and my belly is popping out. ;) I am officially 9 weeks along now. And may I just rant for a moment? Good, because I am going to anyway.
I will be 35 years and 2.5 months old when this baby is born. Obviously, it was conceived while I was still 34. As most ladies know, 35 has been decided to be the "magic number" of your childbearing years.Apparently it doesn't matter that my baby will be mostly busy gaining weight during those 2.5 months that I am 35. Because I am going to be 35 when the baby is BORN I must have every single invasive prenatal test ever invented or else I am a bad mother. I am 34 going on 35, but I refuse to believe that I am automatically broken and in need of extreme medical intervention just because I have the apparent misfortune of turning 35 before I give birth. Sheesh!!! My husband kind of thinks that this is quite funny. He keeps saying "Well, you are getting old hon." Wink, wink, nod, nod. But he isn't the one that they want to run a cvs test and an amniocentesis on along with an ultrasound in every trimester. I have an autoimmune disease, but it was never an issue in previous pregnancies. They almost didn't seem to care when my blood pressure shot up and I swelled up like a water balloon. The baby was fine even though I wasn't, so everything was going to be ok. I specifically asked if these tests were related to my previous pregnancy complications. They said "NOPE". It's because of MY AGE!(!!??!!) What the heck! That makes no sense to me! I have plenty of relatives who delivered normal, healthy babies after age 35. We have NO HISTORY of birth defects in my family or in my husband's family. NO history whatsoever!! I am apparently incapable of producing a baby without birth defects just because I am past my expiration date. UGH!!! It just makes me so mad. And I have really been treated quite badly in the dr's office over this. They try to make me feel guilty for not submitting to all of their tests. But really it just makes me feel like they are using my age as an excuse to jack up my delivery charges ("High Risk with Advanced Maternal Age") and make as much money from the tests as possible just because I have good insurance that will blindly pay for all of their goofy tests because I fit the "profile". (And we wonder why our health care costs so much in this country. But that is a whole other topic...)
And no, we wouldn't abort anyway even if I took the tests and they came back as having a birth defect as a possibility. So what's the point of all the tests?
I understand that my Hashimoto's disease makes me higher risk. I understand that I am high risk because I only deliver by c-section. What I don't understand is why the BIG HUGE emergency is not those risk factors but the fact that I am going to be 35 for only 2.5 months before I deliver. It just makes no sense to me!!
Ok, I am done ranting now. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better already.
And here is my new battle cry: "Old mothers of the world, UNITE!!" ;) Let's fight the power and tell them that we are only old, not old and broken too.
I feel like a carton full of eggs that are past their expiration date........
Have a great weekend everyone!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Hi KitKat!
Just wanted to let you know that I've made my blog private. I'd love to invite you but I need your email addy. Could you go to www.mhinkel.blogspot.com and leave me a comment? Thanks! Sorry about the inconvenience.
Wanted to say that I'm 36, but have managed to avoid all the tests so far except the mid-preg ultrasound. Which, incidentally, showed what could be a major problem and now I'll be going in for a level II and who knows what all else. I guess you can't beat the system :-). All the best!
Just Say No! Well, you don't have to, but I have declined several tests during pregnancy. For example, I told my doctor that I would let him text me once for STDs, and he could decide if that was right before delivery or at the beginning, but not over and over again when I have no risk factors and I know the result isn't going to change.
I think it all adds a lot of stress that I don't need when expecting, so I decline them.
Hi Moey!! I tried to go to the blog in your comments but I didn't see where I could leave a comment. Maybe I have preggy brain already. ;) I am so sorry about your u.s. results. I will keep you in my prayers. My cousin had that happen to her in last pregnancy, but it did turn out to be nothing in the follow up tests. I will pray for the same results for you!
Hi Kelly!! I do believe that I am going to say "no" as well. My hubby was a bit concerned as I have a higher risk for neural tube defects with my hypothyroidism, but when I found out what the cvs test entailed and told him he said we'll just take our chances. And I know that we are not doing the amnio. But boy did they make me feel defective just cuz I am a bit long in the tooth compared to a 25 year old. ;)
I'm with Kelly. You can tell them no. I don't know what it's like where you are, but in Canada they can't make you take them.
Have you ever visited Holly Johnson's blog? She went through the same thing when she had her last child. Check out this post: http://seekingfaithfulness.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/five-months/
It is on topic.
Sorry KitKat! I think I fixed the problem if you would be so kind as to try again. How embarrassing. LOL. I'll just need your email addy for an invite at www.mhinkel.blogspot.com
I declined all tests even the glucose one when pregnant with my fourth. I only let them do scans and routine bloods. As I said I wasn't going to do anything bu thave the baby so they could leave me alone.
Post a Comment