on the lead up to yesterday’s big appointment (our 11 week ultrasound and CVS), i had really started to work myself up. very nervous, anxious and a little bit scared. you can read hundreds of experiences, but it’s often never the same as the person before you. to calm my nerves, i took to twitter and facebook, but eventually felt calm when i was talking to people about it at the hospital.
first things first, what is a CVS and why did I get one?
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is a prenatal test that detects chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, as well as a host of other genetic disorders. The doctor takes cells from tiny fingerlike projections on the placenta called the chorionic villi and sends them to a lab for genetic analysis. from Baby Center
after Jovie’s Rett Syndrome diagnosis, our family’s health and wellbeing has never been more important. to know of any conditions early on would help us prepare for the future. we didn’t get the RS diagnosis until Jovie was just over 3 years old, that’s at least 2 years of confusion as to what was happening with our daughter. the CVS will check for the major disorders aswell as Rett Syndrome (because we requested it) way ahead of that schedule.
back to yesterday, i’m glad to say that the appointment ran on time (even though I was 45 minutes early, just in case). i was met by a familiar face, our genetic counsellor who has seen us through everything with Jovie. Regan couldn’t get time off work, and my parents were taking care of Jovie for me, and I’m usually fine on my own anyway.
they confirm my details, asked my due date and up on the bed I popped. the huge television screen infront and above of me comes on as the ultrasound wand swishes over the gel on my belly. and there my baby is …
my dad (who has over 30 years of medical training, says ‘so which part is the tail?’ lol.
the ultrasound tech turns on the sound and the room is filled with the familiar swooshing of a strong heartbeart. i can see the little pulsing heart, and see it’s little arms moving around, and it’s legs kicking. i am INSTANTLY relieved, because for a while there i thought the extra kilo’s and belly i have was 100% pizza.
if you don’t want to know the details of a CVS procedure, then just enjoy looking at the picture above and i’ll see you later 🙂 otherwise click to continue ..
the position of my placenta was checked, it’s in a great spot (right up the front) and everything looks great to go. she prints off the picture for me and turns off the ultrasound while we wait for the professor.
the easy part was over. the hard part was coming. in my head i am thinking that this is CRAZY and i could just get up and go, but i know that this is what we want.
the professor (one of the best in Australia, yay!) comes in and introduces himself. he’s a nice man but i know he’s about to come at me & my baby with needles. i remind everyone to not make me laugh because i will jiggle like a christmas flan. i sign the consent forms. the assistant is really well versed in the procedure, she’s just helping but even the professor was impressed with her knowledge and readiness of every little ointment and pointy thing on the tray table.
the professor gels up the ultrasound again and double checks the position of the placenta and the baby, it’s looking good so they bathe me in antisceptic and lay a green sterile clothe with a cut out hole over the area. with the ultrasound wand pressing into me, he injects something that is supposed to numb my skin. (there is nothing to numb my uterus). after a minute or so, they are ready to go with the big one. his head is blocking my view of the tv screen, which is ok. i’m staring up at the airconditioning vent right above me, my arms above my head. it’s the one way i know i can relax and it’s working. i did tell everyone that my happy place was the walking dead, so feel free to discuss zombies to distract me.
as the needle goes in, i can feel every part of it entering my body. i am breathing slowly so i don’t disturb anything down there, but mostly to breathe away that awful feeling of a needle so close to your tiny baby. it feels like pins scratching away, they have to ‘saw’ the needle up and down to get a sample and i feel that too. it feels like a concentrated cramp, very specific and not pleasant at all.
i’m really still and they’re telling me i’m doing great. the professor pulls out the needle and i look down to see the sample as it sloshes into the little container it will travel it. he checks it under the light and success, they have plenty to test with! i’m even allowed to hold it and check for myself, before i pass it into the assistant and she labels it.
we have another ultrasound to check that the baby is doing ok, and to my relief the little bug is moving around and the heart is beating like a champ.
i have two giant bandaids placed on the needle site, and am allowed to slowly sit up before using the bathroom. i’ve been told to rest, that it can feel a bit sore for a few days and that a little bit of bleeding is normal. the whole procedure takes about 40 minutes all up with the most terrible part being maybe 6 minutes in total.
all in all, the cvs wasn’t ‘horrible’ but it wasn’t something i’d like to do everyday. you take a risk whenever you have any invasive testing like this during pregnancy, and it’s really a personal decision whether to go through it or not.
we have to wait about 2-3 weeks for the full results. i don’t know what it’s going to show. there’s a less than 1% chance of Rett Syndrome again. there’s the usual chances of Down Syndrome and other disorders, and of course, things happen at any stage of pregnancy and life in general.
everything in life is a chance or maybe it’s fate, just the way it’s supposed to be. but i’m so excited to be on this journey again and whatever comes our way, i know we will be okay.
