Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis: Michelle B.
A prenatal diagnosis is often accompanied by the pressure to abort, leaving most parents feeling unsupported by the medical community and society at large. In our series “Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis,” we share testimonies of parents who received a diagnosis while pregnant and their personal experience in handling it. Today’s story is from Michelle B.
What conditions did your screening results indicate?
Anencephaly was a major one. The doctor also said something about my child living while in my uterus but at birth would die.
Did it turn out to be the case that your child had these conditions?
No.
Please tell your story of your experience in your own words.
I went in for my routine second trimester blood work and prenatal visit and left thinking everything was fine. 72 hours later I got a phone call that changed everything about my pregnancy. It was a virtual call and it kept freezing. Although I could hear the doctor it felt like I was hearing her from under water. She didn’t even say spina bifida, she gave me some other possibilities, and sent me a referral out for Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) to be seen throughout the rest of my pregnancy, or to discuss termination of my pregnancy. We did a 2 hour long ultrasound where I struggled to look at the screen and then were told our son had spina bifida.
What aspects, if any, did you like about the way your medical team handled the situation?
When I got to MFM I loved everything. They walked me through step by step, and hugged me when I cried that my baby wasn’t gonna die, he was just going to have a rough start to life.
What aspects, if any, did you dislike about the way your medical team handled the situation?
The original OB was not very good at giving me news that something was wrong. It scared me enough that I struggled with the news for days, scared out of my mind, until I could get in to MFM.
What recommendations do you have for medical providers who are giving parents prenatal screening results?
Speak to them as if they are your family you have to give this news to, not as a robot. Our hormones are already going through the wringer, why add more to it by being emotionless?
What recommendations do you have for parents who are receiving prenatal screening results?
It may sound scary, and it may feel like there is too much going on, but I promise you it is so worth it once you hold that precious baby. Not everyday is easy but everyday is another step forward in their future.
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