As if staying pregnant is not enough for us to worry about, we had the unpleasant experience of learning all about the AFP Test. The AFP test is a test that is offered to all women under the age of 35 by the State of California to test for birth defects (Down's Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Trisomy 18, and other defects). Wanting to be prepared and hoping for the best, we decided to go ahead with the test. We have a wonderful OB that has spent a lot of time with us these past years and is wonderful about calling us about everything and checking up on us. That said, when we received her call telling us that our AFP test came back abnormal this was one time we weren't thrilled to receive her call. Initially we were told that our test was "low" and this was an indication for Down's Syndrome. The odds went from 1/1100 to 1/275. We already knew that we would have to be visiting a perinatologist since this was a "high risk" pregnancy but because of the AFP results our appointment was going to be bumped up. Three days before our perinatologist appointment we met with our OB and after reviewing the hardcopy results it turned out that our results were not abnormal for Down's Syndrome but for Spina Bifida. We had already discussed the possibility of what we would do if we had a Down's baby but we weren't prepared for the possibility of dealing with Spina Bifida. With a Down's baby we knew that the baby would survive however, with Spina Bifida there are was the chance that the pregnancy would not be viable.
After three long stressful days, we went to the perinatologist and met with a genetic counsler and the doctor. After a detailed ultrasound where they checked the baby's organs, brain, spine, and genitals we were happy to find that our baby was healthy and developing on schedule. No signs of Spina Bifida were present and the baby was given a clean bill of health. We are still unsure of what caused the "abnormal" test results but the perinatologist was not overly worried. So long story short........our baby is progressing as it should.
After three long stressful days, we went to the perinatologist and met with a genetic counsler and the doctor. After a detailed ultrasound where they checked the baby's organs, brain, spine, and genitals we were happy to find that our baby was healthy and developing on schedule. No signs of Spina Bifida were present and the baby was given a clean bill of health. We are still unsure of what caused the "abnormal" test results but the perinatologist was not overly worried. So long story short........our baby is progressing as it should.
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