October 2, 2025 • 42 mins
Pregnancy comes with a lot of choices. A clear plan for information and advocacy can turn overwhelm into confidence at every step.
In this episode of Motherhood Intended, Jacqueline welcomes Dr. Dallas Reed to unpack the essentials of prenatal genetics and decision making. You will learn when to consider carrier screening before pregnancy, how NIPT fits into first trimester care, and a simple set of questions that helps you respond calmly to new information in the clinic or on the birthing unit. Dr. Reed also explains SneakPeek early gender testing in plain language, including timing and reliability.
This is a practical and encouraging guide for anyone expecting or planning to be. You will walk away with a calmer mindset, a smarter approach to appointments, and a better understanding of which tests are worth your attention.
What you will learn in this episode:
- How carrier screening works, why prior to pregnancy is ideal, and what results can mean
- Where NIPT fits in early pregnancy care, including what it screens and when it is offered
- A simple plan of questions to ask your team now, next, alternatives, and what if we wait
- How SneakPeek early gender testing works, when you can use it, and how to interpret results
- Ways to advocate for yourself while staying flexible for a safer, more positive birth experience
Links mentioned in the episode:
- SneakPeak Early Gender Test - learn more here! For $20 off your purchase, use Promo Code: Motherhood20
- More info on prenatal screening
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Want to feel more confident and prepared at your next doctor’s appointment? I created a simple, one-page tool just for you — the Doctor’s Appointment Prep Sheet.
With space to track your symptoms, jot down questions, and take notes, this free worksheet will help you walk into your appointment feeling empowered and walk out with clarity.
👉 Grab your free copy here: https://motherhoodintended.kit.com/prepsheet
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
Are you tired of scrolling your feed only to see
the highlight reel version ofmotherhood?
If so, then you're in the rightplace.
Welcome to the MotherhoodIntended podcast.
I'm your host, Jaclyn Baird, andI'm a passionate mom here to
support women like you in theirunique journeys to and through
motherhood.
I have been through it all.
We're gonna be talking aboutthings like trying to conceive,
(00:21):
infertility, IVF, surrogacy, momlife, and more.
It's time to get real about whatit takes to be a mom and come
together in the fact that thingsdon't always go as planned.
So here we go.
Hey friend, it's Jacqueline.
Welcome back to MotherhoodIntended.
Today's episode is packed withwisdom for anyone who's
expecting or planning to be.
(00:43):
So I'm joined by Dr.
Dallas Reed, who is the chief ofgenetics and an OBGYN at Tufts
Medical Center.
Dr.
Reed has dedicated her career tohelping expected parents
navigate the complexities ofpregnancy.
With nearly 15 years of clinicaland academic experience, she's
an incredible guide forunderstanding genetics, informed
(01:03):
decision making, and what itreally means to advocate for
yourself before and duringpregnancy.
She's also a medical advisor forSneak Peek, the over-the-counter
early gender test that canprovide accurate results as
early as six weeks.
I know this conversation isgoing to empower you with
knowledge, confidence, andclarity as you move through your
(01:25):
own journey.
So let's dive right in.
Take a listen.
Hi, Dr.
Reed.
Thanks for joining me on thepodcast today.
I am really excited to pick yourbrain on the topics of, you
know, making informed decisionsbefore you get pregnant and also
during pregnancy.
Can you share a little bit aboutyour journey into obsectrics,
gynecology, and genetics?
(01:46):
And then kind of just like whatinspired you to dedicate your
career to helping expectedparents.
SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
Absolutely.
Thank you very much for havingme.
I think that I'm like a lot ofdoctors and people in healthcare
where there was somethingpersonal that happened in our
lives or to someone we know thatsort of got us inspired to
become a physician and do thework that we do.
So mine is a very personalstory.
I, when I was in first grade, mymom had a baby with a genetic
(02:11):
condition.
We did not know he had a geneticcondition before he was born.
He was born prematurely and wasin the NICU for a couple months.
It took a little while to figureout what his diagnosis was.
This was in the 90s, so therewas no Google, there was no
internet, it was like muchharder to get information.
(02:32):
And we did eventually figure outhis diagnosis.
And he, it was a terminalcondition.
He wasn't going to live a longlife.
So we knew that.
We didn't know how long he wasgoing to live.
But he did live for four months,two months in the NICU and two
months at home.
And, you know, I was young andobviously very formative time of
my life.
I did find something years laterthat said that I wanted to be a
(02:56):
doctor, like when I was fouryears old.
So I think before this happened,which I find amazing, but it was
before this happened that I thatI had made that proclamation.
But, you know, as I was goinginto college and I I kind of
knew all along I wanted to be adoctor, but figuring out what
type of doctor, that's when Istarted to look a little bit
more into what are the differentareas of medicine.
(03:18):
I have no doctors in my family.
Okay.
So it wasn't like something thatI had an example for.
And I was interested in geneticsbecause of his story.
And so I started looking into itmore and came across medical
genetics as a specialty and howit can interact with lots of
other specialties, includingOBGYN.
(03:38):
And I kind of was prettycommitted to that as I entered
medical school and did a lot ofshadowing of genetic counselors
and people that took care ofhigh-risk pregnancies and
decided to do OBGYN as myresidency.
And then following that didextra training as a fellowship
in medical genetics.
And now I get to be the personthat our family really needed at
(04:01):
that time when I was in firstgrade, you know, the person that
kind of bridges the worldbetween pregnancy and the
postnatal period and the NICUand the pediatric world.
And so I feel really privilegedthat I get to do that.
I have a very, very unique job.
No one in my hospital's everdone this particular job before
the way that that it's beingdone.
(04:22):
And, you know, I it's it'sreally a privilege to be able to
be in people's lives in thisway.
SPEAKER_02 (04:29):
Yeah, that's so interesting.
Like I can't believe, I mean,like you said, so many people go
into their professions with thislike background or like
something that really hits homefor them and they want to change
it.
And it's just incredible.
You were at such a young age,you know, that stuck with you as
you got older.
And like that, that's what afull circle moment.
SPEAKER_01 (04:49):
Yeah.
And to add to that full circlemoment, part of it, I in
residency for OBGYN is fouryears.
And in the last two years,you're considered more of a
senior resident.
So as the third year started, Iwas on the night rotation.
So you're there like everynight, Monday through Friday.
And as I got there, they told meabout a patient in one of the
rooms who had a baby with thesame diagnosis that my brother
(05:11):
had.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (05:12):
And she, it was many, many years later.
So she had already known aboutthis diagnosis, had decided to
continue her pregnancy, despite,you know, knowing that it was
probably going to be verylife-limiting for the baby.
And I was the chief, I was incharge that night.
So I was, you know, the mainperson in charge taking care of
her.
And so we talked and and all ofthat.
And I left the next morning.
(05:33):
She had the baby during thedaytime.
The baby did not survive verylong.
I came on the next night and Iwent to talk to her.
And she was, you know,appropriately emotional about it
and was very religious.
And she said, you know, I don'tknow if I should talk to my
children about this.
Like, I don't know if I shouldtell them about their sister.
And her children were the sameage that me and my sister were
(05:56):
when my brother was born.
And I hadn't said anything toher about my own experience
before that, because, you know,that's not all really always
appropriate.
But then I did tell her at thatpoint.
I said, you know, I, I, my momwent through the same thing.
And I'm glad that I knew aboutit and I knew about my brother,
and that's why I'm doing whatI'm doing now, and that's why
(06:17):
I'm gonna become a geneticist.
And we remained pretty closewhile I was still living in the
city I was in for my residency.
But that like that full circlething where like I still had
never met anybody who had donehad been a geneticist.
But I was like, yes, this isexactly what I want to do, like
to be there for this kind offamily.
(06:38):
And so it's awesome.
It's like it's hard, but it'sawesome.
And I'm the only person in ourwhole hospital that gets to talk
to couples before they getpregnant, maybe take care of
them during their pregnancy,maybe deliver their baby, maybe
see their baby in the NICU or asan outpatient.
Like nobody else gets to do thatin my in my hospital.
And so it's really special.
SPEAKER_02 (06:58):
That is really special.
And wow, that patient must havefelt so validated hearing from
you and you know, at that time,because all the worries that pop
in when you are when you do haveother kids, I'm sure, and you're
you're trying to explainsomething like that.
It had to have felt so goodhearing from you personally and
how lucky she was to have youthere.
And of course, that sounds likeit just solidified your your
(07:20):
path, which is amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (07:22):
Yeah, it was it was great.
And I mean, that happens a lot,I think, in medicine.
I I, you know, speaking to kindof the audience that you have, I
have my first child was a premi.
He was born at 27 weeks.
And so I he was born at thehospital that I work at, and he
was there for 74 days.
So I was there every day, youknow, visiting with him, but I
(07:42):
had to go back to work at somepoint.
And so, like my very first dayback to work, I go to eat lunch
in the NICU and see him.
And there was another mom in thelunch area.
So we were chatting, and then Isaid, Oh, have a nice day.
And then I I went to go do thefirst consult I had for the
afternoon.
It was for her baby.
Oh, wow.
And I was like, Oh my goodness,this is probably very confusing.
(08:05):
Yeah.
I am a NICU mom, but I'm also aphysician and I'm the
geneticist.
Did they mention I might becoming by?
So it's like happens all thetime, like just in the work that
I do, that I sort of like crashinto like my personal life and
people's lives.
And I and I do think it iscomforting, you know.
My baby didn't have anythingsimilar to what her baby had,
(08:25):
but like just knowing that,like, oh, you kind of get what
this is about, yeah, I think wascomforting for them.
So for sure.
I feel lucky that I get to be inthat position.
SPEAKER_02 (08:34):
Yeah.
I would have loved to run intoyou.
I also, my first, my first sonwas born premature at 24 weeks,
and well, 24 weeks and fivedays.
And I say that, and you knowthis, but because it matters.
SPEAKER_01 (08:47):
Every day matters.
SPEAKER_02 (08:48):
Yes.
And he spent like 120 days inthe NICU.
And I would have loved to runinto you just to for comfort and
knowing more.
And yeah, I met other parentstoo in that journey, that
four-month journey there.
And while everyone's story wasdifferent and everyone's baby
was there for different reasons,it it is comforting just knowing
that they get it, just at somelevel, you know, you're living
(09:10):
your life at a hospital and it'snot nothing about it feels
natural as a parent.
So it's a good person to runinto.
SPEAKER_01 (09:16):
Yeah, I mean, I I mean, we're getting so off
topic, but I was trying toexplain to somebody, I was like,
I don't think you understand.
I haven't seen my child's facewithout something on it.
It's it was oh, you know, yourbaby was longer than my baby,
but it was well over a month.
I mean, it was probably sixweeks or something.
You know, there was alwayssomething.
If they took the CPAP off, therewas still like the OG or the NG,
(09:39):
or there was always something.
And so I'm like, that like youdon't get that if you haven't
gone through that before.
It's just like, can I just seehis face without something on
it?
Yeah, you know, I was soimpatient.
SPEAKER_02 (09:51):
I'll never forget the first time they like took a
I wasn't there at the moment andthey took a picture with the
CPAP off because they were likeadjusting it or something, and
it meant so much because again,you have I've never seen my baby
yeah without that.
Yeah, you definitely after aNICU experience, you definitely
have a different outlook.
At least I have on motherhood.
You know, you don't take certainthings for granted, and that
(10:12):
journey is like ingrained in youwhether whether you want it to
be or not, but it's anexperience.
SPEAKER_01 (10:16):
I also think it's another place that made me a
better doctor because I I am thegeneticist at our hospital.
So I do all of our NICU consultsif it's if they're consulting
genetics, and I mean very smallthings like, you know, oh,
you're visiting with the child,like we can certainly talk if
it's a good time for you, butlike I'm not gonna take the baby
away to examine the baby now.
(10:36):
Like I can come back and do thatat another time, right?
Just respecting the fact thatlike I have no idea how much
time you get to be with thisbaby.
Could be all day, but it couldbe this is like your one hour
that you get to be here.
And so just trying to like, eventhough my day is totally crazy
and the minute I go there isprobably like the only minute I
have in that day, but like stilltrying to like make sure I
(10:59):
respect their experience andtheir time and and the care
times for the babies, like allthat stuff I didn't know
anything about.
And I was I was always veryconfused why the nurses would
get so like snippy with me if Iwas like, is it okay?
Yeah, when it wasn't a caretime.
And now I get it.
I'm like, yes, let's notoverstimulate this baby.
Let's just be quiet and lightsdown.
Yeah.
Not too much, you know, externalstimulation.
(11:21):
Like it's or like I'm helpingthis baby's neurologic system by
just coming back another time.
Like that's what I tell myself.
SPEAKER_02 (11:27):
Things you don't know until you are like in it.
It's yeah, I know so much that Iwouldn't have known otherwise
after going through thatexperience for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Me too.
I mean, I'm a doctor, you wouldthink like I know a lot of this
stuff, and I'm in the NICU as adoctor a lot, not as a
neonatologist, but I learned somuch.
Um, and I'm glad I did.
I wish I didn't have to, but I'mglad I did.
SPEAKER_02 (11:47):
Yeah.
So it sounds like you get towork with a lot of different
patients in different stages.
Yeah.
So for those who may not knowkind of what your role involves
give in terms of like supportingpatients through pregnancy or
prior to pregnancy, walk methrough that a little bit.
SPEAKER_01 (12:03):
Sure.
So we can focus really on sortof the conversations I have with
couples and people beforepregnancy and after and during
pregnancy around genetics.
So as an OBGYN, all OBGYNsshould be really offering
patients an opportunity to learnmore information about
themselves and theirpregnancies, which could, you
(12:24):
know, affect a whole host ofdecisions that a person, a
pregnant person or a couple maymake later on.
So one test that is an optionfor parents is called carrier
screening.
It is a test that it's a bloodtest that's done prior to
pregnancy, ideally, althoughmany, many times it's done at
the very beginning of pregnancybecause people aren't talking
(12:47):
about it before pregnancy.
And it's a test to see ifparents are what we call
carriers for certain geneticconditions.
Carriers are people who have agenetic mutation, but they
themselves typically do not havethat genetic condition.
They don't have any features ofit.
And the reason for that is formost of these conditions, you
need two mutations in order tohave it, one from each parent.
(13:09):
And so carriers just have onemutation and their other one is
completely normal.
And so these are conditions inwhich people wouldn't know that
they're a carrier for typicallybecause their siblings are not
affected, their parents are notaffected, they themselves are
not affected, and so there'sreally no way to know without
doing the testing.
Carrier screening comes in bigbig sizes and small sizes, and
(13:32):
you know, obviously talk to yourdoctor about it if you're
interested to know like whatthey offer.
There's different laboratoriesthat do it.
The one that I work with prettyclosely is called Myriad
Genetics, and their carrierscreening is called foresight,
just sort of this idea of likelooking ahead to see what could
be.
And the benefit of doing carrierscreening is a couple things.
(13:54):
One is that again, you don't youmay not know that these genetic
conditions are run in yourfamily or are are something that
you have a chance of having achild with.
So just that knowledge can bereally helpful.
Secondly, if you are pregnant orplanning to become pregnant, you
may want to know some detailsabout these conditions.
Many of them can be quitesignificant, they could
(14:17):
potentially cause multiplehealth difficulties or learning
learning issues or developmentaldelays or autism, for example.
They may require specialdoctor's appointments or special
therapies.
Some of them we may actuallyhave treatments or almost cures
for, and so it's important toknow that.
(14:37):
But getting that information canreally help you decide how you
want to build your family, ifyou want to have biological
children or any children at all,where you may need to deliver
those children if they needextra special needs, what kind
of doctors you may want to talkto during a pregnancy to learn
about those conditions.
(14:58):
Really just, you know, doing itprior to pregnancy really gives
you that whole array of options.
So it's it can be reallyimportant information for people
to do what is, you know, bestfor their situation and their
their relationship and theirfamily.
SPEAKER_02 (15:13):
Yeah.
I'm just I'm really happy you'resaying this because and I'm
curious because this was uh noton my radar and I didn't know
anything about it when like myhusband and I were gonna start
trying to have a family, and itwasn't until like talking to
like an infertility doctor andgoing down that route where all
of the genetic testings,pregenetic testings and testings
of embryos and all of that werebrought into the picture.
(15:35):
Is this something that coupleswho are like doing proactively,
or is this do you see patientswho have like are on this like
infertility path or is it amixture?
SPEAKER_01 (15:47):
Yeah, so it really should be offered to anybody
that's considering to havingchildren.
And I will emphasize the besttime to do it is prior to
becoming pregnant because thereare other options available,
such as in future fertilization.
You know, there's people that doIVF that do it not because of
infertility reasons, right?
(16:08):
They do it because of lots ofother reasons.
And one reason to do it is ifyou know that you or you and
your partner both carry agenetic mutation for a
condition, and it would beimportant to you to potentially
not have a child with thatcondition, then IVF with what's
called PGT, which stands forpre-implantation genetic
(16:29):
testing, is an option.
But it's only an option if youknow the genetic mutations that
run in your family or that theparents have.
So this testing does have to bedone prior to doing the PGT
process.
But it happens many times thatpeople do not know about this
testing.
They don't do it until the verybeginning of a of a current
(16:50):
ongoing pregnancy, like at thatfirst appointment.
And then they find out they're acarrier and their partner's also
a carrier.
And if I should have said thisbefore, but if both parts of the
couple are a carrier, bothpeople of the couple are a
carrier, there's a 25% chancethey could have a child each
pregnancy that the child couldhave that condition.
So 75% chance that they won't,but 25% chance that they will.
(17:14):
Yeah.
And so if we find that in apregnancy, what we do is send
people to usually what's calleda prenatal genetic counselor who
will talk to them about thatcondition.
Because some conditions for somepeople, they feel like this is
fine.
I'm okay with this, I'm preparedfor this.
I will, you know, I appreciateknowing this information and and
I will, you know, proceedaccordingly.
(17:36):
And really that's what foranybody, proceed accordingly,
you know, based on what theinformation you get.
You know, sometimes people findout during a pregnancy and then
they use that informationpotentially for IVF for
subsequent pregnancies, forexample.
So that's why I say the idealtime to do it is before
pregnancy.
SPEAKER_02 (17:52):
Yeah.
I am a firm believer in like themore you know.
I mean, I so much in my ownpersonal journey has been like
in hindsight or like when it'scame up.
And so I think it's so importantto educate on these different
things because, like youmentioned, you know, there are
so many different geneticdisorders and things that, and
some are more serious thanothers, and that could look
(18:15):
really different for yourfamily.
And so making informed decisionsis so important.
I know I as a parent, you know,it can feel, I'm sure,
overwhelming.
And, you know, there's differenttests out there.
You know, how should parentskind of decide which are right
for them?
Like, where do you even begin?
I guess.
SPEAKER_01 (18:34):
Yeah.
So I that's one of the things Iwanted to mention is that, you
know, the way that we're talkingabout it, I think some people
could interpret that this isjust very scary, like, oh my
gosh, this is so overwhelming.
Pregnancy is already scaryenough.
I don't really want to be morescared.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:49):
And I think that the way that I try to talk to my
patients about it is it's aboutinformation.
And there are some people thatwant a lot of information and
some people that are informationaverse.
Like I see the full spectrum ofit.
And so you kind of have to knowyourself a little bit.
But it is information that youwouldn't know otherwise.
And and depending on thecondition and also the couple,
(19:10):
like I don't want to make itsound like every condition every
couple would have the samereaction to.
That is certainly not the case.
And I think that's why it'sreally important to have
conversations with experts aboutthis stuff so that you can
figure out what matters for you.
But condition A may for onecouple be very, very serious.
And they may not have even heardof that condition before.
(19:32):
And I guarantee you theyprobably haven't.
And so just thinking about whatall that could mean, it's
impossible to do that beforepregnancy or, you know, before
it happens to you, kind of likeyou what you were saying.
And so I don't want this tosound scary.
I want it to sound like this isan opportunity for information
and and the information is therefor you to do whatever you need
(19:54):
to do, right?
It's not, it's not as if we asmedical professionals are
prescribing a certain set ofsteps after you have the
information.
It is really for you to get theinformation and decide what to
do.
So, one website that I think isfairly helpful that talks about
this is called nomoresooner.com.
Okay.com.
(20:17):
It's a website that was createdby Myriad Genetics.
They do this foresight carrierscreening, as I mentioned.
Another genetic test that wehaven't yet touched on is called
non-invasive prenatal testing.
Myriad's product is calledprequill, and it is the testing
that probably a lot of pregnantpatients have heard of.
It's the screening for Downsyndrome that we do nowadays.
(20:39):
It's a blood test that looks atthe chance that the fetus could
have Down syndrome and trisomy13 and trisomy 18, which are two
other genetic conditions.
Most people are familiar with itbecause it can also tell you the
sex of the baby.
Yeah.
Although we're not doing it forthat reason.
We're really doing that to lookto see if those what we call sex
(21:00):
chromosomes are the appropriatenumber that we expect, which is
two.
So this website, No More Sooner,has information about carrier
screening and about thenon-invasive prenatal testing
and kind of the myths aroundthem, too.
I it's a really well-donewebsite where they have videos
of people that actually did thetesting and how they used that
(21:22):
information.
And it's really meant to be likeempowering and not so scary.
SPEAKER_02 (21:27):
That's so helpful.
I did not know about thatwebsite.
That's really, really helpful.
And that's what it's all about,right?
You want to just have theinformation if you if you want
it to make informed decisionsand feel confident in your
pregnancy.
It's not meant to scare you,like you said.
So I'm glad we're likedifferentiating here because
this is all, this is what we doon this podcast.
We have a lot of hardconversations, and we also, but
(21:48):
the whole point is just toeducate and listeners can take
what they want from it.
And just that way they have moretools in their tool belt as they
go forth in pregnancy andmotherhood.
So that is a great website.
I will have to share that in theshow notes too, just so everyone
has an easy way to visit that.
So I wanted to talk a little bitabout making like informed
decisions during your pregnancy.
(22:09):
So we've talked about obviouslythere's a lot of genetic tests
that can be done prior topregnancy and like the ones you
mentioned while you're pregnant.
You know, pregnancy can involvein general just so many
decisions.
There's the ultrasounds andtests, medications, delivery
options, especially for like afirst-time mom.
It can feel like a lot.
What kind of like framework doyou recommend parents use to
(22:30):
make sure that they're makinginformed, confident choices,
especially like for thesefirst-time parents who are just
kind of overwhelmed with it all?
SPEAKER_01 (22:40):
Yeah, it's very overwhelming.
And I think, you know, being anOBGYN, it's also really hard to
get into the details ofeverything.
SPEAKER_00 (22:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (22:49):
Like in that 20-minute visit you have,
15-minute, 20-minute visit youhave with the patient.
And I wish we had more time.
That's why things like doulasand labor support is super
helpful because they do havemore time.
I mean, the way our systemworks, we just don't have the
time.
It's not that we don't want tohave it, it's just it's a
business and like our bosses aretelling us we got to keep seeing
(23:13):
patients.
And so it is what it is.
But there's a couple things thatI tell patients.
One and couples.
One is that, you know, if yousocial media is great, but it's
also got a lot ofmisinformation.
Yeah.
And so I always really encouragepeople to kind of there's
something they've read or sawthat is like piquing their
(23:33):
interest or they're curiousabout for their own pregnancy or
delivery, please bring it toyour doctor.
You know, there can be thingsthat are just not true.
They're just not reality.
There can be things that may notbe possible to do at your
particular hospital.
You know, there's lots ofreasons why that information
that you see on social media mayor may not be real life.
So please go talk to yourdoctor, bring it to your doctor,
(23:55):
and hopefully you have a doctorthat you feel a trust with that
you can do that and feel likeyou aren't being judged by, you
know, the questions that you'reasking.
I mean, I have patients thatcome to me and they say, Oh,
they ask me this question.
I answer their, you know,question in detail, and they're
like, Oh, that's what, oh,that's exactly what I what it
said on TikTok.
And I sarcastically say, Oh, I'mso glad me and TikTok have the
(24:18):
same experience.
Yeah, right.
The same expertise.
You know, and I say it like kindof in a snarky way, and I and I
mean it, but I don't mean it.
I'm glad that they're coming tome with these questions, but
please always go to your doctorwith those questions.
SPEAKER_00 (24:31):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (24:32):
The second thing is, you know, I think because
there's so much information outthere and people don't know any,
they have no idea what toexpect.
It is very hard if you have noknowledge on the subject to be
able to vet information and belike, oh, that seems legit and
that doesn't.
And so that's one reason why youshould go to your doctor.
But it's also, I think, whypeople get so overwhelmed, why I
(24:55):
think there's so much, I thinkthere's so much more anxiety
around pregnancy now becausethere's just so much out there.
And so what and and I'm gettingmore and more patients like
refusing things that were verystandard before, that are asking
lots and lots of questions aboutthings that have just been
routine.
Yeah.
And I'm not judging that, I'mjust saying it's it's it has
(25:16):
changed.
There's it's coming fromsomewhere and it has changed.
And with that vibe, what Ireally try to tell patients that
seem incredibly anxious aboutall of the steps of the process
is I want you to be informedabout what's happening.
And so the framework I think youshould use is especially this is
like on labor and delivery whenthings are happening randomly,
(25:36):
it seems like, and you don'tknow what's going on, is you
know, ask the team, you know,what the plan is.
Like, what are we doing now andwhat will we be doing next?
And if there's like anintervention that will need to
be happening now or next, Ithink it's important to ask what
is this inf intervention?
Why do we need to do it?
(25:57):
What happens if we don't do it?
Are there other alternatives todoing it?
What happens if we do nothing?
You know, get those questionsanswered.
Because I think if you havethose questions answered, you
will make the best decision foryou.
And it will likely be thedecision that we are hoping you
make as well.
Because, you know, we've sort ofwe do this a lot and we kind of
(26:21):
see how things go, the the prosand the cons of all the options.
And it doesn't mean there aren'tpoints in which there are
options, but sometimes there arefewer options than other times.
SPEAKER_02 (26:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:30):
And so I I think for people that just feel really out
of control in the whole process,because that's very easy to feel
in a labor and delivery setting,that kind of running through
that list of questions can bereally helpful because at the
end of that, you'll have theinformation you need to make a
decision.
SPEAKER_00 (26:46):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:46):
Um, I also think doulas are really important and
helpful.
And it's a shame that, you know,insurance doesn't cover them
everywhere and that everybodydoesn't have access to them.
And so I get that that can be aninequity for some families, but
I do think they can be helpfulif they're, you know,
knowledgeable and and, you know,have have been doing this for
(27:08):
some time.
They kind of are are reallyhelpful in answering a lot of
those questions and being reallysupportive, of course, which is
their main job.
SPEAKER_02 (27:13):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing too, just from
what I've heard of like talkingwith other women who have
utilized Adula too, is likethey're kind of there to do
exactly what you just said is tolike make sure you know like the
answers to these questionsbecause you don't know what to
ask if you if you're notinformed.
And so like they're kind oflike, you know, the bridge
because, like you mentioned, Imean, doctors, you you only have
so much time.
(27:34):
You can't sit there and explainevery little thing that could
possibly happen, but they kindof help you create a plan for
asking these questions.
SPEAKER_01 (27:42):
Yeah.
And telling somebody everylittle thing that can happen is
also not helpful.
SPEAKER_02 (27:46):
Like nobody would walk out of that conversation
feeling like excited about theit's definitely a fine line of
like wanting information, butthen like I also feel like
ignorance is bliss sometimes.
Yeah, because that's a it's alot.
SPEAKER_01 (27:58):
Yes, I I would agree.
The other thing I just wanted tosay is that like on that page of
the anxiety that I think haskind of increased over time,
which is rightfully so.
I'm not judging.
I think that a lot more people,I've noticed a lot more patients
coming in with like sort of thisrigid idea of what they want to
happen at the time of delivery,you know, labor and delivery.
(28:21):
And I I do not think that's ahealthy perspective.
SPEAKER_00 (28:24):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:24):
I think that I tell my patients, I think the most
optimal way to walk into laborand delivery is with an air of
flexibility.
You certainly can have an ideaof how you would like things to
go, and there be certainpreferences for some parts of
the process.
But at the end of the day, whatI'm trying to do as an OBGYN is
(28:45):
get you a healthy baby and youto be a healthy mom.
That's what I'm trying to do,and your family to be intact.
That's what I'm trying to do atthe end of this delivery.
And sometimes it goes exactlyhow all of us want it to go, and
sometimes it doesn't.
And patients who feel very rigidabout that and feel like we are
swaying from the plan, like likeyou know, where that it totally
(29:08):
makes their whole world crumble.
I think they have a worse birthexperience.
And I think they have moretrauma around their birth
experience, even if it was avaginal delivery that, you know,
was totally fine.
Like I'm not even talking aboutpatients who end up, you know,
having a c-section, for example.
So I just think that it's a muchhealthier place to be mentally
(29:28):
to come into it with this ideathat like, if I don't need a
C-section, I don't want aC-section.
But if the if after asking allof my questions, if the if the
team that's there thinks this isthe safest thing for me or my
baby, I I'm gonna try to go withthat because we are trying to do
the safest thing for you andyour baby.
I know we get a bad rap, but weare trying to do the best thing
(29:51):
for you and your baby.
SPEAKER_02 (29:52):
I couldn't agree more.
And maybe this is, I mean, weboth have been through something
that was definitely not theplan, right?
We didn't plan to.
Have babies born so prematurely.
And I think that just kind oftaught me right off the bat that
like plans are cute, but thatthings don't always go to plan.
And the number one goal, likeyou said, is like a healthy
baby, keeping a family intact,all of those things.
(30:15):
I know that's definitely helpedme throughout my other
subsequent pregnancies, asdifferent and as challenging as
they were.
But there's I've definitely seena shift.
You know, I have friends andfamily that are that are younger
than me and they're, you know, aa decade behind of when I
started having kids and thethings they know now because of
or know, like quotes, just thethings they hear and read about
(30:36):
all these different things.
I mean, I didn't even know whata birth, like everyone has birth
plans and all these verydetailed things.
And that wasn't even on myradar.
I was like, I just hope to bringhome a healthy baby.
And and now I think kind of whatwe're talking about, because I
think I also was just uh on theother end of the spectrum where
I was like, whatever the doctorsays, like they're right, they
know.
And now, after years ofdifferent experiences, I do know
(30:59):
that it is important to advocatefor yourself and and be
knowledgeable.
But like you said, going into itwith flexibility, it's gonna be
a more enjoyable experience allaround because nothing ever goes
exactly to plan, even if it's ahealthy pregnancy.
SPEAKER_01 (31:13):
Right.
And I think that like I tellpeople, this is like preparation
for parenthood.
Like, do you have a hundredbabies follow anybody's
directions?
No, no, they do whatever theywant.
Yeah, like so you have to beflexible, and this is like your
first time practicing it.
It's a really important timebecause you know, people, it's
(31:33):
it's a real thing.
People have a lot of trauma fromtheir birth experiences for good
reason.
SPEAKER_00 (31:38):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:38):
I'm not trying to discount any of those
experiences, but I do thinkpeople like just like we do a
lot of other sort of meditationand mental health practices to
help us get through life ascomplicated as it is.
I also think that we need to dothe same when we're thinking
about our birth experience andand understanding things can go
(32:01):
differently than we think.
SPEAKER_02 (32:02):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that's like the numberone like overarching theme of
motherhood is that like you haveto be flexible and nothing goes
to plan.
Because once you are a parent,yeah, you have another human who
might have a different idea thanthan you do that day, especially
those toddlers.
SPEAKER_01 (32:18):
Yeah, I have two that always have a different
idea of what I want to do rightnow.
SPEAKER_02 (32:23):
My 17-month-old is very opinionated these days, but
I think that's it's the firstlesson you learn as a mom and it
and it will carry through forsure.
So I'm glad that you mentionedthat.
Before we wrap up, I also wantedto talk to you about.
So you're also a medical advisorfor Sneak Peek, which is like an
early gender test.
(32:43):
So, for listeners who may notknow, how does that work?
And then what makes it reliableso early in pregnancy?
SPEAKER_01 (32:50):
I was gonna bring it up because we've talked about
like this, you know, scarier tosome people genetic test, the
carrier screening and on alighter note.
And IPT.
Yeah, but then I was like, butthere is like fun testing too.
Totally.
So Sneak Peak is is also aproduct that Myriad Genetics
has.
They are like the leading, youknow, this is the leading
(33:12):
product on the market for forthis early fetal sex test.
And essentially what it is is anat-home blood draw.
So you could order it on thewebsite sneakpeak.com, you can
order it on Amazon, you can getit at CVS, Walmart, uh,
Walgreens.
And what it is, there's a littledevice that you can attach to
(33:34):
your arm.
It has very teeny tiny needlesin them, like so tiny you barely
feel anything.
And people that are scared ofneedles, these are not real
needles, these are like barelyanything.
So you just attach it to yourarm and it it has a little tube
on it and it collects like threeto five drops of blood.
You cap it, you send it back toSneak Peek, and they will, once
(33:56):
they receive it within 24 hours,can give you the fetal sex.
So if it's boy or expect it tobe boy or expect it to be girl.
And the way the testing works,the technology of it is they're
using that cell-free DNA, whichis the same kind of DNA they're
looking for in the NIPT test,the prequel test.
And what they're essentiallylooking for is there is there
any X chromosome material?
(34:18):
So if you remember from biology,genetic males have an X and a Y
chromosome, and females have twoX chromosomes.
And so they're looking for thatY chromosome, and if they see
it, then that means that thefetus is expected to be male.
A common question I get aboutthat is well, what if it's
twins?
Oh yeah, or triplets orsomething to that effect.
(34:38):
And so it's only looking forthat Y chromosome material.
So if it sees it, then thatmeans at least one of the babies
is male, and it could be both,could you may not be that you
don't really know until untilyou do the ultrasounds that
happen later that can tell youthe the sex of the baby.
SPEAKER_00 (34:56):
Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01 (34:56):
It's more than it's like 99% reliable, and it can be
done as early as six weeks.
So that is like earlier than youeven have your first doctor's
appointment.
So you can already go to yourdoctor's appointment knowing
like what you're having.
The only caveat is you have tohave taken, it's not a pregnancy
test.
So you do have to have done apregnancy test first to confirm
(35:17):
that you're pregnant.
It's not, it's not likeconfirming your pregnancy, but
it's just looking for that Ychromosome material.
SPEAKER_02 (35:23):
Okay.
That is very exciting because Iknow so many, so many parents
out there get very hyped upabout finding out the sex of the
baby.
I know we did this with ourkids, you know, before we even
we did IVF, but we didn't dogenetic testing until my third
um before surrogacy.
And so I just again didn'tdidn't know and it wasn't
(35:44):
recommended.
And um, if I could do it allover again, I would have tested
from the start.
Luckily, we had two healthyboys, but yeah, their sex was a
surprise to us.
And I love how everyone goes allout, and that's really cool that
it's so easy that you can do itat home and so seal.
That's wild.
SPEAKER_01 (36:00):
Yeah.
I mean, it's like the amount ofenthusiasm over if it's gonna be
a boy or if it's gonna be agirl, I think is like probably
the number one question I get.
If I even put anything on apatient's abdomen, they're like,
is it a boy or a girl?
I'm like, you're too early forme to know that with this
particular test.
So then usually I'm like, butthere's sneak peek if you really
want to know, you know, thisminute.
And because because withoutthat, the the foresight, I'm
(36:23):
sorry, the prequil NIPT testactually can be done as early as
eight weeks.
That's actually the earliest anyof those NIPT tests can be done,
those screenings can be done.
And so, but some people that twoweeks is too much.
Yeah.
Like they can't wait that long.
And and because with prequil,we're actually looking at more
things.
It's not just the sex of thefetus, it's the you know, yes,
(36:44):
genetic conditions.
It takes a little bit longer.
So the benefit of sneak peek isit's really very, very soon and
you can get the results backreally quick.
Yeah.
And you can buy it, you don'thave to go to your doctor, you
can just go to Amazon or CVS orany of those places and get it.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (36:57):
Yeah, that's awesome.
And I could be wrong, but arethis seems really accurate too?
99% like and so early.
Cause, and correct me if I'mwrong, or some of the other
tests, maybe I'm thinking ofsomething else.
I just remember I feel like myOB saying, like, oh, you can
take that test between 11 weeksand 14 weeks.
The longer you wait, the moreaccurate it is.
Is that kind of the differencebetween these?
(37:18):
Or again, correct me if I'mwrong.
SPEAKER_01 (37:20):
So that no, that test that you're talking about
is NIPT test.
And so uh when it first cameout, it was kind of like 10, 11
weeks was the earliest, and manylabs do nine or 10 weeks.
Myriad is the only lab with theprequel test that does it as
early as eight weeks.
Okay.
And the reason for that is thatyou need a certain fraction of
(37:41):
the DNA to be coming from thefetus or the pregnancy in order
to accurately capture all thethings that need to be captured
with NIPT.
Gotcha.
With the sneak peek test, you'rereally just looking at the Y
chromosome material.
So you don't really need a lotof DNA to be able to do that.
Okay.
Um that makes sense.
And so it's just a little bit ofa different thing that they're
(38:01):
looking for in the two tests.
SPEAKER_02 (38:03):
Okay.
Beyond curiosity, like aboutgender, are there other benefits
to early accessible at-hometesting like this for expected
parents?
SPEAKER_01 (38:13):
I do think that the sneak peek test allows people to
really like start to feel bondedwith their baby already, which I
think there's a lot of value inthat.
Yeah.
Obviously, it's, I mean, peopleare so enthusiastic about
knowing, but just like theyalready when you become
pregnant, you're like alreadyplanning your life.
Right.
You can't help this baby.
And you can't help it.
And I think that that can reallybe helpful.
(38:35):
And then, you know, obviouslymany, not many, but a good
number of pregnancies end inmiscarriage.
And that may be before you havehad the opportunity to have any
of these genetic tests in thepregnancy.
It may be at eight weeks or 10weeks, for example.
So, you know, I think it dependson the person, but maybe knowing
this about the baby was ishelpful too.
(38:58):
Like, because you have bondedwith that pregnancy, and even
though it wasn't as long as afull-term pregnancy.
And so I think for some peopleit helps with like that grieving
process and you know, just it'skind of validation that, like,
okay, I was pregnant.
There was a boy or a girl inthere.
And so that may be of a benefitto some people too.
SPEAKER_02 (39:18):
Yeah, that's a really good point.
I'm also just thinking, too, forthose listening who, you know,
have might be pregnant after,you know, years of infertility
or going through fertilitytreatments, like we mentioned,
there's so much that you can'tcontrol and you can feel very
anxious about that.
And I know for myself, that wasone piece that I was like, I
just want to know.
And then I can control what Ibuy, like what I think about
(39:39):
names, like as soon as possible.
For me, it kind of like loweredthe anxiety and felt like I
have, you know, some sort ofinformation about what's going
on and, you know, starting tofeel connected to a pregnancy
that I thought might neverhappen, you know?
So I think that yeah, that couldbe really helpful as well.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (39:57):
No, I agree with you.
SPEAKER_02 (39:59):
I appreciate you being on the podcast with me
today.
Your insights were so helpful,not only as a doctor, but as
your experiences as a mom aswell.
Where can listeners connect withyou and learn more about the
resources that you recommended?
I will definitely add whatever Ican in the show notes to make
that super simple, but where canthey connect with you?
SPEAKER_01 (40:16):
Yeah, I think the best, the two best places based
on the things we talked abouttoday were nomorsooner.com, like
we talked about, and then thesneak peek.com is where you can
get a lot of information aboutthat particular test.
I'm not that much on socialmedia these days.
Like it's just getting wild andcrazy out there.
So I'm I'm sort of just taking abreak.
But those are the places you canget some information about the
(40:38):
test that we talked about today,which is probably what people
are really wanting to knowabout.
SPEAKER_02 (40:41):
Absolutely.
That's perfect.
I will be sure to share thoselinks.
Well, thank you again.
This has been really great.
Thanks for having me.
Of course.
Thank you for hitting play onthis episode today.
A big thank you to Dr.
Reed as well for sharing herexpertise and encouragement with
us.
I know that so many of you arewalking away with practical
insights you can use right away,which is awesome.
(41:03):
If you enjoyed this episode,please share it with a friend
who's expecting or planning forpregnancy.
These conversations are so muchmore powerful when we spread
them through our communities.
And before you go, I wanted tolet you know that I created a
free doctor's appointment prepsheet to help you feel confident
and prepared every time you walkinto your doctor's office.
You can grab it for free at thelink in the show notes.
(41:25):
There is a printable version aswell as a fillable PDF that you
can use right on your phone totake notes.
Whatever's easiest for you, it'sjust something I wanted you to
have in your back pocket so youcan get the most out of every
appointment and feel fullysupported.
As always, thank you for beinghere and for being part of this
community.
Until next time, I'm Jaclyn andthis is Motherhood Intended.
(41:46):
Oh, PS.
The opportunity to become afounding member of your
Fertility Village is here.
That's right, doors to thevillage are officially open, and
we would love to have you.
Click the link in the show notesto learn more.
Are you tired of scrolling your feed only to see
the highlight reel version ofmotherhood?
If so, then you're in the rightplace.
Welcome to the MotherhoodIntended podcast.
I'm your host, Jaclyn Baird, andI'm a passionate mom here to
support women like you in theirunique journeys to and through
motherhood.
I have been through it all.
We're gonna be talking aboutthings like trying to conceive,
(00:21):
infertility, IVF, surrogacy, momlife, and more.
It's time to get real about whatit takes to be a mom and come
together in the fact that thingsdon't always go as planned.
So here we go.
Hey friend, it's Jacqueline.
Welcome back to MotherhoodIntended.
Today's episode is packed withwisdom for anyone who's
expecting or planning to be.
(00:43):
So I'm joined by Dr.
Dallas Reed, who is the chief ofgenetics and an OBGYN at Tufts
Medical Center.
Dr.
Reed has dedicated her career tohelping expected parents
navigate the complexities ofpregnancy.
With nearly 15 years of clinicaland academic experience, she's
an incredible guide forunderstanding genetics, informed
(01:03):
decision making, and what itreally means to advocate for
yourself before and duringpregnancy.
She's also a medical advisor forSneak Peek, the over-the-counter
early gender test that canprovide accurate results as
early as six weeks.
I know this conversation isgoing to empower you with
knowledge, confidence, andclarity as you move through your
(01:25):
own journey.
So let's dive right in.
Take a listen.
Hi, Dr.
Reed.
Thanks for joining me on thepodcast today.
I am really excited to pick yourbrain on the topics of, you
know, making informed decisionsbefore you get pregnant and also
during pregnancy.
Can you share a little bit aboutyour journey into obsectrics,
gynecology, and genetics?
(01:46):
And then kind of just like whatinspired you to dedicate your
career to helping expectedparents.
SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
Absolutely.
Thank you very much for havingme.
I think that I'm like a lot ofdoctors and people in healthcare
where there was somethingpersonal that happened in our
lives or to someone we know thatsort of got us inspired to
become a physician and do thework that we do.
So mine is a very personalstory.
I, when I was in first grade, mymom had a baby with a genetic
(02:11):
condition.
We did not know he had a geneticcondition before he was born.
He was born prematurely and wasin the NICU for a couple months.
It took a little while to figureout what his diagnosis was.
This was in the 90s, so therewas no Google, there was no
internet, it was like muchharder to get information.
(02:32):
And we did eventually figure outhis diagnosis.
And he, it was a terminalcondition.
He wasn't going to live a longlife.
So we knew that.
We didn't know how long he wasgoing to live.
But he did live for four months,two months in the NICU and two
months at home.
And, you know, I was young andobviously very formative time of
my life.
I did find something years laterthat said that I wanted to be a
(02:56):
doctor, like when I was fouryears old.
So I think before this happened,which I find amazing, but it was
before this happened that I thatI had made that proclamation.
But, you know, as I was goinginto college and I I kind of
knew all along I wanted to be adoctor, but figuring out what
type of doctor, that's when Istarted to look a little bit
more into what are the differentareas of medicine.
(03:18):
I have no doctors in my family.
Okay.
So it wasn't like something thatI had an example for.
And I was interested in geneticsbecause of his story.
And so I started looking into itmore and came across medical
genetics as a specialty and howit can interact with lots of
other specialties, includingOBGYN.
(03:38):
And I kind of was prettycommitted to that as I entered
medical school and did a lot ofshadowing of genetic counselors
and people that took care ofhigh-risk pregnancies and
decided to do OBGYN as myresidency.
And then following that didextra training as a fellowship
in medical genetics.
And now I get to be the personthat our family really needed at
(04:01):
that time when I was in firstgrade, you know, the person that
kind of bridges the worldbetween pregnancy and the
postnatal period and the NICUand the pediatric world.
And so I feel really privilegedthat I get to do that.
I have a very, very unique job.
No one in my hospital's everdone this particular job before
the way that that it's beingdone.
(04:22):
And, you know, I it's it'sreally a privilege to be able to
be in people's lives in thisway.
SPEAKER_02 (04:29):
Yeah, that's so interesting.
Like I can't believe, I mean,like you said, so many people go
into their professions with thislike background or like
something that really hits homefor them and they want to change
it.
And it's just incredible.
You were at such a young age,you know, that stuck with you as
you got older.
And like that, that's what afull circle moment.
SPEAKER_01 (04:49):
Yeah.
And to add to that full circlemoment, part of it, I in
residency for OBGYN is fouryears.
And in the last two years,you're considered more of a
senior resident.
So as the third year started, Iwas on the night rotation.
So you're there like everynight, Monday through Friday.
And as I got there, they told meabout a patient in one of the
rooms who had a baby with thesame diagnosis that my brother
(05:11):
had.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (05:12):
And she, it was many, many years later.
So she had already known aboutthis diagnosis, had decided to
continue her pregnancy, despite,you know, knowing that it was
probably going to be verylife-limiting for the baby.
And I was the chief, I was incharge that night.
So I was, you know, the mainperson in charge taking care of
her.
And so we talked and and all ofthat.
And I left the next morning.
(05:33):
She had the baby during thedaytime.
The baby did not survive verylong.
I came on the next night and Iwent to talk to her.
And she was, you know,appropriately emotional about it
and was very religious.
And she said, you know, I don'tknow if I should talk to my
children about this.
Like, I don't know if I shouldtell them about their sister.
And her children were the sameage that me and my sister were
(05:56):
when my brother was born.
And I hadn't said anything toher about my own experience
before that, because, you know,that's not all really always
appropriate.
But then I did tell her at thatpoint.
I said, you know, I, I, my momwent through the same thing.
And I'm glad that I knew aboutit and I knew about my brother,
and that's why I'm doing whatI'm doing now, and that's why
(06:17):
I'm gonna become a geneticist.
And we remained pretty closewhile I was still living in the
city I was in for my residency.
But that like that full circlething where like I still had
never met anybody who had donehad been a geneticist.
But I was like, yes, this isexactly what I want to do, like
to be there for this kind offamily.
(06:38):
And so it's awesome.
It's like it's hard, but it'sawesome.
And I'm the only person in ourwhole hospital that gets to talk
to couples before they getpregnant, maybe take care of
them during their pregnancy,maybe deliver their baby, maybe
see their baby in the NICU or asan outpatient.
Like nobody else gets to do thatin my in my hospital.
And so it's really special.
SPEAKER_02 (06:58):
That is really special.
And wow, that patient must havefelt so validated hearing from
you and you know, at that time,because all the worries that pop
in when you are when you do haveother kids, I'm sure, and you're
you're trying to explainsomething like that.
It had to have felt so goodhearing from you personally and
how lucky she was to have youthere.
And of course, that sounds likeit just solidified your your
(07:20):
path, which is amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (07:22):
Yeah, it was it was great.
And I mean, that happens a lot,I think, in medicine.
I I, you know, speaking to kindof the audience that you have, I
have my first child was a premi.
He was born at 27 weeks.
And so I he was born at thehospital that I work at, and he
was there for 74 days.
So I was there every day, youknow, visiting with him, but I
(07:42):
had to go back to work at somepoint.
And so, like my very first dayback to work, I go to eat lunch
in the NICU and see him.
And there was another mom in thelunch area.
So we were chatting, and then Isaid, Oh, have a nice day.
And then I I went to go do thefirst consult I had for the
afternoon.
It was for her baby.
Oh, wow.
And I was like, Oh my goodness,this is probably very confusing.
(08:05):
Yeah.
I am a NICU mom, but I'm also aphysician and I'm the
geneticist.
Did they mention I might becoming by?
So it's like happens all thetime, like just in the work that
I do, that I sort of like crashinto like my personal life and
people's lives.
And I and I do think it iscomforting, you know.
My baby didn't have anythingsimilar to what her baby had,
(08:25):
but like just knowing that,like, oh, you kind of get what
this is about, yeah, I think wascomforting for them.
So for sure.
I feel lucky that I get to be inthat position.
SPEAKER_02 (08:34):
Yeah.
I would have loved to run intoyou.
I also, my first, my first sonwas born premature at 24 weeks,
and well, 24 weeks and fivedays.
And I say that, and you knowthis, but because it matters.
SPEAKER_01 (08:47):
Every day matters.
SPEAKER_02 (08:48):
Yes.
And he spent like 120 days inthe NICU.
And I would have loved to runinto you just to for comfort and
knowing more.
And yeah, I met other parentstoo in that journey, that
four-month journey there.
And while everyone's story wasdifferent and everyone's baby
was there for different reasons,it it is comforting just knowing
that they get it, just at somelevel, you know, you're living
(09:10):
your life at a hospital and it'snot nothing about it feels
natural as a parent.
So it's a good person to runinto.
SPEAKER_01 (09:16):
Yeah, I mean, I I mean, we're getting so off
topic, but I was trying toexplain to somebody, I was like,
I don't think you understand.
I haven't seen my child's facewithout something on it.
It's it was oh, you know, yourbaby was longer than my baby,
but it was well over a month.
I mean, it was probably sixweeks or something.
You know, there was alwayssomething.
If they took the CPAP off, therewas still like the OG or the NG,
(09:39):
or there was always something.
And so I'm like, that like youdon't get that if you haven't
gone through that before.
It's just like, can I just seehis face without something on
it?
Yeah, you know, I was soimpatient.
SPEAKER_02 (09:51):
I'll never forget the first time they like took a
I wasn't there at the moment andthey took a picture with the
CPAP off because they were likeadjusting it or something, and
it meant so much because again,you have I've never seen my baby
yeah without that.
Yeah, you definitely after aNICU experience, you definitely
have a different outlook.
At least I have on motherhood.
You know, you don't take certainthings for granted, and that
(10:12):
journey is like ingrained in youwhether whether you want it to
be or not, but it's anexperience.
SPEAKER_01 (10:16):
I also think it's another place that made me a
better doctor because I I am thegeneticist at our hospital.
So I do all of our NICU consultsif it's if they're consulting
genetics, and I mean very smallthings like, you know, oh,
you're visiting with the child,like we can certainly talk if
it's a good time for you, butlike I'm not gonna take the baby
away to examine the baby now.
(10:36):
Like I can come back and do thatat another time, right?
Just respecting the fact thatlike I have no idea how much
time you get to be with thisbaby.
Could be all day, but it couldbe this is like your one hour
that you get to be here.
And so just trying to like, eventhough my day is totally crazy
and the minute I go there isprobably like the only minute I
have in that day, but like stilltrying to like make sure I
(10:59):
respect their experience andtheir time and and the care
times for the babies, like allthat stuff I didn't know
anything about.
And I was I was always veryconfused why the nurses would
get so like snippy with me if Iwas like, is it okay?
Yeah, when it wasn't a caretime.
And now I get it.
I'm like, yes, let's notoverstimulate this baby.
Let's just be quiet and lightsdown.
Yeah.
Not too much, you know, externalstimulation.
(11:21):
Like it's or like I'm helpingthis baby's neurologic system by
just coming back another time.
Like that's what I tell myself.
SPEAKER_02 (11:27):
Things you don't know until you are like in it.
It's yeah, I know so much that Iwouldn't have known otherwise
after going through thatexperience for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Me too.
I mean, I'm a doctor, you wouldthink like I know a lot of this
stuff, and I'm in the NICU as adoctor a lot, not as a
neonatologist, but I learned somuch.
Um, and I'm glad I did.
I wish I didn't have to, but I'mglad I did.
SPEAKER_02 (11:47):
Yeah.
So it sounds like you get towork with a lot of different
patients in different stages.
Yeah.
So for those who may not knowkind of what your role involves
give in terms of like supportingpatients through pregnancy or
prior to pregnancy, walk methrough that a little bit.
SPEAKER_01 (12:03):
Sure.
So we can focus really on sortof the conversations I have with
couples and people beforepregnancy and after and during
pregnancy around genetics.
So as an OBGYN, all OBGYNsshould be really offering
patients an opportunity to learnmore information about
themselves and theirpregnancies, which could, you
(12:24):
know, affect a whole host ofdecisions that a person, a
pregnant person or a couple maymake later on.
So one test that is an optionfor parents is called carrier
screening.
It is a test that it's a bloodtest that's done prior to
pregnancy, ideally, althoughmany, many times it's done at
the very beginning of pregnancybecause people aren't talking
(12:47):
about it before pregnancy.
And it's a test to see ifparents are what we call
carriers for certain geneticconditions.
Carriers are people who have agenetic mutation, but they
themselves typically do not havethat genetic condition.
They don't have any features ofit.
And the reason for that is formost of these conditions, you
need two mutations in order tohave it, one from each parent.
(13:09):
And so carriers just have onemutation and their other one is
completely normal.
And so these are conditions inwhich people wouldn't know that
they're a carrier for typicallybecause their siblings are not
affected, their parents are notaffected, they themselves are
not affected, and so there'sreally no way to know without
doing the testing.
Carrier screening comes in bigbig sizes and small sizes, and
(13:32):
you know, obviously talk to yourdoctor about it if you're
interested to know like whatthey offer.
There's different laboratoriesthat do it.
The one that I work with prettyclosely is called Myriad
Genetics, and their carrierscreening is called foresight,
just sort of this idea of likelooking ahead to see what could
be.
And the benefit of doing carrierscreening is a couple things.
(13:54):
One is that again, you don't youmay not know that these genetic
conditions are run in yourfamily or are are something that
you have a chance of having achild with.
So just that knowledge can bereally helpful.
Secondly, if you are pregnant orplanning to become pregnant, you
may want to know some detailsabout these conditions.
Many of them can be quitesignificant, they could
(14:17):
potentially cause multiplehealth difficulties or learning
learning issues or developmentaldelays or autism, for example.
They may require specialdoctor's appointments or special
therapies.
Some of them we may actuallyhave treatments or almost cures
for, and so it's important toknow that.
(14:37):
But getting that information canreally help you decide how you
want to build your family, ifyou want to have biological
children or any children at all,where you may need to deliver
those children if they needextra special needs, what kind
of doctors you may want to talkto during a pregnancy to learn
about those conditions.
(14:58):
Really just, you know, doing itprior to pregnancy really gives
you that whole array of options.
So it's it can be reallyimportant information for people
to do what is, you know, bestfor their situation and their
their relationship and theirfamily.
SPEAKER_02 (15:13):
Yeah.
I'm just I'm really happy you'resaying this because and I'm
curious because this was uh noton my radar and I didn't know
anything about it when like myhusband and I were gonna start
trying to have a family, and itwasn't until like talking to
like an infertility doctor andgoing down that route where all
of the genetic testings,pregenetic testings and testings
of embryos and all of that werebrought into the picture.
(15:35):
Is this something that coupleswho are like doing proactively,
or is this do you see patientswho have like are on this like
infertility path or is it amixture?
SPEAKER_01 (15:47):
Yeah, so it really should be offered to anybody
that's considering to havingchildren.
And I will emphasize the besttime to do it is prior to
becoming pregnant because thereare other options available,
such as in future fertilization.
You know, there's people that doIVF that do it not because of
infertility reasons, right?
(16:08):
They do it because of lots ofother reasons.
And one reason to do it is ifyou know that you or you and
your partner both carry agenetic mutation for a
condition, and it would beimportant to you to potentially
not have a child with thatcondition, then IVF with what's
called PGT, which stands forpre-implantation genetic
(16:29):
testing, is an option.
But it's only an option if youknow the genetic mutations that
run in your family or that theparents have.
So this testing does have to bedone prior to doing the PGT
process.
But it happens many times thatpeople do not know about this
testing.
They don't do it until the verybeginning of a of a current
(16:50):
ongoing pregnancy, like at thatfirst appointment.
And then they find out they're acarrier and their partner's also
a carrier.
And if I should have said thisbefore, but if both parts of the
couple are a carrier, bothpeople of the couple are a
carrier, there's a 25% chancethey could have a child each
pregnancy that the child couldhave that condition.
So 75% chance that they won't,but 25% chance that they will.
(17:14):
Yeah.
And so if we find that in apregnancy, what we do is send
people to usually what's calleda prenatal genetic counselor who
will talk to them about thatcondition.
Because some conditions for somepeople, they feel like this is
fine.
I'm okay with this, I'm preparedfor this.
I will, you know, I appreciateknowing this information and and
I will, you know, proceedaccordingly.
(17:36):
And really that's what foranybody, proceed accordingly,
you know, based on what theinformation you get.
You know, sometimes people findout during a pregnancy and then
they use that informationpotentially for IVF for
subsequent pregnancies, forexample.
So that's why I say the idealtime to do it is before
pregnancy.
SPEAKER_02 (17:52):
Yeah.
I am a firm believer in like themore you know.
I mean, I so much in my ownpersonal journey has been like
in hindsight or like when it'scame up.
And so I think it's so importantto educate on these different
things because, like youmentioned, you know, there are
so many different geneticdisorders and things that, and
some are more serious thanothers, and that could look
(18:15):
really different for yourfamily.
And so making informed decisionsis so important.
I know I as a parent, you know,it can feel, I'm sure,
overwhelming.
And, you know, there's differenttests out there.
You know, how should parentskind of decide which are right
for them?
Like, where do you even begin?
I guess.
SPEAKER_01 (18:34):
Yeah.
So I that's one of the things Iwanted to mention is that, you
know, the way that we're talkingabout it, I think some people
could interpret that this isjust very scary, like, oh my
gosh, this is so overwhelming.
Pregnancy is already scaryenough.
I don't really want to be morescared.
SPEAKER_00 (18:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:49):
And I think that the way that I try to talk to my
patients about it is it's aboutinformation.
And there are some people thatwant a lot of information and
some people that are informationaverse.
Like I see the full spectrum ofit.
And so you kind of have to knowyourself a little bit.
But it is information that youwouldn't know otherwise.
And and depending on thecondition and also the couple,
(19:10):
like I don't want to make itsound like every condition every
couple would have the samereaction to.
That is certainly not the case.
And I think that's why it'sreally important to have
conversations with experts aboutthis stuff so that you can
figure out what matters for you.
But condition A may for onecouple be very, very serious.
And they may not have even heardof that condition before.
(19:32):
And I guarantee you theyprobably haven't.
And so just thinking about whatall that could mean, it's
impossible to do that beforepregnancy or, you know, before
it happens to you, kind of likeyou what you were saying.
And so I don't want this tosound scary.
I want it to sound like this isan opportunity for information
and and the information is therefor you to do whatever you need
(19:54):
to do, right?
It's not, it's not as if we asmedical professionals are
prescribing a certain set ofsteps after you have the
information.
It is really for you to get theinformation and decide what to
do.
So, one website that I think isfairly helpful that talks about
this is called nomoresooner.com.
Okay.com.
(20:17):
It's a website that was createdby Myriad Genetics.
They do this foresight carrierscreening, as I mentioned.
Another genetic test that wehaven't yet touched on is called
non-invasive prenatal testing.
Myriad's product is calledprequill, and it is the testing
that probably a lot of pregnantpatients have heard of.
It's the screening for Downsyndrome that we do nowadays.
(20:39):
It's a blood test that looks atthe chance that the fetus could
have Down syndrome and trisomy13 and trisomy 18, which are two
other genetic conditions.
Most people are familiar with itbecause it can also tell you the
sex of the baby.
Yeah.
Although we're not doing it forthat reason.
We're really doing that to lookto see if those what we call sex
(21:00):
chromosomes are the appropriatenumber that we expect, which is
two.
So this website, No More Sooner,has information about carrier
screening and about thenon-invasive prenatal testing
and kind of the myths aroundthem, too.
I it's a really well-donewebsite where they have videos
of people that actually did thetesting and how they used that
(21:22):
information.
And it's really meant to be likeempowering and not so scary.
SPEAKER_02 (21:27):
That's so helpful.
I did not know about thatwebsite.
That's really, really helpful.
And that's what it's all about,right?
You want to just have theinformation if you if you want
it to make informed decisionsand feel confident in your
pregnancy.
It's not meant to scare you,like you said.
So I'm glad we're likedifferentiating here because
this is all, this is what we doon this podcast.
We have a lot of hardconversations, and we also, but
(21:48):
the whole point is just toeducate and listeners can take
what they want from it.
And just that way they have moretools in their tool belt as they
go forth in pregnancy andmotherhood.
So that is a great website.
I will have to share that in theshow notes too, just so everyone
has an easy way to visit that.
So I wanted to talk a little bitabout making like informed
decisions during your pregnancy.
(22:09):
So we've talked about obviouslythere's a lot of genetic tests
that can be done prior topregnancy and like the ones you
mentioned while you're pregnant.
You know, pregnancy can involvein general just so many
decisions.
There's the ultrasounds andtests, medications, delivery
options, especially for like afirst-time mom.
It can feel like a lot.
What kind of like framework doyou recommend parents use to
(22:30):
make sure that they're makinginformed, confident choices,
especially like for thesefirst-time parents who are just
kind of overwhelmed with it all?
SPEAKER_01 (22:40):
Yeah, it's very overwhelming.
And I think, you know, being anOBGYN, it's also really hard to
get into the details ofeverything.
SPEAKER_00 (22:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (22:49):
Like in that 20-minute visit you have,
15-minute, 20-minute visit youhave with the patient.
And I wish we had more time.
That's why things like doulasand labor support is super
helpful because they do havemore time.
I mean, the way our systemworks, we just don't have the
time.
It's not that we don't want tohave it, it's just it's a
business and like our bosses aretelling us we got to keep seeing
(23:13):
patients.
And so it is what it is.
But there's a couple things thatI tell patients.
One and couples.
One is that, you know, if yousocial media is great, but it's
also got a lot ofmisinformation.
Yeah.
And so I always really encouragepeople to kind of there's
something they've read or sawthat is like piquing their
(23:33):
interest or they're curiousabout for their own pregnancy or
delivery, please bring it toyour doctor.
You know, there can be thingsthat are just not true.
They're just not reality.
There can be things that may notbe possible to do at your
particular hospital.
You know, there's lots ofreasons why that information
that you see on social media mayor may not be real life.
So please go talk to yourdoctor, bring it to your doctor,
(23:55):
and hopefully you have a doctorthat you feel a trust with that
you can do that and feel likeyou aren't being judged by, you
know, the questions that you'reasking.
I mean, I have patients thatcome to me and they say, Oh,
they ask me this question.
I answer their, you know,question in detail, and they're
like, Oh, that's what, oh,that's exactly what I what it
said on TikTok.
And I sarcastically say, Oh, I'mso glad me and TikTok have the
(24:18):
same experience.
Yeah, right.
The same expertise.
You know, and I say it like kindof in a snarky way, and I and I
mean it, but I don't mean it.
I'm glad that they're coming tome with these questions, but
please always go to your doctorwith those questions.
SPEAKER_00 (24:31):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (24:32):
The second thing is, you know, I think because
there's so much information outthere and people don't know any,
they have no idea what toexpect.
It is very hard if you have noknowledge on the subject to be
able to vet information and belike, oh, that seems legit and
that doesn't.
And so that's one reason why youshould go to your doctor.
But it's also, I think, whypeople get so overwhelmed, why I
(24:55):
think there's so much, I thinkthere's so much more anxiety
around pregnancy now becausethere's just so much out there.
And so what and and I'm gettingmore and more patients like
refusing things that were verystandard before, that are asking
lots and lots of questions aboutthings that have just been
routine.
Yeah.
And I'm not judging that, I'mjust saying it's it's it has
(25:16):
changed.
There's it's coming fromsomewhere and it has changed.
And with that vibe, what Ireally try to tell patients that
seem incredibly anxious aboutall of the steps of the process
is I want you to be informedabout what's happening.
And so the framework I think youshould use is especially this is
like on labor and delivery whenthings are happening randomly,
(25:36):
it seems like, and you don'tknow what's going on, is you
know, ask the team, you know,what the plan is.
Like, what are we doing now andwhat will we be doing next?
And if there's like anintervention that will need to
be happening now or next, Ithink it's important to ask what
is this inf intervention?
Why do we need to do it?
(25:57):
What happens if we don't do it?
Are there other alternatives todoing it?
What happens if we do nothing?
You know, get those questionsanswered.
Because I think if you havethose questions answered, you
will make the best decision foryou.
And it will likely be thedecision that we are hoping you
make as well.
Because, you know, we've sort ofwe do this a lot and we kind of
(26:21):
see how things go, the the prosand the cons of all the options.
And it doesn't mean there aren'tpoints in which there are
options, but sometimes there arefewer options than other times.
SPEAKER_02 (26:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:30):
And so I I think for people that just feel really out
of control in the whole process,because that's very easy to feel
in a labor and delivery setting,that kind of running through
that list of questions can bereally helpful because at the
end of that, you'll have theinformation you need to make a
decision.
SPEAKER_00 (26:46):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:46):
Um, I also think doulas are really important and
helpful.
And it's a shame that, you know,insurance doesn't cover them
everywhere and that everybodydoesn't have access to them.
And so I get that that can be aninequity for some families, but
I do think they can be helpfulif they're, you know,
knowledgeable and and, you know,have have been doing this for
(27:08):
some time.
They kind of are are reallyhelpful in answering a lot of
those questions and being reallysupportive, of course, which is
their main job.
SPEAKER_02 (27:13):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing too, just from
what I've heard of like talkingwith other women who have
utilized Adula too, is likethey're kind of there to do
exactly what you just said is tolike make sure you know like the
answers to these questionsbecause you don't know what to
ask if you if you're notinformed.
And so like they're kind oflike, you know, the bridge
because, like you mentioned, Imean, doctors, you you only have
so much time.
(27:34):
You can't sit there and explainevery little thing that could
possibly happen, but they kindof help you create a plan for
asking these questions.
SPEAKER_01 (27:42):
Yeah.
And telling somebody everylittle thing that can happen is
also not helpful.
SPEAKER_02 (27:46):
Like nobody would walk out of that conversation
feeling like excited about theit's definitely a fine line of
like wanting information, butthen like I also feel like
ignorance is bliss sometimes.
Yeah, because that's a it's alot.
SPEAKER_01 (27:58):
Yes, I I would agree.
The other thing I just wanted tosay is that like on that page of
the anxiety that I think haskind of increased over time,
which is rightfully so.
I'm not judging.
I think that a lot more people,I've noticed a lot more patients
coming in with like sort of thisrigid idea of what they want to
happen at the time of delivery,you know, labor and delivery.
(28:21):
And I I do not think that's ahealthy perspective.
SPEAKER_00 (28:24):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:24):
I think that I tell my patients, I think the most
optimal way to walk into laborand delivery is with an air of
flexibility.
You certainly can have an ideaof how you would like things to
go, and there be certainpreferences for some parts of
the process.
But at the end of the day, whatI'm trying to do as an OBGYN is
(28:45):
get you a healthy baby and youto be a healthy mom.
That's what I'm trying to do,and your family to be intact.
That's what I'm trying to do atthe end of this delivery.
And sometimes it goes exactlyhow all of us want it to go, and
sometimes it doesn't.
And patients who feel very rigidabout that and feel like we are
swaying from the plan, like likeyou know, where that it totally
(29:08):
makes their whole world crumble.
I think they have a worse birthexperience.
And I think they have moretrauma around their birth
experience, even if it was avaginal delivery that, you know,
was totally fine.
Like I'm not even talking aboutpatients who end up, you know,
having a c-section, for example.
So I just think that it's a muchhealthier place to be mentally
(29:28):
to come into it with this ideathat like, if I don't need a
C-section, I don't want aC-section.
But if the if after asking allof my questions, if the if the
team that's there thinks this isthe safest thing for me or my
baby, I I'm gonna try to go withthat because we are trying to do
the safest thing for you andyour baby.
I know we get a bad rap, but weare trying to do the best thing
(29:51):
for you and your baby.
SPEAKER_02 (29:52):
I couldn't agree more.
And maybe this is, I mean, weboth have been through something
that was definitely not theplan, right?
We didn't plan to.
Have babies born so prematurely.
And I think that just kind oftaught me right off the bat that
like plans are cute, but thatthings don't always go to plan.
And the number one goal, likeyou said, is like a healthy
baby, keeping a family intact,all of those things.
(30:15):
I know that's definitely helpedme throughout my other
subsequent pregnancies, asdifferent and as challenging as
they were.
But there's I've definitely seena shift.
You know, I have friends andfamily that are that are younger
than me and they're, you know, aa decade behind of when I
started having kids and thethings they know now because of
or know, like quotes, just thethings they hear and read about
(30:36):
all these different things.
I mean, I didn't even know whata birth, like everyone has birth
plans and all these verydetailed things.
And that wasn't even on myradar.
I was like, I just hope to bringhome a healthy baby.
And and now I think kind of whatwe're talking about, because I
think I also was just uh on theother end of the spectrum where
I was like, whatever the doctorsays, like they're right, they
know.
And now, after years ofdifferent experiences, I do know
(30:59):
that it is important to advocatefor yourself and and be
knowledgeable.
But like you said, going into itwith flexibility, it's gonna be
a more enjoyable experience allaround because nothing ever goes
exactly to plan, even if it's ahealthy pregnancy.
SPEAKER_01 (31:13):
Right.
And I think that like I tellpeople, this is like preparation
for parenthood.
Like, do you have a hundredbabies follow anybody's
directions?
No, no, they do whatever theywant.
Yeah, like so you have to beflexible, and this is like your
first time practicing it.
It's a really important timebecause you know, people, it's
(31:33):
it's a real thing.
People have a lot of trauma fromtheir birth experiences for good
reason.
SPEAKER_00 (31:38):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:38):
I'm not trying to discount any of those
experiences, but I do thinkpeople like just like we do a
lot of other sort of meditationand mental health practices to
help us get through life ascomplicated as it is.
I also think that we need to dothe same when we're thinking
about our birth experience andand understanding things can go
(32:01):
differently than we think.
SPEAKER_02 (32:02):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that's like the numberone like overarching theme of
motherhood is that like you haveto be flexible and nothing goes
to plan.
Because once you are a parent,yeah, you have another human who
might have a different idea thanthan you do that day, especially
those toddlers.
SPEAKER_01 (32:18):
Yeah, I have two that always have a different
idea of what I want to do rightnow.
SPEAKER_02 (32:23):
My 17-month-old is very opinionated these days, but
I think that's it's the firstlesson you learn as a mom and it
and it will carry through forsure.
So I'm glad that you mentionedthat.
Before we wrap up, I also wantedto talk to you about.
So you're also a medical advisorfor Sneak Peek, which is like an
early gender test.
(32:43):
So, for listeners who may notknow, how does that work?
And then what makes it reliableso early in pregnancy?
SPEAKER_01 (32:50):
I was gonna bring it up because we've talked about
like this, you know, scarier tosome people genetic test, the
carrier screening and on alighter note.
And IPT.
Yeah, but then I was like, butthere is like fun testing too.
Totally.
So Sneak Peak is is also aproduct that Myriad Genetics
has.
They are like the leading, youknow, this is the leading
(33:12):
product on the market for forthis early fetal sex test.
And essentially what it is is anat-home blood draw.
So you could order it on thewebsite sneakpeak.com, you can
order it on Amazon, you can getit at CVS, Walmart, uh,
Walgreens.
And what it is, there's a littledevice that you can attach to
(33:34):
your arm.
It has very teeny tiny needlesin them, like so tiny you barely
feel anything.
And people that are scared ofneedles, these are not real
needles, these are like barelyanything.
So you just attach it to yourarm and it it has a little tube
on it and it collects like threeto five drops of blood.
You cap it, you send it back toSneak Peek, and they will, once
(33:56):
they receive it within 24 hours,can give you the fetal sex.
So if it's boy or expect it tobe boy or expect it to be girl.
And the way the testing works,the technology of it is they're
using that cell-free DNA, whichis the same kind of DNA they're
looking for in the NIPT test,the prequel test.
And what they're essentiallylooking for is there is there
any X chromosome material?
(34:18):
So if you remember from biology,genetic males have an X and a Y
chromosome, and females have twoX chromosomes.
And so they're looking for thatY chromosome, and if they see
it, then that means that thefetus is expected to be male.
A common question I get aboutthat is well, what if it's
twins?
Oh yeah, or triplets orsomething to that effect.
(34:38):
And so it's only looking forthat Y chromosome material.
So if it sees it, then thatmeans at least one of the babies
is male, and it could be both,could you may not be that you
don't really know until untilyou do the ultrasounds that
happen later that can tell youthe the sex of the baby.
SPEAKER_00 (34:56):
Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01 (34:56):
It's more than it's like 99% reliable, and it can be
done as early as six weeks.
So that is like earlier than youeven have your first doctor's
appointment.
So you can already go to yourdoctor's appointment knowing
like what you're having.
The only caveat is you have tohave taken, it's not a pregnancy
test.
So you do have to have done apregnancy test first to confirm
(35:17):
that you're pregnant.
It's not, it's not likeconfirming your pregnancy, but
it's just looking for that Ychromosome material.
SPEAKER_02 (35:23):
Okay.
That is very exciting because Iknow so many, so many parents
out there get very hyped upabout finding out the sex of the
baby.
I know we did this with ourkids, you know, before we even
we did IVF, but we didn't dogenetic testing until my third
um before surrogacy.
And so I just again didn'tdidn't know and it wasn't
(35:44):
recommended.
And um, if I could do it allover again, I would have tested
from the start.
Luckily, we had two healthyboys, but yeah, their sex was a
surprise to us.
And I love how everyone goes allout, and that's really cool that
it's so easy that you can do itat home and so seal.
That's wild.
SPEAKER_01 (36:00):
Yeah.
I mean, it's like the amount ofenthusiasm over if it's gonna be
a boy or if it's gonna be agirl, I think is like probably
the number one question I get.
If I even put anything on apatient's abdomen, they're like,
is it a boy or a girl?
I'm like, you're too early forme to know that with this
particular test.
So then usually I'm like, butthere's sneak peek if you really
want to know, you know, thisminute.
And because because withoutthat, the the foresight, I'm
(36:23):
sorry, the prequil NIPT testactually can be done as early as
eight weeks.
That's actually the earliest anyof those NIPT tests can be done,
those screenings can be done.
And so, but some people that twoweeks is too much.
Yeah.
Like they can't wait that long.
And and because with prequil,we're actually looking at more
things.
It's not just the sex of thefetus, it's the you know, yes,
(36:44):
genetic conditions.
It takes a little bit longer.
So the benefit of sneak peek isit's really very, very soon and
you can get the results backreally quick.
Yeah.
And you can buy it, you don'thave to go to your doctor, you
can just go to Amazon or CVS orany of those places and get it.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (36:57):
Yeah, that's awesome.
And I could be wrong, but arethis seems really accurate too?
99% like and so early.
Cause, and correct me if I'mwrong, or some of the other
tests, maybe I'm thinking ofsomething else.
I just remember I feel like myOB saying, like, oh, you can
take that test between 11 weeksand 14 weeks.
The longer you wait, the moreaccurate it is.
Is that kind of the differencebetween these?
(37:18):
Or again, correct me if I'mwrong.
SPEAKER_01 (37:20):
So that no, that test that you're talking about
is NIPT test.
And so uh when it first cameout, it was kind of like 10, 11
weeks was the earliest, and manylabs do nine or 10 weeks.
Myriad is the only lab with theprequel test that does it as
early as eight weeks.
Okay.
And the reason for that is thatyou need a certain fraction of
(37:41):
the DNA to be coming from thefetus or the pregnancy in order
to accurately capture all thethings that need to be captured
with NIPT.
Gotcha.
With the sneak peek test, you'rereally just looking at the Y
chromosome material.
So you don't really need a lotof DNA to be able to do that.
Okay.
Um that makes sense.
And so it's just a little bit ofa different thing that they're
(38:01):
looking for in the two tests.
SPEAKER_02 (38:03):
Okay.
Beyond curiosity, like aboutgender, are there other benefits
to early accessible at-hometesting like this for expected
parents?
SPEAKER_01 (38:13):
I do think that the sneak peek test allows people to
really like start to feel bondedwith their baby already, which I
think there's a lot of value inthat.
Yeah.
Obviously, it's, I mean, peopleare so enthusiastic about
knowing, but just like theyalready when you become
pregnant, you're like alreadyplanning your life.
Right.
You can't help this baby.
And you can't help it.
And I think that that can reallybe helpful.
(38:35):
And then, you know, obviouslymany, not many, but a good
number of pregnancies end inmiscarriage.
And that may be before you havehad the opportunity to have any
of these genetic tests in thepregnancy.
It may be at eight weeks or 10weeks, for example.
So, you know, I think it dependson the person, but maybe knowing
this about the baby was ishelpful too.
(38:58):
Like, because you have bondedwith that pregnancy, and even
though it wasn't as long as afull-term pregnancy.
And so I think for some peopleit helps with like that grieving
process and you know, just it'skind of validation that, like,
okay, I was pregnant.
There was a boy or a girl inthere.
And so that may be of a benefitto some people too.
SPEAKER_02 (39:18):
Yeah, that's a really good point.
I'm also just thinking, too, forthose listening who, you know,
have might be pregnant after,you know, years of infertility
or going through fertilitytreatments, like we mentioned,
there's so much that you can'tcontrol and you can feel very
anxious about that.
And I know for myself, that wasone piece that I was like, I
just want to know.
And then I can control what Ibuy, like what I think about
(39:39):
names, like as soon as possible.
For me, it kind of like loweredthe anxiety and felt like I
have, you know, some sort ofinformation about what's going
on and, you know, starting tofeel connected to a pregnancy
that I thought might neverhappen, you know?
So I think that yeah, that couldbe really helpful as well.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (39:57):
No, I agree with you.
SPEAKER_02 (39:59):
I appreciate you being on the podcast with me
today.
Your insights were so helpful,not only as a doctor, but as
your experiences as a mom aswell.
Where can listeners connect withyou and learn more about the
resources that you recommended?
I will definitely add whatever Ican in the show notes to make
that super simple, but where canthey connect with you?
SPEAKER_01 (40:16):
Yeah, I think the best, the two best places based
on the things we talked abouttoday were nomorsooner.com, like
we talked about, and then thesneak peek.com is where you can
get a lot of information aboutthat particular test.
I'm not that much on socialmedia these days.
Like it's just getting wild andcrazy out there.
So I'm I'm sort of just taking abreak.
But those are the places you canget some information about the
(40:38):
test that we talked about today,which is probably what people
are really wanting to knowabout.
SPEAKER_02 (40:41):
Absolutely.
That's perfect.
I will be sure to share thoselinks.
Well, thank you again.
This has been really great.
Thanks for having me.
Of course.
Thank you for hitting play onthis episode today.
A big thank you to Dr.
Reed as well for sharing herexpertise and encouragement with
us.
I know that so many of you arewalking away with practical
insights you can use right away,which is awesome.
(41:03):
If you enjoyed this episode,please share it with a friend
who's expecting or planning forpregnancy.
These conversations are so muchmore powerful when we spread
them through our communities.
And before you go, I wanted tolet you know that I created a
free doctor's appointment prepsheet to help you feel confident
and prepared every time you walkinto your doctor's office.
You can grab it for free at thelink in the show notes.
(41:25):
There is a printable version aswell as a fillable PDF that you
can use right on your phone totake notes.
Whatever's easiest for you, it'sjust something I wanted you to
have in your back pocket so youcan get the most out of every
appointment and feel fullysupported.
As always, thank you for beinghere and for being part of this
community.
Until next time, I'm Jaclyn andthis is Motherhood Intended.
(41:46):
Oh, PS.
The opportunity to become afounding member of your
Fertility Village is here.
That's right, doors to thevillage are officially open, and
we would love to have you.
Click the link in the show notesto learn more.
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