(2006/06) June 2006 MTB

hi miz_hopeful,

which gynae did the NT scan for u? was it Dr Lai? i think the blood test u did is for DS screening only.. not triple blood test.
 


hi cookiemz.. yalor.. i just figured that out.. heee
happy.gif


it was dr kenneth kwek
 
Hi miz_hopeful,
Ya my gynac told me in 3 weeks time i wil be doing not only NT scan and only 3 kind of blood tests (not sure whether its triple test) which involved my hubby. ur hubby also took blood test rite?
 
kite,

i remembered the nurse took 5 tubes of my blood of my blood for testing during our very first appt with gynae. my hubby oso took a single blood test during tt very first appt but that was to test if he was a thalassemia carrier i think. no blood test for him yesterday
happy.gif
 
hi miz_hopeful,
oh ya, the next appt wil be NT scan and the test for Thalassemia. Have to take 3 kinds of blood test hor. How fast can we get to know the results? immediately?

So triple test wil be later rite?
 
KK - my birthday is next weekend =) Thanks!

tinklebell - yeah.. I love chilli crabs =P~~

Kite - hahaha.. same bithday week!
with regard sto triple test and NT scan, I asked my gyne if i can do it at the same day. he said should be ok.

miz_hopeful. nope . Did it with OU UK.


Lyn - I know but putting on too much weight on myself means harder to lose them after birth. Also, if too much weight on both babies, I will have to do c-sec. Don'twant them to small or too big.. Just nice =)

Kite - if it involves your hubby as I mentioned to you back then, it's testing for thelassemia - a gentic blood disorder. i fboth of you are carriers of the gene, there's 50% chance of you baby having it and if he does, it's fatal. If only one of youhave it, baby will only carry the gene but no harm otherwie. My hubby is a carrier but I am not . We tested before we got married.

Triple test results is not immediate. Think have to wait awhile. Same for thelessemia as well i think. I remmeber waiting for awhile.

you can find all these info in the book I recommended which you bough. see the tests portion. =)
 
hi lilfeets,

okie tks. Hey my bday is also next wkend leh! wow so qiao leh! haha probably we have the same bday!

Hmm wat is e purpose of triple test?
 
kite-

The triple test is a maternal blood screening test that looks for three specific substances: AFP, hCG, and Estriol.

AFP: alpha-fetoprotein is a protein that is normally produced by the fetus.

hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced within the placenta

Estriol: estriol is an estrogen produced by both the fetus and the placenta

It is a non-invasive procedure done through a blood test with little to no risk to the mother or developing baby.

How is the triple test performed?
The triple test involves drawing blood from the mother which takes about 5 to 10 minutes. The blood sample is then sent to the laboratory for testing. The results usually take a few days to receive.

What are the risks and side effects to the mother or baby?
Except for the discomfort of drawing blood, there are no risks or side effects associated with the triple test.

When is the triple test performed?
The triple test is performed between the 15th and 17th week of pregnancy. Accurate results can still be obtained through 20 weeks gestation; in rare cases it may be performed up to 22 weeks.

All pregnant women should be offered MSAFP screening, but it is recommended for women who:

Have a family history of birth defects
Are 35 years or older
Used possible harmful medications or drugs during pregnancy
Have diabetes and use insulin
Had a viral infection during pregnancy
Have been exposed to high levels of radiation
What does the triple test look for?
The triple test is measuring high and low levels of AFP and abnormal levels of hCG and estriol. The results are combined with the mother's age and ethnicity in order to assess probabilities of potential genetic disorders.

High levels of AFP may suggest that the developing baby has a neural tube defect. The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida and anencephaly.

Low levels of AFP may indicate that the developing baby has Down syndrome (Trisomy 21).

Abnormal levels of hCG and estriol may indicate that the developing baby may have chromosome abnormalities.

Although the primary reason for conducting the triple test is to screen for genetic disorders, the triple test has also been used to identify:

Defects in the ventral wall of the baby
Defects in the digestive system of the baby
Women carrying twins
Pregnancies that are more or less advanced than thought
Risks of premature birth, preeclampsia and miscarriage
What do the triple test results mean?
It is important to remember that the triple test is a screening test and not a diagnostic test. This test only notes that a mother is at risk of carrying a baby with a genetic disorder. Many women who experience an abnormal test discover later that the test proved false.

The results for AFP, estriol and hCG levels are usually phrased as high or low values. For example, the combination of a low AFP, low estriol and a high hCG suggests further screening for Down Syndrome. The following table presents the potential assessment associated with different score combinations:

Triple Test Values
SCREENING:
AFP:
Estriol:
hCG:

Down Syndrome
Low
Low
High

Trisomy 13
Normal
No Data
Low

Trisomy 18
Low
Low
Low

Open Neural Tube Defects
High
Normal
Normal

IUGR, preterm birth, stillbirth
High
No Data
No Data

Multiple Gestation
High
High
High


Abnormal test results warrant additional testing for making a diagnosis. A more conservative approach involves performing a second triple test followed by a high definition ultrasound. If the testing still maintains abnormal results, the more invasive procedures such as amniocentesis or CVS, may be performed.

These invasive procedures should be discussed thoroughly with your healthcare provider and between you and your partner. Additional counseling and discussions with a counselor, social worker or minister may prove helpful.

What are the reasons for further testing?
Triple testing is a routine screening that is not an invasive procedure and poses no risks to the mother or baby. The triple testing results may warrant additional testing. The reasons to pursue further testing or not vary from person to person and couple to couple. Performing further testing allows you to confirm a diagnosis and then provides you with certain opportunities:

Pursue potential interventions that may exist (i.e. fetal surgery for spina bifida)
Begin planning for a child with special needs
Start addressing anticipated lifestyle changes
Identify support groups and resources
Make a decision about carrying the child to term
Some individuals or couples may elect not to pursue testing or additional testing for various reasons:

They are comfortable with the results no matter what the outcome is
Because of personal, moral, or religious reasons, making a decision about carrying the child to term is not an option
Some parents choose not to allow any testing that poses any risk of harming the developing baby
 
hey hey..

the hospital just called to tell that the blood test is good.. now the overall risk is even lower.. something like 1:16000.
happy.gif


glad glad glad. hope baby will gow well in there and the rest of pregnancy will be fine

lilfeets: i see
happy.gif
and happy birthday to you!
 
Miz-hopeful - thanks! =)

Good to know your results are good. One less thig to worry about. Still good to do all teh other scans etc just to be doubly sure. =)
 
hi kite.

i don't think i'll be going for the triple blood test unless gynae advises me to go for it... i'll listen and see what she says la. but i have a feeling she's gonna say it's unnecessary cos even with the NT test, she say no need to go cos of young age so low risk but hubby knows me best and knows that i'm worrywart so told me to go for it for my own peace of mind
happy.gif


for the routine blood tests, if you're doing it at KKH, then their policy is 'no call means good news'. i specifically asked the receptionist when i will be notified of the results and this was what she told me.

results usually take about 1 week they said. but if all look good, then they won't call. true enough i didn't receive any phone call from them and was only told of the results by gynae during the next monthly check-up.

as for the blood screening for DS that comes together with the NT screening package: the nurse told me that it'd take 2-3 working days. i went for it yesterday. today they actually called me up early this afternoon with the good news. this time round they actually called even though it's good news because they wanted to verify our mailing address cos they wanted to post the results to us.

i hope it's a little clearer to you now, kite
happy.gif
 
so many birthdays this month!
happy.gif
to all who'll be celebrating their birthdays soon.. Happy Birthday in advance!

may you have a blessed life always
happy.gif
 
hi miz_hopeful,
i also just went for my DS scanning on thursday..the gyane said i'm in the very very low risk zone so up to me to decide if i still want to go for the blood test. But anyway went for it in the end cos since i'm taking the blood for the other tests (which are compulsory)..
happy.gif
gynae assured that eveything shld be normal.

oh ya and he told me that 60% my baby is a girl!
happy.gif
 
hi lilfeets,

when's ur BD?maybe we r born on the same day..mine oso next week..,.thursday 8th..but my hb strictly forbid me to eat crabs n many oths..he v 'pantang'.

hi miz_hopeful,

me too...jus went for gynae checkup today.saw the bb bouncing up n down ,moving the hands n legs...but d legs position blocking d view so cant c gender yet..guess hav to wait till my next appt on 28th liao..sian,cant buy any bb clothes etc ...got sale leh!!

now bb onli 12w+...but i was really v happy n surprised to see it moving the hands n legs etc..
my gynae oso nv tell me abt the NT scan..i asked him abt it n he say i consider low risk so dun need do.but my next appt got to do blood test liao..but my hb wants to do leh for piece of mind...now still deciding..
 
wow so many ppl bday next week. total including me got 4, lilfeets, pebbles and angeline! lilfeets, me and pebbles on next wkend. hehe happy bday to all.
 
hi duffybuff,

great news about your baby! i know just how relieved you must be feeling rite now
happy.gif
and congratulations on your baby girl
happy.gif
i LOVE baby girl!

hi angeline,

that's what my gynae told me too.. and just like you my hubby was the one who encouraged me to do for our peace of mind. i 'm very glad i listened to him
happy.gif


i understand exactly how u feel when you saw your baby move its hands and legs. pretty amazing rite to see a tiny human being movig around inside you?
happy.gif
 
angeline - mine is on the 11th.

How come all of youcan see babies bouncing while I don't when I scan. They seem to stay still. We only see the shape and the beating hearts...hmm... wonder if it's because doc's scan machine is not high end enough...
 
Hi Lilfeets - maybe your bbs are sleeping
happy.gif
Mine always waving hands & legs. My gynae uses v-scan cos a lot clearer. Am also 11wk. Am gonna see gynae this Fri for the checkup on polyps & to do the NT scan. Hope everything is fine
happy.gif
and can see bb again ..yipppeee. Maybe can go buy maternity clothes & xmas shop after that...hhahah. Hvnt bought a single maternity dress yet. Clothes getting tighter already.
 
hihi
for those whom are celebrating your birthdays this month, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you guys!!

i went on a maternity shopping spree and got lotsa good rewards. actually maternity shopping is quite enjoyable too!

Enjoy!
happy.gif
 
dear kite,

hihi.. i bought clothes from spring, thyme, 9mois & Swell. Yes, spent a bomb! i bought both casuals and work clothes. Thyme has got formal work clothes, but i only like 1 or 2 designs. the others make me look like buffalo. Spring at Suntec was my favourite. I bought both work and casuals from Spring. the price is very reasonable, as compared to Thyme.
At 9mois and Swell, i only bought one top each. Have you went to Spring to check it out yet?
I am only 14 weeks, but definitely need maternity clothes, esp during weekends.
 
Hi Ryue

I bought mine from Spring and Thyme. Perfer Thyme though cause I need more work clothes. Find that though the design at spring is nice, they then to do alot of strap blouses etc. also, the finishing isn't as good at Thyme and cost about the same.

Have not been to the others yet but don't wnat to buy too much cause if I get bigger then will have to soend more $$ just to get new clothes. Afterall, going only to wear them once.

Glad you;re having fun shopping though. i'm just feeling so very tired these days, even when I don't do much.

Volf20 - can't be that my babies alwasy sleeping each time I scan right?
 
Hi ryue,
so far i oni bought maternity clothes for office. Hvnt really buy causal wear yet. Will probably buy end of this mth. Spring clothes very nice hor. How much u spent at spring for how many pieces? i m looking for demin capri n sweet dresses. any idea spring got sell? me tis week 11 weeks
happy.gif
 
Hi MTBs!

Wow, so many birthday ladies around. Happy Birthday to all
happy.gif


I am back from cruise. It's real fun!! Although we are not the gambling type and may miss out all the fun at the casino, we find enjoyment in eating and sleeping haha! It's real relaxing
happy.gif


Being in the balcony class, each cabin also comes with $100 dining credit, guess u all still remember
happy.gif
So we had other beverages and also a lunch at the japanese restaurant, besides those free meals. Yummy!

I find the chinese food a bit weird. The western food and pastries taste so much better. The indian food also superb
happy.gif


Complained to my hubby that the holiday is too short. Probably we have gotten used to those long trips during dec. Now planning for another "retreat" in dec. Wonder whether should book rasa sentosa over the christmas season and relax before school reopens
sad.gif
 
hi lilfeets,

1week ago when i did the scan oso cant c bb moving..only till las sat then can c..maybe its sleeping like wat volf2o had said..mine was 12weeks4days at tt time..6.1cm.. or maybe its still young?coz at 11week it didnt move..onli at 12week+ then...
 
Opps,
I went on a shopping spree at Thyme and Spring on Sat too.. suppose to buy some tops to go wiht my old bottoms, but ended up with 8 pieces.. 6 tops, one bottom and 1 dress.. Gng to stop buying till 3rd tri now.. Took it as a celebration that 1st tri is over..

kite,
Spring has denim capri and skirts.. Not many dresses.. their clothes are more updated than thyme.. Thyme has mostly autumn and winter clothes now.. Spring and sumemr range not in yet.. Spring has more local flavour to their clothes..
 
Wah ladies - you all having a wonderful time shopping leh! I can't wait. Hahha. My gf said she bought her chic maternity clothes from Dune (Paragon & Plaza Sg) - so, guess I will make a trip there too. Hahha. So exciting.

Ryue - did you get the corporate wear type ie. jacket suit type or mix & match?

KK - Glad you enjoyed your trip. Fun ya?!

Lilfeets - Maybe you shd walk-abt the next time you go scan yr bbs. Hopefully they are waving their hands & feets at mummy
happy.gif
My BB was waving its hands at me when I went to scan at wk 9 .. then it went to zz (was at nite). At wk 10 (daytime) scanning, bb was waving both hands & legs vigorously. Was really happy when I saw that. Doc also joked that bb is saying 'hi' to mummy & daddy
happy.gif
I read that by 10-11 wks, bbs can already swallow and kick ..
 
hi yve,

how much u spent at spring? cos i saw spring clothings quite sweet but not cheap rite? average 1 piece how much?
 
hi ladies,

jus wana chk...do u all think a baby cot is better or playpen is better?
coz thinking of buying 1 if got sale..
my hb prefer the bb cot leh..
 
kk,

nice rite the cruise
happy.gif
heheee... at least now u go... can fully enjoy... i was there many times with my hb and we really relax... not the gambling type too.. we are the eat and sleep type. The problem is its so exp but so short
happy.gif
This last round I went with my bb boy... we got real stressed at ntie time... cos my boy cry like crazy before going to sleep... maybe he not used to the environment...
 
angeline,

we bought a bb cot over a playpen previously. BB got normally can allow bb to sleep till 5-7 years old... cos the side panel can be removed and bed lowered. The playpen... dun think so rite... cos bb cant very well jump out leh...

But the good thing abt playpen bed is that bb wont knock against the sides.... For bb cot, even though we put the bumpers, my boy still will knock his head at the side sometimes....

we had 2 dogs in our house when our son was borned... so our choice was clearer... having a playpen will trap the dogs' fur which will be bad. thus we got the cot.

Now for bb2, we are once again contemplating whether to get playpen or cot. I wanted cot becos its more scalable cos bb can sleep till older... but the playpen would be handy for my boy to play in without me constantly worrying he will ram his head into the sides...

which playpen u wanna buy ?
 
hi poohy,
me too got a dog at home. she is very sticky to me, always follow me where ever i go in the house and sometimes want me carry her. i used to carry her on my lap while surfing net n she wil fall aslp but now i rarely cos at times she wil step on my stomach. During ur pregnancy, do u stil play and hug ur dog? cos i used to do that until now i do it lesser now (not say stop but not so often) cos my scent for her also changed.

i m afraid if my dog barks, wil my bb inside my stomach got scare off or get a shock? cos my dog can be nati at times.
 
Hi Volf20 and angeline

yeah. I will tell my baby we're going for a scan so they can wave to mummy. =)

Angeline - We borrow two cots from my colleagues and bought ourselves a play pen. My colleague who had 3 kids already said that a play pen is good once the baby can move around so they don't hit their head accidentally unlike in a wooden cot.

I have a cat at home but we're putting in gates.
 
kite,
I bought 4 pieces from spring. 1 dress and 1 top were on discount, think 30%. 1 bottom and 1 top got 10% discount using the dbs ladies card. Average each piece about $30. The dress was very worth it..
If you spend 300 in 2 mths, can get the vip card.. i dun think i can spend that much within 2 months.
 
kite,

what dog do u have ? Mine is shihtzu and maltese. Both males. I seldom hug my dog... me not those huggy type i guess heehee... our dogs follow us around the house too... they are closer to my hubby... whenever my hb sits on the floor, they will rush to climb into his lap... so he gotta endure the heat they generate hehee...
happy.gif
They would bark whenever we reached home only or when there is strangers at the door. Dun think my bb mind ... when he's borned, they also continue to bark around him... seems ok heheee.. not really scared. I took care of them with the usual bathing and cleaning after feeds right till i gave birth of my son... We currently do not have them at our home, one with my SIL and another with my parent in law... they offered to help us look after .. cos when i went back to work after 3 mths ML, we got home even later than we used to... so better to have them to look after full time... cos they are not working..
happy.gif
I think they are happier also with all attention whole day long. But whenever we sees them, they still climb up my hb's lap whenever they got a chance
happy.gif
Both my dogs are very timid boys... when my hb carry my bb boy and asked for them, they will run in the opposite directions or only come reluctantly if we insist..
happy.gif
 
hi ladies,

are you ladies reading to yr babies yet? some of my nurses friends said in fact can reading nursery rhymes or sing to my baby from 3mths onwards.. any idea?
 
Duffybuff

i think at 3 mths, babies hearing is not developed yet. saw it in a book. True that they can hear in the later months but not sure how much reading will help or aid cause no understanding. Then again, depends on the school of thought you believe in.
 
duffybuff,

ya bb hearing not developed yet now.. but i do sing... not to bb but to my son... so i think bb also gets to hear it.... we do mozart music with my son sometimes so guess when bb is ready, can also hear lor hehee...
 
hi ladies,
thanks! hmm.. maybe shld start soutcing for books and music since i need it in a few more wks..
happy.gif
hee a bit kiasu hor
 
hi duffybuff,
wow another dec bday ger. Happy bday to you too.

hi poohy,
mine is a purebreed maltese, really very cute, 1 yr+ I love to doll her up like tie her hair n etc. since i got pregnant, i never bath her liao, all done by hubby. but she is very sticky to me and hubby. she rely only on us. so i cant bear to let ppl take care of her.

Hi yve,
what kind of dress? can wear til 9mths kind?
me already spent $300+ on maternity clothes mostly on office wear but then i was wondering how much more to spend on the whole of 9mths pregnancy?

Any comments esp those 2nd time mum to be? average how much $ u all spent on maternity clothes during the 9mths?
 
hi all,

hv u all started to use anti stretch mark cream? when is the best time to start? shall i start now since i m into 11 weeks? any recommendation on which brand to use? thanks.
 


i oso just spent $200 on 3 tops and 1 pants at maternity house.. can't wear those cotton material ones cos they will look too 'tummy hugging' as i grow bigger so not so suitable for work.. instead bought those chiffon material tops..but think will buy more later.. cos i heard fm friends that i shld buy as i grow bigger..
 

Back
Top