Hellobee Boards

Take a deep breathe

1. I think you have new mom anxiety, it's common, I was right there with you. Your visits sound very similar to mine, my office makes it very clear that the bloodwork/additional testing/ect. is up to me on whether we choose to go beyond the regular, I think they are trying to not pressure you either way. I think if you want guidance you should have asked the doctor.
2. I did not see my normal doctor until I was out of the first trimester, so that does not seem that uncommon to me, especially if you are in an office that the doctor's works together.
3. The two ultrasounds are pretty standard at most offices unless they notice something to be more high risk. I think because of your condition you should contact your high risk doctor, they would be able to give you the attention/clarification better that you need for the additional screenings, ect. that it seems you are looking for. After meeting with the high risk you can then decide if you feel it's necessary to move forward with both doctors.

Also two ultrasounds (dating and anatomy scan) are what was customary at my doctors office. You got more if there was a medical reason. Also, they give me some info on standard testing but left the decision to you.

Well, I think it sounds like they gave you options, and you need to follow up with patient self-advocacy – it’s unclear what follow-up you took from your post. When they said the NT scan is “up to you”, did you call back or respond confirming that it was something you did indeed want and ask about scheduling? Not every OB practice can perform an NT scan, in fact in my state, there are only something like 2 offices that are equipped to do NT scans, and they are the high-risk maternal/fetal medicine offices affiliated with hospitals. My OB presented NT scan as an option, and then gave me a referral to MFM for them/me to set up the appointment.

I didn’t have the MaterniT21 test so can’t speak to that part, but can add that we did have other genetic testing done and all of that testing was also done by FMF and not my OB’s office and similar to the NT scan - I was responsible for working with MFM to set up that appointment - not my OB's office.

When you had the pre-conception consult with the high-risk OB, did they suggest you stick with a regular OB once you became pregnant?

I felt the same after my early appointments with an OB. I do think they should have told you about the RH-, but maybe they assumed you'd call them about any bleeding so they'd tell you to get the shot then? Also, I'm not sure what te NT scan would show you that the Panorama screening won't already cover. I was told that since I did Panorama they wouldn't do the NT. Also, as mentioned the NT seems common here on HB, but it's not standard practice with most OB's. And lastly, I've been a million times more happy with the time spent with me and the communication with me since I started seeing midwives. I don't know if that's an option for you, or something you'd even be interested in, but it's definitely a much better experience all around for me. (And because I am potentially higher risk, they're having me see the MFM OB for my anatomy scan.)

Sounds pretty normal to me. I don't see my OB or have any ultrasounds until 12 weeks.

For an uncomplicated pregancy, this sounds totally normal. I remember being taken aback by it too, especially because I was coming from months of near daily appointments with an RE. I was also shocked that most appointments were like 5 mins long. My OB stressed that pregancy is not a disease, so assuming there are no complications, there's not a ton to communicate about. That said, he ( and I think most OBs) was happy to take my call whenever I had questions, so I just called him whenever I was feeling out of the loop.

I see both sides. @ my first OB they did not communicate much either and I definitely felt like it was my responsibility to remind the staff of things and ask about testing, etc. It was frustrating from time to time but not that big of a deal because it was relatively uncomplicated.

BUT...we moved states and my new OB's office is SO MUCH BETTER! I didn't even realize what I was missing but now that I'm with them I expect a lot more. They gave me a big packet at the 1st appointment with all of the possible testing and other information laid out and my actual OB went through all of the info with me....it was really nice and organized. I don't think it will hurt to stay but if you want to look for another you could definitely find someone who you like more.

Hoping the high-risk will be much more helpful and you won't have to worry about it!

@mrscobee: for what it is worth, I'm RH- and had no idea until I was half way through my first pregnancy. I had early bleeding with it, but didn't get the rogham shot because I didn't know I was RH- at that time. It isn't a big deal. At all. I have had three healthy pregnancies, resulting in three healthy children. You will get a shot at 20 weeks and again after the baby of the baby is RH+ (my middle was negative like me!). I did receive the shot at like 8 weeks with my second and third because of early bleeding, but like I said, no big deal.
It's a painful shot that is more of a pain in the butt (pun intended!), but nothing to be freaked about.

@mrscobee: I think what you've described sounds pretty standard... not sure if that's good or bad. I know I wished I had gotten more info/attention, esp. with my first pregnancy and first pregnancy after a loss.

I will say though that my doctor and the perinatologist I saw for the NT both thought it was a really good idea to do both the NT and the free cell DNA testing (Harmony, Panorama, etc.). The NT can pick up things the other test cannot, such as cardiac issues, spina bifida, brain abnormalities, etc.... things that would likely be found at 20 weeks, but sometimes it's good to know earlier if it's an issue that could lead you to terminate OR if you might require in-utero surgery or another kind of intervention. The perinatologist complimented my OB (from another practice) on referring me for both and said she felt it was the best of both worlds. I did forgo the sequential screen blood work that is usually preformed along with the NT scan, since that would be redundant with the DNA test.

Even though I am >35, my insurance did not cover Harmony for some reason. Harmony reduced the fee from $1,400 to $99 (which they had said they would do if it wasn't covered). The NT was fully covered.

Good luck!