Natera blood test Trisomy 21

At 9 weeks, I was seen for a routine check up with Dr. Jones. She asked me if I wanted to have geneic blood testing performed. I really did not care to have my blood drawn again, but she said my insurance covered it, so I felt that it would not hurt. Roughly one week later I received a call from the doctor herself. I knew something was werid, because the doctor never calls the patient. Her voice was very stern and there was no delicate way of delivering the type of news I was facing. She began to tell me that our baby tested positive for Trisomy 21., the Down's Syndrome birth defect. My body went numb. I was at work, in my office alone, where I had adequate privacy to cry, yell, scream, but the emotions could not come out. I was more confused than anything. Dr. Jones did not sound like I had options, she made the news seem definate. In fact I had to ask what were my choices. I decided to undergo the amniocentesis. I continued to work for another two hours, then I called a good friend of mine whose daughter also has Trisomy 21. By then the tears certainly found their way to my face, and could not stop. She coached me through it be reminding me of the God we serve and that I would get through this, just as many other challenges before. I called my mother, and I can remember the silence that over took her. She stayed strong for me, but I could feel her worry. She calmed me the entire 45 minute trip home. So many thoughts roamed my mind. We had to make a decision, and make it quick. Do we keep the baby? At this point all I had was the doctor's word, I did not get the test results from Natera yet. The walk inside my home to give my husband the news was terrifying. I never seen him cry so hard. We prayed and all I could do was wait. I cried so much my body ached. I talked to her and I tried to soothe her, but my baby was worried too. I could feel her move inside me, she felt different. Something within me just refused to except the news. We decided to see a specialist to perform the amino. Scared out of my mind I went in with my head held high. I prayed, mom prayed. No matter what this was my life, and her life, and no devil in hell was taking that from me. I refused to look for abortion clinics. I refused to believe the report, "we shall believe the report of the LORD." Even when the Natera report finally came, at 14 weeks, I knew better. About 2 weeks after the amino was performed in Houston's prestigious Fetal Medicine Center, we received the news that our daughter did NOT have Trisomy 21. Relieved, and thankful to God for his grace and mercy I began to process all that took place. After much research I learned that the company Natera, markets to physician's using the no cost to consumer approach to perform these tests. And while my doctor at the time, Dr. Jones, implied that the test was definite, it is not. In pact it is not a diagnoses but rather a screening that uses various factors to determine risks only. My risk was 72/100, with my age being a contributing factor. Because of the high accuracy rate, these screenings are being passed off as legit indicators. Many of the test are flawed. Parents should not use the results from these screenings to determine the future of their family. I am so glad I did not. Since our horrific experience, I've made it a mandate to get involved in DS causes, using my daughter's birthday as our annual contribution. I thank God that our outcome was a success, but I am mindful that so many other parents were not as lucky. All children are a blessing, and I definitely sympathize with those living with this illness.