amniocentesis

have you experienced it? what was it like? was it worth it?

Re: amniocentesis

I had one with my DS.

I was considered at risk for trisomy and needed to know whether or not he had it or not.

From what I remember, they cleaned my belly and sterilized everything.

They used the sonogram to make sure they knew where DS was.

They inserted the needle which hurt but had to pull out quickly because DS moved.

So they waited and redid it.
It hurt a lot and I was very crampy for a few days.


In my eyes it was worth it. I was also able to confirm he was healthy and a he.

Re: amniocentesis

how far were you in the pregnancy

Re: amniocentesis

i think 16 weeks or so.

it was about a month after I had the screening/sono for downs.

Re: amniocentesis

I had one at 16 weeks. The actual procedure was not as terrible as I thought it would be. The needle pinched a bit, but less than it does for taking blood. I did cramp when they started withdrawing the fluid. I rested that whole night (Wedsnesday) and most of the next day. I had some pretty bad cramps on Thursday. By Friday I was feeling okay so I did some light housework. Nothing crazy -- just dishes and sweeping. That night I was feeling pretty crampy again and ended up calling in sick to work.

All in all, it was worth it for me, since I didn't get great results from my ultrascreen. This put my mind at ease without having to wait until 20 weeks. My doctor told me they would't do the amnio earlier than 16 weeks because there isn't enough fluid. I did call the genetics center at Schneider's and they would have done it earlier but the way the scheduling would have worked out, it was worth it to just wait for my doctor's office.