Saturday, January 26, 2008

POLL for all you parents out there!

So, at my next appointment in a few weeks we can be tested for down syndrome and spina bifida and other neural tube defect (TO CLARIFY, IT IS JUST A BLOOD TEST). My doctor doesn't seem to worried about it but Luke and I think we want to have it tested, just in case there is an issue and we can be better prepared. So, my question to you all is, what is your thoughts on it? Did you have it done, do you think it is necessary? Also, this is more random than not but soon I will need maternity clothes, where did you find the best deals for cute clothes, MOMS? Also, where is the best place to buy baby stuff like car seats and strollers? Thanks for your help!

16 comments:

Lisa said...

This is a good question, Rachel. Before I got pregnant, I would have said not to worry about the test (especially because it consists of a very LARGE needle!). But our baby had some complications in utero that made the amneo very necessary. We got it, and it was nice to know that he didn't have any genetic problems (like down syndrome). He did have some other problems, however, and they were able to be fixed before he was even born. My husband and I both agreed, however, that even if Jake was to be born with birth defects, or whatever, that it would be nice to know, and to prepare. It would make it easier to tell people beforehand too, so that when you gave birth you wouldn't have to supplement telling people with, "and, oh, by the way..." The flip-side to it is that it increases the risk of a miscarriage. It's not a huge increase, but as any pregnant woman knows, any increase is a scary one. They can catch A LOT of things in just the ultrasound. That's where they found Jake's complications. So that can be a reassuring thing too. Bottom line for me, since we had to have it, I'm glad we did, and it was a comfort to know some of the things that he definitely didn't have to deal with. For the next baby, though, as long as the ultrasound looks good, I don't plan on having the amneo again. I hope that answers your question! Sorry for the novel!

Also, for maternity clothes, they aren't the cheapest, but I love the stuff they have at Motherhood Maternity (thank goodness for my mom!:). I didn't shop there, but I know Old Navy has some great maternity clothes too. All of my maternity clothes came from my mom buying them for me, and my cousin lending them to me. Good luck with everything! Enjoy being pregnant. It's such a special time :)

ChristyLou said...

That's a tough decision. If you don't have any hereditary risks I wouldn't stress over it too much though. The blood test isn't much of a big deal since you have to have blood drawn anyway, but sometimes it's inconclusive and can scare you when there's nothing wrong. As for the amneo, I'm scared to death of the idea (I hate needles!) and never even considered it. But don't worry, you guys will make the right decision for you. I'm sure that prayer and the Holy Spirit will help you decide.

As for clothes, I second Lisa, Motherhood Maternity is awesome! You can actually get a smaller selection of the same clothes at Sears too. Target also has a decent selection and I noticed that their maternity stuff is on sale right now. It's probably off season, but you might get lucky! I love buying maternity clothes, they're so flattering nowadays and it's just fun to buy a new wardrobe. :) Good luck!

Jules said...

As to whether or not to have the tests done, that has to be your decision, although we have been told there is some risk to the baby, and I've also heard that it's been likely to give you false positives (not sure about the validity of that one though).

I got quite a few of my clothes at Shopko and was always happy with them and their price!

Christine said...

Rachel, I heard that unless needed the test has too many risks, so I would be careful if I was you. I didn't have it done and probably never will. But I would do what feels best to you. As for clothes, all the suggestions above were the best for the price.

Megan G said...

Rachel--I thought the test for down syndrome/spina bifida was only a blood test, and had nothing to do with the amneo? I think they only do that if they are worried about the results from the blood test? But maybe you are referring to a different test than I am thinking of. We got it done (the blood test) just b/c like others have said, it would be nice to know if there were problems before hand, but it's really nothing to stress about.

The best place for maternity clothes as far as selection is Motherhood Maternity like others have said... even though it does stink b/c they are expensive! Target and Walmart sometimes have some cute stuff, it just depends on your store. (By the way, our Walmart had the maternity clothes back by the baby stuff... NOT in the women's clothing section I found out!) You also might be lucky to find a nice thrift store that has a maternity clothes section... I found one after I had bought a bunch of clothes :) (It's a place called Twice as Nice... it may just be an AZ store though) Sorry for rambling so much! You will be a great mom!

Chelsea said...

When I was living in China, I had a lot of time to surf the internet, and I found that they had a ton of maternity clothes on ebay. Seriously, there were whole bunches of clothes from (it seems like) rich ladies who went way overboard and bought too many clothes for their pregnancy, and since they're only planning on having the one baby, they get rid of them right away. There was a ton of cute stuff. That's not always the case, but usually. It's used stuff, but people only wear it for a couple months...

Michele said...

Rachel, I don't think you have anything to worry about. The chance of having a baby with Downs is very slim before age 30. Plus, they can find out a lot of things in the ultrasound. You don't want added stress during your pregnancy, especially this early on.
I shopped a lot at Motherhood Maternity for clothes because I had to buy a lot of work maternity clothes. I also found some stuff at Old Navy, Ross, Kohls and JC Penny. They have a maternity catalog also that has a lot of cute clothes in it too.
For baby stuff, I would shop online. We shopped at Babies R Us but found they were at least $20 more expensive on the average for car seats and strollers. You can find good deals, you just have to search. Good luck!

. said...

My doctor, Derek, and I decided that the test wasnt necessary because no matter what we'll love the baby we get and we didn't feel it was necessary to start worrying if our baby had down syndrome or whatever because like I said we will love every baby we get. My doctor said the test would show if there were those problems but she couldn't do anything about it. If the baby has down syndrome they cant fix that. Anyway, I was a crazy worried pregnant woman so I didn't need any extra stres. I got my maternity clothes from Old Navy and Motherhood Maternity and JC Penny.

. said...

Oh, I forgot. We got our pack 'n play from Toys R Us, mattress from Target, and people gave us a lot of other stuff. Graco is a good brand. The car seat also came from Toys R Us.

Becky said...

We didn't get the test, because I am very paranoid. The test can give you false positives. I didn't want to worry about something if it wasn't true. I figured I would deal with it when it came.
For clothes if you have friends that were pregnant, we did a lot of swapping around. Also, if there is a used mommy and baby store where you are at can be useful. I got Ami's winter jacket for $6 compared to $25. I figured she is only going to wear it one season. Than there are other things that you don't want to use of somebody else's.

Marlynn said...

Hey Rach, I didn't get the test either, because the ultrasound looked fine and so far everything has been healthy.

As for the clothes, like others have said the Motherhood Maternity has great clothes, I really like the shirts, but my problem with them is the pants are not long enough for me and if they were they were like parachute pants. I haven't yet found some maternity pants yet that are long enough for me...it's quite frustrating. I heard that JC Penny has great pants anyways thats all I have for now.

The Kooky Queen--Rachel said...

Well, to add to all the mass of comments, hopefully I don't duplicate any bit of advice but as for that blood test, I didn't do it because there is a large percentage of the time where it comes out positive when the results are in fact, negative. I didn't think it was worth it and also for my frame of mind, would rather not stress about problems my baby had and then not have them actually have them...haha, did ya get that?

As far as maternity, Motherhood had my favorite jeans called, I think American Star (made by American Eagle) and they were *AWESOME*!!! I wore them nearly every day. I loved Old Navy's shirts though.

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Laurel said...

Hi Rachey- just wanted to add my two cents. :) As far as the test- I had it done and you know how much I hate needles...so yeah. You decide. :) As far as clothes go...I love Old Navy jeans--but get them long..Motherhood is more expensive and their stuff shrinks....which really annoyed me and since your legs are as long as mine--just wanted to warn. Also, Motherhood doesnt carry long sizes- just bigger ones...something to think about. I have found very cute shirts at Ross and TJ Maxx...so there you have it. :)

LittleFamilyJL said...

Hey Rachey.
So, about the test. We didn't have it done. But I'm not sure if you are talking about the same thing I'm thinking about. I guess a blood test is different than an amneo? Either way, we decided to not do it for several reasons like others have mentioned:
1-Risk of miscarriage. Not worth it.
2-The Dr. said that it wasn't necessary. If he would have seen a valid reason for getting it done, maybe something that would have HELPED the baby, than we would have done it for sure. But in our situation it was just for the parents to know, so we didn't do it.
3-And the biggest deciding factor was that We didn't want the added stress of maybe getting a false positive, or even a true positive. To us it didn't matter if there were genetic defects or not. We loved the baby for who he was.
That was just how we felt.

As for Maternity clothes: DO YOU WANT TO BORROW MINE? I know the pants will definitely not work, but I have a lot of shirts and such that you could borrow if you want to. I also have the pregnancy books, and anything else you need. Are you guys coming down anytime soon? If not, I think we are planning on coming up sometime in February or March for the Birthday thing---whenever it is.
And I'll tell ou a little secret...which won't be a secret anymore because it is on the world wide web....and because it probably never was a secret to all who know me......I shop at DI. Well, actually Savers, which is like DI. You have to dig through all the huge 80's maternity clothes, but once in a while you find a really cute pair of pants or shirt or something. That is really where the majority of my maternity clothes were found. They are cheap, and inexpensive, and don't cost a lot of money for things you will only wear for a few months.
Some people frown upon the DI, but hey, one man's junk is another man's treasure.
This is long. I've got to go.
Love ya Rachey!
`Toonces

ken said...

Yea! Just wanted to say congratulations on the baby! I'm so excited for you!!!

BrieAnn said...

I'm throwing my 2 cents in a little later, but in your post you said your appointment was still a few weeks off.

I had the blood work in question done. With all of the pokes and prods during pregnancy, I decided it was no big deal.

Maternity Clothes: So I thought it would be really exciting, but hardly any of them fit me. And I don't mean that in the fact that my belly wasn't big enough yet, but most of them just hung off of me in places that I knew weren't going to expand (so far I've been right). I know you're really small, so that is where this advice is coming from. I got most of mine from Old Navy and Target. Old Navy Jeans were all too big. I was so surprised when I tried on a pair at Motherhood that fit. I have one pair of jeans...and that's that. Nothing else at Motherhood fit very well. Besides the jeans, Old Navy's regular pants fit really well, and I found several on clearance. The shirts at ON are generally too big as well, but I found that if I bought regular clothes in a size bigger, it fit my preggo self much better. Target's shirts run smaller...and they always have cute dresses, but their pants/jeans start in size 2, which didn't quite work for me.

Craigslist is awesome for finding steals on baby gear if you don't mind some gently used items. For convenience we registered for everything at babies r us. I don't know if you have one close though.