Is My Baby Healthy? A Guide to Prenatal Testing

I was sitting in a small room trying to chat comfortably and ignore the needle in my arm when the nurse asked, do you want us to call you with the results of the blood test, or just send them to the doctor.

I was in my 18th week of pregnancy, and flabbergasted by the question. “Will I know what the results mean,” I asked. Going a little red I admitted, “I don’t even know what I’m being tested for.”

It’s my fourth pregnancy, so when my doctor said, “Go get your blood drawn,” I obediently went. I am, after all a very good pregnant lady, taking my prenatal vitamin every day, eschewing caffeine, and faithfully doing yoga for pregnant women.

I like to leave all the fancy medical terminology and the worries that go with it to my doctor. When a week later, the doctor told me the tests were normal, I breathed a sigh of relief, though I wasn’t quite sure what bullets my baby and I had dodged. As I left the clinic, however, I vowed to become better informed.

By Megan C. Wallgren

Read Megan’s article on prenatal tests and results at childnparent.com

Add comment August 29th, 2007