Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis: T. M.
A prenatal diagnosis is often accompanied by the pressure to abort, leaving most parents feeling unsupported 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 “T. M.”
What conditions did your screening results indicate?
HCG levels not increasing at proper rate for a viable pregnancy and miscarriage was inevitable.
Did it turn out to be the case that your child had these conditions?
Absolutely not.
Please tell your story of your experience in your own words.
I underwent artificial insemination to become pregnant. Once I learned it was successful, the fertility clinic ran tests to confirm the positive result. They took subsequent blood samples each week for three weeks.
The results of those tests showed my HCG levels were not increasing at the rate for viability. They offered me a D&C so I could start “trying” again with more inseminations. I refused the D&C and 8.5 months later gave birth to a perfectly healthy and certainly viable baby boy.
I cringe at the thought of possibly going ahead with the D&C which would have killed my perfect baby in my womb. Why did I refuse the D&C? My thought was that the fertility clinic makes money while you “try” but that ends once you’re pregnant. I’m not a negative or suspicious person by nature but my mommy protection instincts kicked in.
Our son and his wife are now expecting their first. I’m grateful for my intuition and for my perfectly viable son of 24 years. Please beware of any such offers from medical professionals. They don’t know what you are capable of.
I often wonder how many women didn’t refuse and unknowingly killed their perfect embryos. We live in a disposal culture that throws life away whenever it creates inconvenience or worse, lack of profit. Our unborn and elderly are most at risk.
What aspects, if any, did you like about the way your medical team handled the situation?
None.
What aspects, if any, did you like about the way your medical team handled the situation?
They caused us much suffering as we waited for the miscarriage that never happened.
What recommendations do you have for medical providers who are giving parents prenatal screening results?
Never offer an abortion as a solution.
What recommendations do you have for parents who are receiving prenatal screening results?
Get a second and third opinion. And if abortion is not something you would consider, forego the prenatal testing for abnormalities. We did exactly that as we would never consider abortion for any reason and certainly not for imperfection.
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