of miscarriage. It's usually only offered to those found to have a somewhat increased risk of having a baby with a chromosomal or genetic defect. You may be in this category if:

• You'll be 35 years old or older on your due date. The risk of having a child with a chromosomal defect rises as a woman ages. The chance that you're carrying a baby with Down syndrome, for instance, is about 1 in 300 when you're 35 years old — compared with 1 in 1,150 when you're 25.

• You've had another test, such as a multiple marker screen, a nuchal fold scan, or a "combined screening," that indicated your baby is at a higher risk for a problem. If this is the case, you might first have a detailed ultrasound to look for physical signs of Down syndrome and other defects. If the ultrasound shows that there's still cause for concern, you may want to have amniocentesis for a definitive diagnosis.

• You've previously been pregnant with a child with a birth defect.

• You or your partner has a chromosomal abnormality or genetic disorder or a family history that makes it more likely that your child will have genetic problems. Or you and your spouse are both carriers of a recessive genetic disorder such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease.


you only get this under specail conditions!