In the spirit of modern-day communications, here is the next installment of Number 5's journey from womb to world. We had two sets of ultrasound images done, one at our normal appointment, and another set at the "Specialist's" office. More on that.
Now that the dust has settled and we are reasonably assured that based on current medical technology, Number 5 is as healthy as we can guarantee, we can pour out all of the gory details from the previous month.
So, our former doctor, who shall remain nameless, had the unfortunate task of relaying less-than-perfect news to two inquisitive and sometimes demanding first-time parents. We were informed that a cyst, more accurately a choroid plexus cyst, was observed during the ultrasound. These are weakly associated with chromosomal disorders. So, the doctor presented us with this information, throwing in "Down's Syndrome." While she indicated that this was not common, she couldn't or wouldn't be more specific without "looking it up." Not encouraging, for after some prodding she said that she saw this in 7% of her patients. To our way of thinking, if you see it that often, you might know more about it. She did say we could go to a specialist to get more specific information. Nonetheless, we were less than pleased with the question dodging and her apparent lack of concern for our feelings on the subject. This was not the first time we were frustrated with her unwillingness to answer questions, but it was the first time that Stephanie felt that maybe this was not a good sign of things to come. Did anyone say "Delivery day?" We could not imagine going through something like this when the heat was really on.
So, on our way we went, bewildered and upset, determined to see the specialist as soon as possible. We were fortunate and able to schedule an appointment the following day with Dr. Pan.
Dr. Pan did a fantastic job of reassuring us, showing how the ultrasound images and measurements demonstrated that it was extremely unlikely that Number 5 had the worst of the potential chromosomal disorders, trisomy 18, or Edward's Syndrome. However, after so much upheaval, Stephanie asked to have a serum screening called the quad test performed. You can read more about that on Wikipedia. At the end of the day, the quad test indicated that our risk of having a child with chromosomal disorders such as Down's Syndrome, spina bifida, or neural tube defects is very low, or "negative." Woo hoo. Stephanie can sleep again!
How about some pictures? Number 5 weighs approximately 10 ounces.
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