|
Post by carianasmom on May 14, 2004 9:36:52 GMT -5
I didn't have any testing with any of my pregnancies, but I did feel a premonition when I was pregnant with Cariana that she would have DS. I thought I remembered some other people saying the same thing, but I can't find the thread. Anyone else have this experience when they were pregnant?
Janis
|
|
|
Post by Staci on May 14, 2004 9:54:57 GMT -5
Janis, yes...I just posted this on the diagnosis thread. I definitely knew something was going on. I had sooo many signs throughout my pregnancy...dreams, realizations when I saw kids/people with Down syndrome, etc. Weird things. I wont go into it...but yes, I definitely knew. When I went into labor, I wasn't full of joy at seeing my new baby...I was full of dread...I knew my life was going to change like crazy and I was so scared. After he was born and I saw Aidan...I knew...although I don't think I knew "what"...but I knew something. I don't think I even knew what Down syndrome was. Anyway...I had similar feelings when pregnant with my daughter, who has a heart defect, but I thought it just had to do with what happened with Aidan. I can't wait to see how many other mother's "knew". This is very interesting. Thanks for posting it Staci
|
|
|
Post by lindy on May 14, 2004 10:04:51 GMT -5
Well I had no idea... When I was pregnant with Jenna I even skipped the sections about Down syndrome in the pregnancy books because I thought it was impossible that it would happen to me.
When I was about 36 weeks along my Doctor told me that Jenna had Intra Uterine Growth Retardation... I think thats what it was called... she wasn't growing. He told me not to worry, it was just a term... she wouldn't be mentally retarded. So I didn't worry. I was shocked when they told me about the Down syndrome after she was born.
|
|
|
Post by Alice on May 14, 2004 10:24:44 GMT -5
Yes, I had a feeling that baby might have DS (every morning I woke up with two feelings: one was happiness to be pregnant and another was a scare that baby is having DS), I think it was because all doctors pushed me to do an amnio (I was over 35). Also at one appointment I read a magazine and there was a story about one pregnant woman who did not want to do an amnio, and a doctor told her: "At your age you have 1% chance to have a baby with DS, I've already had 99 women here and their tests came back fine, you might be that 1 with DS baby". I was terrified by that... It was like I read about myself... Strange, is not it? Alice
|
|
|
Post by Ashlea on May 14, 2004 11:14:42 GMT -5
I had the same thing happened to me.... I had no testing, don't even think they asked me about it. I was only 20 when he was born.
Through my whole pregnancy, things just kept coming up about DS. The strangest thing was when I was 29 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital overnight because I was having contractions. They gave me some IV drip and I swear I read that it was for babies w/ DS (weird I know). But to this day, I have re-read every book I had and have never been able find it again?? Also, a friend of mine had a baby girl while I was pregnant and the whole time, I just felt like her baby had DS, well guess what her's didn't mine did..... Even still I was NOT at all convinenced when they told me at the hospital that Chandler had DS. Oh well, he is my little miracle - my one in a million!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by AnnieC on May 14, 2004 12:30:18 GMT -5
I had an intuition about it too. I just knew. When my mom came in to see me, she said you knew didn't you? & I just nodded. My dh was wondering why I never said anything to him. But, I was afraid to say anything because I was hoping I was wrong.
|
|
|
Post by ourangelalicia on May 14, 2004 12:52:52 GMT -5
The same week I got my AFP results back we moved into an apartment with a landlord who had a 5 year old son with DS. (We were only there a couple of weeks.) I didn't even see the sign! I actually didn't realize that until Ali was probably a year old, and then I realized that was probably a sign. After my AFP results came back I think deep down I knew and I was denying it since DH had said we couldn't handle it and should give her up for adoption if she had DS. I knew once she was born he'd change his mind, and he did! Now he wants another baby with DS since she is such an angel. I think I knew, but I just didn't want to admit it. I did go to message board the week before Ali was born and ask about ways to tell at birth though, so I definitely had some sort of idea. And as soon as she was born I knew for sure, but everyone else was in denial inclulding the doctor!
|
|
|
Post by laurasnowbird on May 14, 2004 13:02:26 GMT -5
Add me to the list that knew something was "different" about this pregnancy. For starters, I was HORRIBLY sick, and never had a day of sickness with my other two. (Knowing what I know now about the percentage of DS pregnancies that spontaneously abort, I think now that my body was fighting to hold onto my little man).
My doctor was very aggressive about recommending amnio because I would be 39 when I delivered. She went so far as to quote the percentage of marriages that end in divorce, bankruptcy, etc. I was appalled. I calmed myself for a week, then went back in and told her I was leaving for another practice, that if I delivered a child with a disability I would know that she believed the child didn't deserve to live. That's not the kind of thing I would normally have reacted so strongly to - in a normal world I would have just shrugged and said "You're welcome to your opinion". Instead I went off on her, and told her that it was her job as a doctor to inform me of my options and the risks associated with each option, but it was NOT her place to advocate for her beliefs.
Finally, I bought the book "Expecting Adam" when I was pregnant, and although I am a voracious reader, it simply wasn't the kind of book I would usually buy. I can't explain why I did! When I was reading about how sick she was during her pregnancy, it touched a chord in me. I loaned it to a friend with a special needs child (her son has Prader-Willie) and she loved it as much as I did. The woman who wrote the book is named Martha, and when I found out that Ethan had DS I called the friend to whom I had loaned the book, and said "Well, I guess I had more in common with Martha than we thought". There was complete silence for only a moment, then she said "Congratulations". It was truly the only conversation I had with anyone that began that way when Ethan was first born.
So premonitions, yup, I think it was actually written on my forehead, but I was too sick to see it! LOL.
|
|
|
Post by amyzimoski on May 14, 2004 14:14:35 GMT -5
I had no idea. Absolutly nothing tipped me off that my daughter had DS. My pregnancy was great! and the doctors weren't suspicious of anything either. I layed down to go to sleep one night and my water broke. I was in my 34 week. We went to the hospital and I had the easiest delivery. Natalie was in heart failure and had quite a bit of water on her lungs so I didn't even get the chance to hold her. The doctors layed her on the table and immediately saw she had DS and anounced it to us then took her into NICU. They called her a premie...she weighed 7lb 8oz. Needless to say she was the biggest premie in the NICU. Actually I thought Natalie was going to be a boy all the way up until she was born! I guess I really didn't have any clue!!
gotta run!-
Amy
|
|
|
Post by shellk on May 14, 2004 14:30:18 GMT -5
Janis, There is another thread in reference to birth stories.. When I was pregnant with Kourtney at around 17 weeks we found out she was a she..I started picking names and Kourtney stuck with me , then I thought to myself what if people call her "Corky" like the boy w/ DS on Life Goes On...Other thatn that at around 4 months I started having a reocurring dream where myself and my older daughter where at a pond and in this pond was a big pink fish that all of the other fish were picking on. And my daughter would say to me let's take her home and take care of her ..Deep down I knew something was wrong but not what ..Then after having her while I was in my hospital room crying my eyes out for her...and wondering how I was going to do this I just had this overwhelmingly warm and calming feeling, along with hearing a voice telling me that everything was going to be okay, you can do this..Strange I spoke with our Pastor about it and he said that it was probably the Holy spirit...I am not sure what it was but I know from that point on I was okay with the DS and only focused on the heart issues...They say special parents are trusted with children with disabilities. I am very thankful to be one of those parents..Although at times I want to run for cover LOL Michele
|
|
|
Post by MomtoAlyse on May 14, 2004 14:39:57 GMT -5
I knew early in my pregnancy that "something" just didn't seem right, but was unable to put my finger on anything in particular. I was also incredibly ill, which I was not with any (3) of my other pregnancies. I remember being at Chuckie Cheese with my then 3 and 2 year old and seeing a mother with a Ds baby and thinking that I should go and talk to her because I was having a child with Ds. I never did go and talk to her because I was sure she would think that I was nuts....
My AFP then came back bad for T18, and we opted to have an amnio because of that, only to find out that she had T21, go figure.
Dani
BTW are you pregnant?
|
|
|
Post by GatorTracyB on May 14, 2004 16:23:27 GMT -5
I don't know if I would say this was a premonition or not, but the weekend that I conceived James my DH and I were staying at a beach resort for my 30th birthday. We hadn't been "trying" to get pregnant in the previous months because he had been traveling so much with his job. I recall having a conversation with him about how we needed to get on with things because the older I got, the more risker things could be. So, Friday night we, um, enjoyed ourselves (that's politically correct right? : ) ). Saturday morning we woke up and looked forward to a beautiful day in the sun. We opened up the curtains to find a jet black sky and a wall of rain heading toward the shore- you could actually see it approaching. Turns out a hurricane, that was out in the Gulf of Mexico at the time, stalled due west of Clearwater Beach- where we were. So, instead of sun, we had storm squalls!
Later in my PG, I was talking to one of the nurses, who was also with the OB practice when I had my daughter 3 years before. I went to high school with her son, so she enjoyed sharing stories about her family. The previous weekend they had all gone to Disney World, and she was sharing the pics with me when I came across one with a little boy with Downs. She told me that he was her grandson, Nicholas, her oldest daughter's child. That appointment was the one where I was given the option to do the AFP test. I did not have the test with my first child, and didn't plan on doing it with this PG. But, I had this urge to go ahead with it. Instead, I stuck to my original decision not to- based on the stories of the numerous mom's who had received 'scares' based on the results.
At my 20 week ultrasound, James was found to have a slightly dilated kidney. All the other markers they look for were absent (for now). My doctor said it was probably a "boy" thing and that we had nothing to worry about. My hubby was out of town (stupid job) at the time and so I got in the internet to find out what the kidney thing involved. When I typed it into my search engine, I was sent to Downs sites. Needless to say, the next morning I was on the phone with my OB asking for reassurance. He sent me for a level 2 ultrasound where shortened femurs and an echogenic focus were found. They told me it wa a 50/50 thing, that they just didn't see the Downs in the ultrasound pics of his face. Throughout the remainder of my pregnancy, I saw big kids, small kids, adults, teenagers who had Downs EVERYWHERE! Looking back on it now, I think it was a sign showing me that normalacy exists even when you don't think it can.
I was still in denial when James arrived, and had a rough go with acceptance, but all the signs were there. Premonitions, maybe... blessing in disguise, absolutely!
|
|
|
Post by christie on May 14, 2004 20:28:28 GMT -5
YUP same for me. I have two children and when I was pregnant with Kodi I never felt better the whole pregancy. I worked right up to her due date and life was never better ;D I never once for one second thought anything would be wrong and I knew the baby would be a girl ;D 3 years later I was pregnant with Christopher and felt terrible physically from the get go For me I remember the OBGYN Doc found pre cancerious cells with my pap test so they were watching me with that along with the fact that Chris hardly moved who unlike Kodi was kicking all the time. Anywho, I remember thinking Hmmmm my sisters good friend had not felt well during her pregnancy and they also found pre cancerious (sp) and she too had to go into New York for testing, and her son was born and too had DS, Hmmm it was that day that I remembered her situation that I just knew I was having a child with DS. Now one has nothing to do with the other BUT I just KNEW. I never said anything to anyone the whole pregnancy, but everyone that knew me ? why I seem so stressed, pre occupied and not as happy as my first pregnancy. K, Since Kodi's birth turned out after 29 hours of Back Labor OUCH OUCH OUCH they did an emergency C Section so being my first was a C Section I was allowed to chose C Section for the second, which I did. Colin and I went very early on December 2nd and while they were preparing me for the delivery, my Ped came in to see if Colin or I had any questions. As she was walking out I said STOP, I have to ask do you check for DS right away?? She had such shock on her face and said why did you ask that?? Do you have a reason to believe your child will have DS?? I just said, Just Wondering?? She said yes they do check for that and went on her way. Colin looks at me and he too says why in the world did you ask that now?? I said, Just wondering...
K, there were some complications for me in the birth of Christopher but I remember looking off to my side and there was Colin sitting in a chair holding the baby and for the first time in 9 months I thought OMG the baby is fine ;D or they wouldn't let Colin hold him. Right after that they had to totally knock me out to do emergency surgery and when I woke up in recovery I remember opening my eyes and seeing Colin, my 2 OBGYN Docs and the nurse were all looking at me and said we need to tell you, Christopher may have DS. Everyone cried and I just said OMG I was right and started freaking out crying and the next thing I remember it was the next morning they had drugged me and I was out till the following morning.
So YUP somehow I knew
CC
|
|
|
Post by Claire on May 15, 2004 0:07:51 GMT -5
We found out in my 5th mth of pregnancy that we were having a son and that he had DS. But even when I first got pregnant, I remember feeling like something wasn't right. I never even thought of DS though. As it turns out I think adam having DS wasn't anything wrong after all.
|
|
|
Post by PaigesMom on May 15, 2004 7:47:06 GMT -5
This thread is really interesting. It just goes to show what a 'womens intuition' really means - how you know something but just cant explain it, YET.
Paige was my first, but from the very beginning, I always had this gut feeling that something was wrong. I just knew it inside, but the dr.'s kept telling me that I was 'a new mom', 'just to relax and enjoy the pregnancy', etc. etc. etc. - so around month 7, I guess I finally did and grew to believe that something was wrong with ME for feeling that something was wrong with THE BABY.
From the beginning there were just strange things that happened. I started spotting at week 8, they did an ultrasound and told me they saw a sac but no heartbeat and that it could be a blighted ovum. Repeat the ultrasound. Same thing at ultrasounds week 9-11 but I was only spotting. Week 12 they saw the baby and a heartbeat, I stopped spotting around week 14. Then came time for AFP testing - the dr. highly suggested I DID NOT get it because unless I planned to abort, what was the purpose - it was what it was. So even though I had this strange feeling, my husband and I decided not to do the testing (false positives/false negatives/maybe having to do an amnio/risk of miscarriage) and I tried to put my thoughts out of my mind. Then came time for month 5 ultrasound and they said everything was fine. Month 6 dr.s appt. the dr. breaks the news that they "saw something" on the ultrasound relating to the heart and he 'had to for liability purposes' send me for a level 2 ultrasound. He said there was NOTHING to worry about. I go for the ultrasound - they say "ok, you're here because of the ecogenic focus" - I'm like ok, what is that - "oh, it's nothing to worry about, it's usually just a pinhole that closes before birth" and after the ultrasound was over, they said that was what it was, repeat ultrasound 2 weeks before delivery and it will probably be closed. Week 38 - not closed. 'Ok, no problem, just tell the L&D nurses, they'll want to have the peds. do an ultrasound' - no worries.
So every night I'm going to bed and all day during the day going 'Please god, let nothing be wrong with this baby, somehow tell me what I'm feeling is wrong' ----NO ONE wanted to hear me, including my husband.
So week 40 and 3 days we're in labor, we tell the L&D nurses, they write it in my chart. She's born. I immediately notice she's doing something with her tounge (she was thrusting and making circles with it out of her mouth) - L&D nurses say "Dont worry you have a beautiful baby girl and she's just exploring her new world" ------- I saw no features right then and there, although my husband says as soon as she was born, HE KNEW......this is when I didn't and I had let all of my worry feelings go. Six hours later they told us, and they go from there --------give her up, she'll cause a divorce, bankruptcy, family problems, etc..
This is sort if a mixed up post, dont know where I should have posted it!!!
Anyway - absolutely YES on the premonitions, and the feeling of DS or a definate problem.
Debbie
|
|