26 March: Genetic Testing (Jen)

It's strange to live, much less be pregnant, in an age with so much knowledge and so many options. You have to make decisions like "if we find out that the baby will have X (a problem), will we kill it immediately? Or will we hope that some medical procedure can cure it while in my womb?" Had my parents known that I would have a partially-clubbed foot, a shortened achilles tendon, and several bouts with pneumonia in my first year, would they have decided to just kill me and start over again with a clean slate? What if Ben's parents had known that his shoulders would be so broad that it would be impossible for him to pass through his mother's vagina? Ben and I just made the decision -- we actually didn't feel like we could have decided any other way -- to deliver our child no matter what we find in terms of genetic disorders. Furthermore, we've decided not to have the "Second Trimester Maternal Serum Screen" (aka "the Triple Screen") which would be totally covered by our Provincial healthcare. The Maternal Serum Screen estimates a mother's chances of having a baby with: Down Syndrome, Open Spina Bifida, and/or Trisomy 18. This was, strangely enough, a difficult decision for us. Ben is only interested in knowing of afflictions which would endanger my life, or are certain to end the baby's life before or at birth. I am, well, puzzled. I agree with Ben, that if delivering the child would pose a serious threat to my health, it might be best not to go through with it. But I'm not sure how "serious" the threat would have to be... and I certainly don't want to go through any more pregnancy discomfort than is "necessary." It just doesn't seem right to be able to choose not to carry our baby anymore -- no matter the reason.