am i stupid for not doing down syndrome and other testing?

Question

first pregnancy, i am 21 years old
the doctor asked if i wanted to do blood testing for down syndrome and some other similar related illnesses. i said i wasn't really concerned about it, and i am not. my husband said i should've just done it for the heck of it, but i guess to me the results arent going to change how i feel. the doctor said i am very low-risk anyway, and the tests would only let me know if i am a higher risk for having a down syndrom baby or not. i feel really stupid sometimes for not doing the testing, like i am a bad mother. it's not that i don't care about it, i just don't think the results would change how i feel and how much i love the baby. opinions?

Answer 1

hi....first of all I wanted to say congratulations on the upcoming birth of your baby!
by not doing the test (which by the way isn't accurate 80% for false positives) you most definitely are NOT being a bad mother! from the sounds of it you are a very caring and loving mom. it isn't going to matter to you if your child has DS or not and for that I commend you! I have answered a lot of questions regarding the triple screen and most if not all of these mom's to be are scared and stressed by it. it is a fear of the unknown....I went through that same fear when I was pregnant with my youngest son and I did have all the tests. when I found out he did have down syndrome I cried and mourned the loss of my "perfect" child. well I have to tell you looking back on the past 3 yrs I do have a perfect child, he maybe different than "typical" children, but he is perfect in my eyes and he is the joy in my heart just like your child will be to you and that is what matters most of all...not what syndrome they may have or not have, but rather that they are loved by their parents and grow up to be loving and caring people.

Answer 2

Its completly up to you at the end of day. I was asked the same thing by my doctor and i said yes to the tests! I only said yes so that i can see my baby sooner, there is noway i can wait until i am 18 weeks!!! My partner and i dont care if our baby has any illness like that because we will still love it all the same. We just want to see our little bean and hear that little heart beat. We are so proud of what we have created that nothing could ever take that away. Please dont feel stupid i think its a great thing that you dont care about that! Not many others out there would agree with us, if they found out they would terminate the pregnancy. Also as your doctor said you have a very low risk of anything going wrong, so do i as i am only 19 (i will be 20 when baby is born!). Good Luck and congrats. If you need to talk any more feel free to contact me!

Answer 3

I kind of felt the same way, since this is my first pregnancy, and I decided not to have the test done.

I don't feel bad though. I love my little boy no matter what. Also, the test they do has SO many false positives and who needs that uneccesary stress? Also, even if the screening says you have a high risk for down sydnrome, the only sure way to know is to have an amniocentesis. Those can cause miscarriage. I KNEW that even if the test said I was high risk that I wouldn't have the amnio and wouldn't know for sure anyways, so why bother?

Don't worry. There are MANY people who don't have that test done. We still love our babies =)

Answer 4

I'm going to join the chorus here and say you shouldn't feel 'stupid' or negative about not getting the test done. Your age puts you at low risk, and if you don't have a family history, you should be fine. Make sure you eat right, drink lots of water, get some moderate exercise in, avoid all the no-nos (smoking, drinking, and other risky behavior) take your prenatals, make your ob/gyn visits, and ENJOY your pregnancy! You have enough to worry about (like, how to sleep when the bambino is practicing gymnsasitics) - don't let this fret you.

If it makes you feel better, ultrasound technology has advanced pretty well, and a good ultrasound tech can detect any 'abnormalities' that may be of concern. The tech might not mention it at the time (for liability issues) - but be sure to talk to your doc after you get ultrasounds done if you're worried about anything that happens during the ultrasound.

Congrats!!!

Answer 5

Not stupid at all. If you know that the results won't change the course of your pregnancy then there is no need to do testing which may carry a risk of miscarriage.

My husband and I decided before I even got pregnant that our child was just that...our child...and termination was never considered. I did have a son with Down syndrome and I can tell you that I wouldn't change a thing. He is the most amazing little boy.

Good luck and bless you for loving your baby just they way he/she is!

Answer 6

We had a positive prenatal test for Down syndrome. Our daughter is 6 now. Knowing in advance was very good because we could prepare, especially for the medical problems she would have immediately after she was born. Remember, the blood screen warns you about lots of conditions, not just Down syndrome. But your risk for all those things are very very low at 21.

Answer 7

Dont feel stupid! I didnt do the tests and i knew there was as major chance because of my age. BUT there are also side affects, and you did the right thing for the baby because you are being a mom and protecting the baby!!! No matter what the results say moms will love their kids, even if they have down syndrome!!! SO dont feel bad or regretful because you did do the right thing!!

Answer 8

If you don't care, and yo'll love your baby no matter what then why does it matter if you get tested. My oppinion is that Doctors try to push all these tests on us when we are pregnant becaus they get paid for them. They want that money to help pay for their insurance. So honestly I didn't get the test done myself neither time I was pregnant. Both of my babies were totally normal and happy, but if they would have been Down's Babies I know i would have loved them the same because they were mine and my husbands. So my advice is Don't Let Anyone Push You Into Doing Anything You Don't Want To Do!

Answer 9

You are not a bad mother! I did not have the test done when I was preg. and I was a high risk. I jus figured that if the test came back positive i would drive my self crazy for the rest of my pregnacy. I could not abort. (that is murder in my eyes) . Just put the pregnacy in Gods hand and pray. His will will be done regardless of any test.

Answer 10

It's a very personal decision.

For me, even though I would keep the baby regardless, I still did the AFP testing because I would want to know before the birth if there were problems, so that I could prepare myself emotionally, physically, and with a support group.

With some abnormalities, procedures can be done before birth to minimize the problems after birth.