Cosmic Baby Training and Fetal DNA Facts
In the special segment “Today I Learned,” Laura and Shanna discuss the intriguing things they have learned recently related to the world of parenting,…
Podcast topic
Genetic Testing
10 episodes
Prenatal testing arrives quickly and with a lot of unfamiliar acronyms, usually right when you are least equipped to process them. Laura Birek and Shanna Micko went through it twice each and talked it through as it happened.
Episode 3 has Laura getting her NIPT results back at ten weeks, including a genuinely clear explanation of how cell-free fetal DNA screening works and what a low risk result does and does not mean. She also walks through the carrier screening she and her husband did. Episode 112 is the same moment in her second pregnancy, results and baby’s sex arriving together.
Worth saying plainly: this is two people describing their own results and how they felt about them. Screening is not diagnosis, the details matter enormously, and your provider or a genetic counselor is who should walk you through yours.
All Genetic Testing episodes
What’s It Like to Get a Vasectomy?
In the special segment, “Today I Learned,” Shanna and Laura dive into the fascinating topics of diaper engineering, embryo genetic testing, saving knocked-out teeth…
Pregnancy Scans, Toddler Manners and Mom Rage
In the segment “Gripe Water,” Laura and Shanna vent about the parenting-related things that send them into a rage spiral, including a beloved children’s…
Boy or Girl? Laura’s Gender Reveal
Laura reports on the results of her NIPT test, including the sex of her new baby! She also talks about experiencing an unusual side…
Newborn Genetics Questions with Pediatric Geneticist Susan Winter
Laura and Shanna talk baby genes, newborn screening, NIPTs and more with special guest Susan Winter, who is not only a pediatric geneticist but…
Going Through Infertility and IVF (Pregnancy Weeks 28 & 32)
In this week’s “Big Topic,” Shanna discusses her journey of trying to conceive, which includes a long, circuitous route through infertility, pregnancy loss, reproductive…
Will I Love My Second Baby as Much as My First? (Pregnancy Weeks 12 & 16)
Laura reports on going to her nuchal translucency (NT) scan and seeing fetal movement during the ultrasound, and Shanna discusses how her pregnant belly…
When Will Morning Sickness End? (Pregnancy Weeks 10 & 14)
Laura reveals the sex of her baby and shares the results of her noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT), and Shanna talks about morning sickness as…
Should I Keep My Pregnancy a Secret? (Pregnancy Weeks 9 & 13)
Shanna reports on her first trimester screening and shares the results of her nuchal translucency scan (NT scan), and Laura discusses how her geneticist…
Two Best Friends, Two Pregnancies (Pregnancy Weeks 8 & 12)
Best friends Shanna and Laura got pregnant just a few weeks apart, and they are here to check in on their pregnancies, week by…