Amniocentesis Results

I had a amniocentesis done last monday and it came back that my baby was going to have Downs Syndrome upon being born. I will admit I was scared, shocked, and a little angry. I was pretty unfamiliar with this disorder. Nobody in my or my fiances family has the disorder so I was stumped. I instantly went online and started doing all kinds of research. Basically now I've been preparing myself with having to care for a special needs child. I know the amnio is 99.4% accurate. But honestly I can't help but hold on to that lastshred of hope that my baby boy is going to come out normal. Can someone please give me some kind of advice or stories relating to mine. I already have someone close to me tell me their story and it sounded just like mine although her daughter came out perfect even thought their amnio said their baby was going to come out with Spina bifida and Downs.

i would just wait and see until the baby is born, and not stress too much. Alot of those tests come back as a false positive. number one reason why i refuse them.

And even if your baby is born with Downs, he/she can still have a normal life. Downs doesnt mean your child is retarded. I went to school with MANY Downs kids who graduated and got jobs and lived a semi-normal life.

either way, its not your fault. there is nothing that can be done to prevent Downs. Good luck to you.  

Im sorry to hear about your results, but like the other girls said, the test could be wrong. I hope that you have a healthy baby boy, with no health problems! I have refused the amnio all 3 times cause I didnt care if the baby had downs or not. That procedure scares me.. lol

my fiance's aunty has downs and she is absolutely amazing. she is only 24 but when we first started seeing each other before i met her for the first time he told be she had downs and i was absolutely stumped when i met her. She lives with a carer and another girl, she works, she does her own shopping.
My step sister has severe disabilities and is 23 and still wears nappies and can't talk or communicate in anyway, in comparison to that brendens aunty just blew me away. ( I guess i didnt know what to expect because i had never met anyone with downs before)
She was raised by brendens mother who said the biggest thing was allowing her to become independent because her own mother never gave her the chance....

im not saying the test results arent true, but my friend had that done and it came back saying the same exact thing and she was really stressed out afterwards, then the baby was born with no problems at all!!! i hope this happens with you and if not downs syndrom children are the sweetest ever, it will be ok you will make it through! just stay strong, GOOD LUCK

Thank you all for your advise and support! It helps me so much. I am so grateful I found this forum.

Quoting Momma, V, and baby #2:“ i would just wait and see until the baby is born, and not stress too much. Alot of those tests come back ... [snip!] ... semi-normal life. either way, its not your fault. there is nothing that can be done to prevent Downs. Good luck to you.  ”

theres are not "true/false" tests, theres no such things as a false negative..... please dont tell people that, its not true. They are about probability when they do bloodwork and an u/s, etc, where its like "1 out of 5" or "1 out of 100", etc. Those mean if 100 babies are lined up, one of them is going to have Downs, but wether its OPs baby or not, its not known until the baby is born.

However. If they went on to do an amnio, those are MUCH more accurate. I get that youre trying to be supportive, but false infomation ISNT supportive.

OP- Im really sorry to hear it, but like another girl said, there are varying levels of the severity of Downs, some people do function almost like someone without Downs. The spectrum is wide..... there are lots of girls on here who know a LOT about Downs, Ill go look in my PT and get you the stuff they have. I know its scary, but you will love your LO so much no matter what, and theres lots of info out there to help you get as prepared as possible. Ill go hunt for you!!!!

Quoting Addisons Momma!:“ theres are not "true/false" tests, theres no such things as a false negative..... please dont tell ... [snip!] ... LO so much no matter what, and theres lots of info out there to help you get as prepared as possible. Ill go hunt for you!!!!”

oops. my bad.  

OP, PM these members, or take a look at their profiles: they all have children with DS. **Off to hunt more info for you, I know theres lots here!!!***

http://members.baby-gaga.com/member31922

http://members.baby-gaga.com/member481395

http://members.baby-gaga.com/member606597

This is a VERY awesome DS Mommies chat thread:
http://forum.baby-gaga.com/about569593.html#12184464

This is a Genetic Disorder thread:
http://forum.baby-gaga.com/about256936.html

WOW thank you so much for the help!

Quoting Crystal_85:“ WOW thank you so much for the help!”

sure. and if theres anything i can do, feel free to PM me. I would go lurk/introduce yourself in the DS chat thread, there lots of very smart warm women in there, who will be able to answer your questions very well  

To everyone saying the amnio can be wrong, unfortunatly that is not true, so please don't give this girl false hope. The blood tests, screenings,and other things CAN and usually are wrong, but the amnio tests the baby's actual chromosones. Chromosones do not lie. Her baby will be born with downs which is not the end of the world   I would start researching and talking to mothers with downs children. Educate yourself. You will be fine. You can do it. I know it can be hard knowing your baby is not "perfect" or what you thought but that is still your little one   Good luck mama, Id read, read and then read some more. Meet with genetic doctors, learn what the outcomes are of children with downs and just try and relax.

this may sound a little weird but CONGRATS! Having a child with Special Needs isn't always a walk in the park. There are some days that are frustrating, hard and even some days that are scary. But your new life with your little miracle is going to be filled with joy, love, and happiness. The smallest obstacles or milestones become and amazing celebration.  

I do have one question though. Since heart defects are so commonin children w/ Downs, has your Dr sent your for anin depth heart screening ultrasound yet? If not, I woulddef. request it. You want to be preparedas well as deliver at a hospital that is prepared if yourchild should have some form of CHD.

Good luck with everything, and if you every have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Quoting Diosa Venezolana BGFM:“ I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people ... [snip!] ... fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.”

A friend gave me that poem with one of Ethan's gift right after he was born... I still have it saved.  

I love that one!