The big day arrives… Maria’s appointment at the Foetal Medicine
Centre in London. She is to be seen by Professor Nicolaides.
My mind wanders at work, how is she getting on? At times, as a
prospective father, you feel like you’re looking in from the outside
but this is even worse. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to
affect what happens and the result of the consultation could have a
huge influence on how we live for years to come.
The news is reassuring. The Professor’s verdict is hyper-ecogenic
bowel which, in layman’s terms, means the foetus has swallowed some
of Maria’s placental blood. He sees no strong signs of chromasone
abnormalities to indicate Down’s Syndrome.
The relief, although the verdict is not a 100% guarantee, is
palpable. Maria explains how thorough the scan was. “It was
amazing, you could even see the baby’s heart pumping blood.”
The equipment sounded impressive alright – maybe our worries, for the
moment, are behind us.
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