Alpha-fetoprotein (aka AFP)

So, we made through our first trimester...the hardest part in our journey so far.  And I think both Mike and I breathed a sigh of relief.  It should be smooth sailing from here, right?

At the end of September we started some of the screening tests.  Mike and I had decided we would do the normal tests but skip the amniocentesis as there was a risk of miscarriage.  The first handful of tests came back normal and all seemed good.  Then I received the call from the doctor about my level of Alpha-fetoprotein being higher than normal.  He stated this could be an indicator of neural tube defect or brain defect and wanted me to get an ultrasound at the maternal fetal outpatient center at Loyola.  I was told it was probably nothing but to be safe we should check it out.

About two weeks later, we had the ultrasound done and we found no indication of neural tube or brain defect.  What we did find was a number of other 'markers' that were not very good for the baby.
The 'markers' were humurous and femur bones were measuring shorter than growth charts show for 18 weeks, the left side of the heart was very underdeveloped and even though there was no sign of neural tube or brain defect, my AFP level was nine times higher than normal levels.  To say the least, I was a mess.  Hardest part over?, yeah right.

We sat down with a genetic counselor and went over what everything meant.  Best case scenerio was Downs Syndrome.  Worst case scenario was we would not carry to term.  While speaking with the genetic counselor, she mentioned the AFP level could indicate there was still something wrong with the baby or something wrong with me and that amniocentsis would be able to rule out a large number of issues.  We decided to go ahead with the test.  Within 3 weeks we had results:  preliminary and full chromosome results were normal, the amnio fluid tested at a normal level for AFP and the micro-array indicated no gene defects.  Praise the Lord!!!!  We were scheduled to come back in a month to check on the progress of the heart development.  All we could do at this point was prayer for growth!