We visited the Czeiczel Institute in Budapest for genetic testing — a screening that can detect a wide range of inherited conditions. Thanks to modern technology, we have access to information that previous generations never did. And really, if something this helpful exists, why not use it? It’s even recommended for all expecting parents.
While waiting in the lounge, I kept myself busy with some studying to ease my nerves and stay distracted.
An assistant welcomed us and explained the test. It’s non-invasive, broad in scope, though not 100% accurate — as with most things in medicine. If something concerning does show up, they offer a follow-up amniocentesis free of charge.
They took blood from my wife, and now we wait.
And in the waiting, I found myself thinking: what did people do before all this? How much more uncertain and anxious it must have felt to go through a pregnancy without knowing anything until the very end. We’re anxious too, of course — even with all this modern help. But still, this technology brings a kind of support, a soft reassurance, even if it’s not perfect.
Maybe that’s the strange beauty of our time — how technology tries to steady the very human, very ancient experience of uncertainty. It can’t take the waiting away, but it walks beside us as we wait.