OSCAR screen

Mark acccompanied me to little bun's OSCAR (One Stop Clinic for Assessment of Risk) screen on Tuesday. This scan is more detailed than the normal ultrasound scans that Dr Anu performs and it is to meaure the nuchal translucency (NT) of the baby. This scan plus blood test gives an idea of the background risk of Down's Syndrome (Trisomy 21), Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18. I have done this test previously for both Lucas and Chloe, and I have always enjoyed the duration of the entire scan because it gives a very detailed view of the baby.

Little bun's NT results fell within the 'normal' range at 1.7mm (anything below 2.5mm is considered 'normal'), which was a huge relief. I kept peppering the sonographer with questions like 'Does everything look ok?', 'What is that black spot in the stomach?' (it was little bun's bladder.. heehee), 'Is that bright white line the baby's spinal cord?', etc. Little bun had his/ her left arm (yes, it looks like an arm now, no longer an 'elongated bud') raised for a long period during the scan, as if he/ she was saying 'Hi Mommy!'. We were also able to detect little bun's slightly raised nose bone, which is a good sign. Usually babies with Down's do not have a prominent nose bone.

Mark was strangely subdued and when I asked him, he told me that he is trying not to be overly happy or carried away because he is fully aware how we can be robbed of all our happiness in the split moment. We were so happy with the results of both Lucas and Chloe's OSCAR tests, but look at what happened in the end. It was a sobering thought.

Just before we completed the scan, I whispered to little bun to try and stay inside mummy's womb for as long as he/ she can. Hope little bun got my message...

Dr Anu is happy with the resultsm and during the consultation with her, she told us that she had discussed my case with a group of her colleagues and the general consensus is that I may not need to have a cervical clerage after all. She will monitor the thickness of my cervix on a weekly basis, and we will only put in the stitch if my cervix shows signs of weakening (**knock on wood**). I think I am happier with this arrangement because I have been reading up on cervical clerages and it poses a certain risk of miscarriage and/or infection, which I DO NOT want.