The Amnio

Our amnio was scheduled for Tuesday, September 9 at 11:30 am. I dropped Kyler off at a friend’s house, then picked Greg up and we drove to the doctor’s office together. We were a little anxious about it because neither of us like needles. First we had to meet with the genetic counselor to sign the waiver for the procedure. Then, a technician called us back and did a quick ultrasound on the baby and took several pictures for their documentation. When she was done with that, she went out and we waited for the doctor to come in.

At this point, Greg was already ready to pass out because he really doesn’t like needles and because he desperately needed to eat. I didn’t know entirely what to expect with the amnio, but knew I would be staring at the ceiling and NOT looking at the needle. When the doctor came in, he quickly went over my abdomen with the ultrasound and found a large pocket of amniotic fluid where he could easily draw out what he needed. In fact, he was so confident that the baby wasn’t in the way, he didn’t even use the ultrasound during the amnio. He just plunged the needle in really fast. It surprised me because I expected him to do it slowly. The pain was immediate as well as the cramping. The needle remains in place for about a minute as they draw out the fluid they need for testing. When he was done, he wanted me to look at the syringe to see how much fluid they had taken. It was all I could do to bring myself to look at it, but I did. I was so grateful to have Greg there with me and that I could squeeze his hand during the procedure. We didn’t know how long it would take to get the results for sure, but they said probably 10-14 days. So, more waiting…