"Holding our breath": the experiences of women contemplating nuchal translucency screening.

This article describes the experiences of women who were contemplating nuchal translucency (NT) screening for Down syndrome. Data were collected via semistructured interviews from 20 participants and subjected to a hermeneutic analysis. Findings included that pregnancy was considered to be an essentially abnormal process involving major risks and that being a "good mother" meant rejecting their own mother's advice and keeping quiet about a decision to terminate the pregnancy. Friends played an important role in influencing women to accept NT screening.