WEEK 25

The big day arrives… Maria’s appointment at the Foetal Medicine Centre in London. She is to be seen by Professor Nicolaides.

My mind wanders at work, how is she getting on? At times, as a prospective father, you feel like you’re looking in from the outside but this is even worse. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to affect what happens and the result of the consultation could have a huge influence on how we live for years to come.

The news is reassuring. The Professor’s verdict is hyper-ecogenic bowel which, in layman’s terms, means the foetus has swallowed some of Maria’s placental blood. He sees no strong signs of chromasone abnormalities to indicate Down’s Syndrome.

The relief, although the verdict is not a 100% guarantee, is palpable. Maria explains how thorough the scan was. "It was amazing, you could even see the baby’s heart pumping blood." The equipment sounded impressive alright – maybe our worries, for the moment, are behind us.

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