Re: Bad attitude. Help! (pg and m/c ment)

April 17, 2002

Hi Hollie. I'm sorry you're feeling down.

Regarding the tri-test - please please please remember a couple of

things. This is a SCREENING test. This means it screens to see if

you're at risk for it - not to give a diagnosis. AND - there is a

VERY high incidence of false positives with this test as well. I know

it's hard, but the chances are very good that nothing is wrong with

your baby at all.

I can only try to (unsuccessfully) imagine how hard it must be after

4 m/c. However, as someone very wise said (I think it was someone on

this board).....

Enjoy your pregnancy. If something happens, you couldn't prepare for

it anyway. (something like that....you get the point though, right?)

Regarding worrying - no, it's not great. But, I just got an article

at my childbirth class that talks about stress and pregnancy. It

seems that the problem is really only if there are HIGH amounts of

stress. Although I'd love to see you worry less, please don't worry

that your worrying is affecting the baby - that'll just make it worse.

Regarding techniques, classes or tips....hmmmm....I really have no

suggestions. I'm at a loss at the moment. Sorry. But, we're here to

listen if you want to talk more.

I really hope you're feeling better soon. And, let us know what

happens when you do get to see your peri.

Tara

BU

22w5d

April 17, 2002

Hollie-

Hang in there! I wish your peri was around so you could get reassurance

that everything is okay. I don't have any words of experience, but I do

know that the tri-test has a track record of lots of false positives. I

have a close friend who went through 2 weeks of hell only to find out that

everything was fine...she now has a very healthy 8 month old.

Sending lots of good thoughts and hugs to you!

UD

April 17, 2002

Hollie-

Hang in there! I wish your peri was around so you could get reassurance

that everything is okay. I don't have any words of experience, but I do

know that the tri-test has a track record of lots of false positives. I

have a close friend who went through 2 weeks of hell only to find out that

everything was fine...she now has a very healthy 8 month old.

Sending lots of good thoughts and hugs to you!

UD

April 17, 2002

I'm sure that you've heard that the triple screens are notorious for false

positives. One of the OB's in my OB's group told me that in her " many years

of practice " that 1 in 200 positives turns out to be Down's or NTDs. She

wasn't giving me cold hard statistics, but just her way of telling me not

too worry too much.

I personally know 2 girls who had positives on the test & they both had

perfectly healthy babies. The one girl was even told that she would have to

have intrauterine surgery!!! A later test confirmed that what they

suspected was wrong wasn't a problem after all.

I hope you can put your mind at ease. I know it's hard.

Tammy

UD

April 17, 2002

In a message dated 4/17/2002 6:11:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

MullerianAnomalies writes:

> I guess I am just in funk. Can anyone recommend any Positive Mental

> Attitude books? Or any techniques, classes or tips?

>

Hi Hollie,

I'm sorry to hear about the possible neuro tube defect. I can

understand how that would make you worry, but my hopes and prayers are with

you and your family.

As for recommendations, I've been reading a book called " Enjoying

Where You Are On The Way To Where You're Going. " I think it's by Joyce

Meyer(s). It's been helpful to me and opened my eyes to a new way of looking

at some things. It definitely has religious overtones, so avoid it if you're

not looking for that.

Take care and let DH take over worrying for a while.

Becki, UU

April 18, 2002

You know, I don't think they even give the triple screen as a standard

test anymore over here in Australia. I've never ever been subjected to

it, but I am a public patient, friends of mine with private health

insurance have had it. They also had that nuchal translucency (or

whatever??) test too, which I'd never heard of before reading about it

on this list. Mind you, my sister in law had the Alpha-fetal-protein

test when she was pregnant with her son, at the same time I was

pregnant with my daughter, and we were under the same care in the same

hospital! Maybe I look like nothing's wrong? Or maybe it's just luck

of the draw?? I must say, I had more care with the pregancy with my

son than with my daughter, and that was with a different hospital.

Hafey, Sydney Australia

Dx BU but probably SU; 4 m/c, 1 dd, 3 m/c, 1 ds, 1 m/c...you know, I

may just get this thing removed one day!

--- Tammy Morton wrote: > I'm sure that you've

heard that the triple screens are notorious for

> false

> positives. One of the OB's in my OB's group told me that in her

> " many years

> of practice " that 1 in 200 positives turns out to be Down's or NTDs.

> She

> wasn't giving me cold hard statistics, but just her way of telling me

> not

> too worry too much.

>

> I personally know 2 girls who had positives on the test & they both

> had

> perfectly healthy babies. The one girl was even told that she would

> have to

> have intrauterine surgery!!! A later test confirmed that what they

> suspected was wrong wasn't a problem after all.

>

> I hope you can put your mind at ease. I know it's hard.

>

> Tammy

> UD

>

http://messenger.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Messenger

- A great way to communicate long-distance for FREE!

April 18, 2002

Hollie,

I am sorry you're feeling so out of sorts. I know how that is, I've

been there. As far as the triple screen test, I think the others

have said it all, it's a screening test, it's not infallible and it

does tend to have high proportions of false positives. I've had it

three times and during my last PG, my OB/GYN " forgot " to schedule me

for it in the right window of time, so in order to cover her butt,

she sent me to a genetic counselor and tried to get me to have amnio

instead. I guess she just wanted to cover her basis. I ended up

seeing the counselor but declining the amnio. Please try not to

worry too much before you get further clarification, I am sure things

will turn out fine.

As far as worrying, I could write a book on that topic!! To keep it

short, some thoughts: Try to focus on a small stretch of time only.

I set myself goals - getting to 20 weeks (halfway), then getting to

24 weeks (baby's viability), then 28 weeks etc. etc., that way, the

whole pregnancy won't seem so daunting. Also, I made several trips

to the ER for aches, pains, not feeling enough movement etc. In my

opinion, nobody knows your body and your baby better than you do.

There is nothing wrong with being overly cautious, as long as you

don't drive yourself crazy. My take on it was that I'd rather waste

some time at the hospital than have something go wrong and forever

wonder if I could have done something. That's not to suggest that

anything should go wrong, all I am saying is that you shouldn't worry

about listening to your body, taking extra care and being seen when

you feel it's warranted, even if it turns out to be nothing.

Also, I read somewhere recently about what a miraculous task it is to

grow a baby, a BRAND NEW HUMAN BEING, just think of how monumental

that is. Give yourself and your body credit. I think we're all

trained, particularly in North America, to treat pregnancy as a

matter of course, we're expected to still carry on and do everything

we've always done, like it's not a big deal. Well it is, in my

opinion. Be extra good to yourself, rest, relax when you can and

watch your little miracle unfold. I always tried to focus on taking

it a day at a time and being thankful for the uneventful passage of

time. Hope some of this helps. Take care and seek support here when

you feel like it, I think the ladies here are just wonderful for that.

Lia

UD, mom of 3

April 18, 2002