Susanne Remic is a primary school teacher, freelance writer and parenting blogger. She writes at Ghostwritermummy and Maternity Matters and in between all of that she regularly wins mummy of the year awards for running around after her two children, aged six and 19 months. This is her pregnancy blog: an online diary of her third pregnancy as she strives to overcome two difficult births, one angel child and one awkward toddler. Join Susanne as she shares every step of her journey from bump to baby!
Needles!
By Susanne Remic on 09 Sep 2011
So the first scan and the blood tests that went with it are behind me now, but I wish I could say the same about the bruises! I think I must have the worse veins in the world (my mum’s fault, apparently). I used to try to give blood at one point and the furthest I ever got was a third of a bag that had to be abandoned after I fainted and there was no more of the good red stuff flowing. It just doesn’t work. And that isn’t so good for a pregnant lady.
I opted for the nuchal fold scan, which means that the fluid around the baby’s neck is measured and that measurement is considered along with the results from a blood test. The overall results can give an indication as to the risk factor involved when it comes to Downs Syndrome. So getting that blood was important, especially as we were flying to the states the next morning...
After two attempts on both arms, my midwife sent me to the blood room to see if they could extract the necessary. After another two attempts on each arm, one fainting episode and one very large fan directed onto my face, that vial was still empty. I gave up. Let me keep my blood. I don’t care anymore.
The hospital staff didn’t give up. In the end, a consultant came down to take the blood from my hand. Now all my holiday photos feature three very large, purple bruises...
Is it ok for me to be sick of literally being poked and prodded already? It hurts. It’s also annoying. Also, I got the blame for having ‘funny veins’. After two hours of needle after needle, it wasn’t exactly funny to me!
The good news is that the results were waiting for me when I returned from the states and the risk factor is low. At least that will eliminate a few more needles for the time being. In the meantime, if anyone has any tips on getting better veins, please let me know! I am NOT looking forward to the next round of blood tests!
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