My Third Pregnancy
On February 16th, 2012, Ken and I welcomed a son to the zoo! Hunter Kenneth Staskiewicz was born after 3 a.m., and here is the very beginning of his story...
The kids and I had just moved in with my mother. Because of the flooding that occurred in the aftermath of the tornado, our home became a moldy mess that could no longer be tolerated by our family. Because we could not find a place big enough to handle all of us, Ken went to his Dad's with the dogs, my sister took our cats, and the kids and I went to my Mother's. It was a few days into our new living arrangement when I finally looked at a calendar, and thought, "Oh boy."
I ran to Target that evening and bought a few generic pregnancy tests with the intention of testing first thing in the morning. Those who know me well know that I'm not a patient person. So, before bed that evening, I took the test. In less than a second, the test showed a POSITIVE result. My heart jumped into my throat. I couldn't believe that after all we had been through, and with the separation of our family, that this could be happening at that moment. I tried diligently to contact my husband for hours. He had been at the house working, and had allowed his phone to die. He finally called me back at 4 in the morning when he discovered that I had been trying to get in touch with him. Since I was terrified of his response, I told him I was going to send him a picture, and that it was really important for him NOT to get angry. He sounded quite skeptical, but acquiesced. I took a picture of the positive test, and forwarded him the picture.
Our text message conversation is as follows.
KEN: Who's is that?
ME: Mine.
KEN: Your F**KING kidding me, right?
ME: Nope.
That is a pretty good summary, even if it isn't exact. Especially the stars...Ken did not censor himself in that way.
I have never been so terrified of anything in my life. I certainly didn't want to tell anyone, especially after what happened with the house! I could see everyone judging us for our lack of "common sense" or because we weren't in any shape to handle a baby currently. We NEVER expected to get pregnant. It took SO long to get pregnant with Alexa, and that was with ovulation testing, temperature taking, marking days on a calendar, etc. This wasn't supposed to happen. But, alas, we were expecting.
We held off on telling anyone for a while. I went to my OB and he confirmed our news, and gave us a due date of February 22nd, 2012. The first time I saw and heard the baby's heartbeat, I felt a bunch of the weight lifted off. Bad timing or not, we were expecting a little person, and both of us were excited to meet our new little bundle.
It wasn't too long after our first ultrasound, which was right at 8 weeks, that I started getting sick. I had morning sickness that lasted all day, every day. While I never actually threw up very often, the queasiness made me miserable. I lost several pounds during my first trimester. I didn't start to feel better until about 15 weeks in. I only had a few weeks to revel in feeling good, because then the unthinkable happened.
The doctor asked me if I wanted what is called a "Quad" screening. This screening tests for certain substances that may indicate a problem with the fetus. I have had this screening with both of my other pregnancies, and both came back negative. Because of this result, I had no worries about a third test being done. In fact, I remember telling the doctor that they had always come back normal, so, of course I'd do the test.
I was in the office of the OB Manager when I got the call. When I heard Dr. McFadden's voice on the line, my heart sunk. He told me that the Quad screen came back abnormal. My AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) level was very low. It was about half of what it should be for a woman my age and at my gestational date. This screening could mean that the baby had Trisomy 21 or Downs Syndrome. He reassured me that the screening tests often come back abnormal even when they are not, and that I shouldn't be too concerned. A consult would be ordered with a perinatologist just to be safe. After I hung up the phone, I burst into tears. How could this be?? I immediately called my husband and told him what the doctor said. He calmed me down and reiterated that the doctor said that these tests often come back wrong, and I should stay positive.
The first thing I did when I got back to my desk was read everything I could find about Down's Syndrome and Quad screenings. Many resources agreed with my doctor, and suggested that women not even bother with the testing because of its tendency to be completely inaccurate. I went into our visit with the Perinatologist apprehensive, but hopeful.
We had was is called a "Level 2" ultrasound. It is very detailed and looks for abnormal markers on the fetus. These markers can indicate if the child has an abnormality of some kind. The first thing the doctor asked is if we wanted to know the sex of the baby...we did. He placed the probe to my belly and announced, "It's a boy." The baby had no problem showing off his personal regions, and it was very easy to see that he was right, we had a son on the way! My husband was glowing! After a half hour of the doctor quietly looking, measuring and taking pictures, he put his equipment away, handed us some beautiful pictures, and told us we had nothing to worry about. The baby looked completely normal, and while he could not give us a 100% guarantee, he would move the odds of having a baby with Trisomy 21 from 1:20 to 1:1000. He did tell us that the only way to be 100% sure is with an amnio, but the risk of losing a baby was 1:320. We did not want to take that risk. The doctor would follow up in 9 weeks with one more ultrasound.
As we were walking out of the office, I started to cry again. I was so incredibly relieved that everything looked so good, and that all of our prayers were answered. We called our family and gave them the great news. It seemed as though we had dodged a bullet.
Nine weeks after, I followed up again with the perinatologist and had another thorough ultrasound. Once again, I was reassured that the baby looked completely healthy, and that I should not worry about any abnormalities. The only issue he could see was that the cord had placed itself in the wrong spot, and that could have thrown off the test and the AFP level. He also noted the baby was very large, and advised my doctor to keep an eye on his growth. Again, I was relieved and reassured. This baby was perfect!
The rest of the pregnancy sailed by, but not without some complications. I had a very difficult time with my lower back and with edema. The baby was also taking more iron than I could produce, so I ended up having a few iron infusions to ensure I had enough blood for the delivery. Every ultrasound looked wonderful. He was a mover and a shaker! The baby was also going to be BIG! This was another sign that he was healthy (or so I was told). It was unusual to have a baby with Downs to be as big as this one. Since he was so incredibly big, and I was so incredibly miserable, we settled on 39 weeks for delivery. If I didn't have him before, I could be induced then.
I was induced at 6 p.m. on February 15th, 2012. My labor didn't start until Midnight, and by 3:30 a.m., Hunter had arrived. I didn't have much time to see Hunter, because he was whisked away by the staff almost immediately upon arrival due to respiratory problems. Ken was allowed to go to the nursery to take a picture of him so I could see him. I knew by the picture that something wasn't right. My instincts were correct. Hunter had Downs Syndrome. My world crashed down around me.
I will continue Hunter's story in my next few blogs. His complete birth story will be next, and the lessons I've learned since will follow.
Love, Happiness and Pethair!
Shannon
The kids and I had just moved in with my mother. Because of the flooding that occurred in the aftermath of the tornado, our home became a moldy mess that could no longer be tolerated by our family. Because we could not find a place big enough to handle all of us, Ken went to his Dad's with the dogs, my sister took our cats, and the kids and I went to my Mother's. It was a few days into our new living arrangement when I finally looked at a calendar, and thought, "Oh boy."
I ran to Target that evening and bought a few generic pregnancy tests with the intention of testing first thing in the morning. Those who know me well know that I'm not a patient person. So, before bed that evening, I took the test. In less than a second, the test showed a POSITIVE result. My heart jumped into my throat. I couldn't believe that after all we had been through, and with the separation of our family, that this could be happening at that moment. I tried diligently to contact my husband for hours. He had been at the house working, and had allowed his phone to die. He finally called me back at 4 in the morning when he discovered that I had been trying to get in touch with him. Since I was terrified of his response, I told him I was going to send him a picture, and that it was really important for him NOT to get angry. He sounded quite skeptical, but acquiesced. I took a picture of the positive test, and forwarded him the picture.
Our text message conversation is as follows.
KEN: Who's is that?
ME: Mine.
KEN: Your F**KING kidding me, right?
ME: Nope.
That is a pretty good summary, even if it isn't exact. Especially the stars...Ken did not censor himself in that way.
I have never been so terrified of anything in my life. I certainly didn't want to tell anyone, especially after what happened with the house! I could see everyone judging us for our lack of "common sense" or because we weren't in any shape to handle a baby currently. We NEVER expected to get pregnant. It took SO long to get pregnant with Alexa, and that was with ovulation testing, temperature taking, marking days on a calendar, etc. This wasn't supposed to happen. But, alas, we were expecting.
We held off on telling anyone for a while. I went to my OB and he confirmed our news, and gave us a due date of February 22nd, 2012. The first time I saw and heard the baby's heartbeat, I felt a bunch of the weight lifted off. Bad timing or not, we were expecting a little person, and both of us were excited to meet our new little bundle.
It wasn't too long after our first ultrasound, which was right at 8 weeks, that I started getting sick. I had morning sickness that lasted all day, every day. While I never actually threw up very often, the queasiness made me miserable. I lost several pounds during my first trimester. I didn't start to feel better until about 15 weeks in. I only had a few weeks to revel in feeling good, because then the unthinkable happened.
The doctor asked me if I wanted what is called a "Quad" screening. This screening tests for certain substances that may indicate a problem with the fetus. I have had this screening with both of my other pregnancies, and both came back negative. Because of this result, I had no worries about a third test being done. In fact, I remember telling the doctor that they had always come back normal, so, of course I'd do the test.
I was in the office of the OB Manager when I got the call. When I heard Dr. McFadden's voice on the line, my heart sunk. He told me that the Quad screen came back abnormal. My AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) level was very low. It was about half of what it should be for a woman my age and at my gestational date. This screening could mean that the baby had Trisomy 21 or Downs Syndrome. He reassured me that the screening tests often come back abnormal even when they are not, and that I shouldn't be too concerned. A consult would be ordered with a perinatologist just to be safe. After I hung up the phone, I burst into tears. How could this be?? I immediately called my husband and told him what the doctor said. He calmed me down and reiterated that the doctor said that these tests often come back wrong, and I should stay positive.
The first thing I did when I got back to my desk was read everything I could find about Down's Syndrome and Quad screenings. Many resources agreed with my doctor, and suggested that women not even bother with the testing because of its tendency to be completely inaccurate. I went into our visit with the Perinatologist apprehensive, but hopeful.
We had was is called a "Level 2" ultrasound. It is very detailed and looks for abnormal markers on the fetus. These markers can indicate if the child has an abnormality of some kind. The first thing the doctor asked is if we wanted to know the sex of the baby...we did. He placed the probe to my belly and announced, "It's a boy." The baby had no problem showing off his personal regions, and it was very easy to see that he was right, we had a son on the way! My husband was glowing! After a half hour of the doctor quietly looking, measuring and taking pictures, he put his equipment away, handed us some beautiful pictures, and told us we had nothing to worry about. The baby looked completely normal, and while he could not give us a 100% guarantee, he would move the odds of having a baby with Trisomy 21 from 1:20 to 1:1000. He did tell us that the only way to be 100% sure is with an amnio, but the risk of losing a baby was 1:320. We did not want to take that risk. The doctor would follow up in 9 weeks with one more ultrasound.
As we were walking out of the office, I started to cry again. I was so incredibly relieved that everything looked so good, and that all of our prayers were answered. We called our family and gave them the great news. It seemed as though we had dodged a bullet.
Nine weeks after, I followed up again with the perinatologist and had another thorough ultrasound. Once again, I was reassured that the baby looked completely healthy, and that I should not worry about any abnormalities. The only issue he could see was that the cord had placed itself in the wrong spot, and that could have thrown off the test and the AFP level. He also noted the baby was very large, and advised my doctor to keep an eye on his growth. Again, I was relieved and reassured. This baby was perfect!
The rest of the pregnancy sailed by, but not without some complications. I had a very difficult time with my lower back and with edema. The baby was also taking more iron than I could produce, so I ended up having a few iron infusions to ensure I had enough blood for the delivery. Every ultrasound looked wonderful. He was a mover and a shaker! The baby was also going to be BIG! This was another sign that he was healthy (or so I was told). It was unusual to have a baby with Downs to be as big as this one. Since he was so incredibly big, and I was so incredibly miserable, we settled on 39 weeks for delivery. If I didn't have him before, I could be induced then.
I was induced at 6 p.m. on February 15th, 2012. My labor didn't start until Midnight, and by 3:30 a.m., Hunter had arrived. I didn't have much time to see Hunter, because he was whisked away by the staff almost immediately upon arrival due to respiratory problems. Ken was allowed to go to the nursery to take a picture of him so I could see him. I knew by the picture that something wasn't right. My instincts were correct. Hunter had Downs Syndrome. My world crashed down around me.
I will continue Hunter's story in my next few blogs. His complete birth story will be next, and the lessons I've learned since will follow.
Love, Happiness and Pethair!
Shannon
Oh I have been waiting for your tales!!!! You both have been through so much...I know in my heart that God has such wonderful plans for your family!! Faith in Jesus Christ will get you through!! Love you and can't wait to read the next segment of you birth story!!! Xoxo!!
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