Pregnancy can be a time of joy, elation, and celebration all around. But for some women, it can also be a time of confusion. As in, "Who's the daddy?" confusion. Yep, there are women who find themselves pregnant without knowing who the father is. In the past, a woman might find out who the father is on Jerry Springer. And then chairs get thrown. If she didn't do that, then she'd find out via a paternity test done after the child was born. But now accurate paternity tests can be done very early in a pregnancy. And that's a good thing!
The new tests, which can be taken as early as eight weeks, can be done without an invasive amniocentisis, which has a small risk of miscarriage. The only thing needed are blood samples from both mom and dad(s). Of course, this requires asking the dad(s) for some blood. And that could be a bit awkward, I guess. But it's better than not knowing!
Early paternity tests can help clear up any doubts, which can result in a man -- if he's the daddy -- wanting to be more involved in the pregnancy. One woman told The New York Times that neither of the men she thought might be the father wanted to get involved with the pregnancy only to find out later that the baby wasn't his. So she had the test done, and the guy who tested as being the father was very supportive. He even came to the delivery. Whoo-hoo!
The results can also mean hammering out child support before the child is born -- even though, legally, costs associated with a pregnancy belong only to the woman until the child has left the womb. Can you believe that?!
The test results can't be used in child custody cases, but that could be done in the near future. And the tests are expensive, costing as much as $1,700. But if you can afford it, that's a small price to pay for peace of mind and, hopefully, a supportive dad.
Did you or anyone you know take a paternity test?
Image via IvkoandRuth/Flickr
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Comments 14
I know someone who did & honestly she needs to take one for her other kid too.
My brother's friend just found out his girlfriend is pregnant. He had to wait until she went to the doctors because if she was more than, like 8 weeks then the babies couldn't be his but since she is only 6 weeks then it MUST be his, right? The guy is really excited, but the whole situation is super shady. I told him that even though he wants to do the right thing and be a good dad he really needs to make sure he has a paternity test after the baby is born because the woman is a little wacko and frankly her story isn't completely straight. It would be great if he could get the paternity issue cleared up now because he is already getting attached to this baby (and she strikes me as the kind of woman who would just up and leave 3 years from now and say, "yeah, well he isn't even yours") Unfortunately, I don't think they would have the money for a test like this.
This is just downright sad. I think a super good way of stopping this would be by being a bit more choosy about who you sleep with and why aren't people using birth control if they're having multiple partners? I mean REALLY!