DNA Paternity Test Saved My Marriage

We were high school sweethearts destined to be together forever. He set off for the Army and I set off for college. We parted ways for four long years, always trying to keep our relationship close throughout. Despite our best efforts, there was the occasional misstep that took our relationship into dangerous territory during these years apart as we both took the opportunity to explore other “interests.” Rest assured, that when we were able to reconnect, we did so with renewed passion and excitement. We married in 2012, got pregnant on the honeymoon and had our first son in June 2013. Our daughter was born in September 2014 and our second son, who was not exactly planned, was born in January 2016.

Jim and I had a good marriage and a wonderful family life with three wonderful, happy, healthy children. There was, however, a nagging question from Jim overshadowing the birth of our second son. You see, during the summer of 2015 I reconnected with some college friends for a weekend getaway in the mountains and we had a great mini-reunion. Old roommates, friends (including a past fling) were all there and we all had a great time. I shared everything about the weekend with Jim – including who was there. Shortly after that weekend, I found out I was pregnant and shared the exciting and unexpected news with Jim.

A year after our second son was born, the questions started floating. Our first two children had beautiful blonde hair, but our third child’s hair remained darker brown – even after a year. Jim would jokingly say that he was not the father of our third son – pointing out how he looked nothing like him. He was right. Our son looked much more like my side of the family. One night, my husband confided in me that he really was wondering if our third child was really his. He confessed that he had wondered if I had another “fling” during that summer reunion in 2015. He didn’t want to think that because he loved and trusted me so much and I had never given him reason not to trust me. Sure, we both experimented during our four years apart, but we came right back together perfectly and we were completely open about everything. The thought just kept creeping back into his head and he couldn’t shake it. At first I was hurt and kind of angry that he would even think for a moment that I would ever cheat on him, but then I realized that he had been struggling with this for quite some time and it was starting to effect our marriage.

That’s when I took action. I knew the truth and had nothing to worry about, but I had to put his concerns to rest – for his sake and for the sake of our marriage. I called and scheduled a DNA paternity test to be conducted the next day. I asked the person at the clinic how long the results took and they said that we would have the results in 3-5 business days. They explained the testing process to me and answered all of my questions.

On the third day following the testing, we received the official results from the laboratory.   Jim took one look at the results, laughed, shook his head, kissed me and apologized for letting those crazy ideas get into his head. Then he proudly announced that he knew it all along – after all, they both had brown eyes…

Sure, I could have gotten mad, defensive and argued my case, but there would have always been lingering unanswered questions. Taking that DNA paternity test was the best investment in my marriage that I could have ever made.

Legal DNA Paternity Testing

WHAT IS DNA PATERNITY TESTING?

DNA Paternity TestingDNA paternity testing is an important genetic test that determines the biological father of a child. DNA is received from our biological parents — half from our mother and half from our father. A DNA paternity test compares the child’s DNA patterns with that of the alleged father to determine if there is a genetic match confirming or denying paternity.

Choosing a DNA paternity test where the results will be used as a legal document is an important choice.  You should make sure that the test being conducted is a Legal DNA Paternity Test.  A Legal DNA Paternity Test involves strict documentation and guidelines starting with the specimen collection, transporting the specimens to an accredited laboratory, and the testing process itself.  The specimens must be accounted for during every step of the process through legal chain of custody procedures in order to have the results accepted by the courts.

Some common reasons for Legal DNA Testing include:pregnancy-test72

  • child support
  • child custody
  • birth certificate changes
  • immigration
  • will / estate proceedings
  • court order
  • adoption
  • tax forms / dependents

HOW TO PREPARE FOR LEGAL DNA PATERNITY TESTING

At the very minimum, the alleged father and the child will need to have saliva specimens collected via cheek swab in order to complete a DNA paternity test.  The mother is encouraged to also provide a specimen to produce faster, more definitive results.  All parties do not have to be present for the specimen collections at the same time.  Specimen collections can be done locally and nationwide through a network of specimen collection sites in the event that the parties live in different areas of the country.  Adults should be prepared to bring government issued photo identification such as a driver’s license, passport, military ID or other state issued photo ID.  Children with no photo ID should have a birth certificate or social security card with the child’s name with them at the time of their specimen collection.

For more information about DNA Paternity Testing, please contact us at Carolina Testing.  www.carolinatesting.com

Call or Text: 843-972-3287  Email:  in**@ca*************.com

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Pre-Natal Paternity Testing – One Woman’s Story

I’m pregnant?!?!?!

pre-natal paternity testingNow what? I sit here staring at the plus sign on the at-home pregnancy test. It’s the same result I got with the three other tests I did (just in case). A range of emotions are flooding my mind as I wrap my head around the reality that there is a baby growing inside me. I haven’t felt quite right for the past few weeks and this explains a whole lot. The father! I need to tell him about this too. When this sinks into my consciousness I feel what could possibly be my first wave of morning sickness rising to greet me. It’s not morning sickness though. It is pure emotional fear and confusion. There is a very real possibility the father could be one of two different men.

Until I know who the real father is, I can’t say anything. This is going to add a lot of stress to my life and to the baby – which is not healthy for either one of us. Once people learn that I am pregnant, they are going to assume the daddy is Jake. After all, Jake and I have been together for years – with the exception of that brief break up last month. That brief break up is exactly where the problem lies. I went out with the girls one night and met Mike at the club where we were dancing. I hadn’t seen Mike since High School when he moved away our Junior year. The drinks were flowing, the night was a blast and Mike and I did something we both agreed was a mistake the next morning. It happens sometimes – I get that, but this just got real! I need to make sure that I know who the real father is and I need to know now!

I know you can find out who the father is through a DNA Paternity Test. I have watched enough daytime talk shows to know this much, but that was after the baby is born. I need to know now! A brief Google search brought up three options available to do a DNA Paternity test before the baby is born.   The first two – CVS and Amniocentesis must be approved and should be performed by your OB/GYN due to the risk of miscarriage or other complications. The third option is referred to as a non-invasive prenatal paternity test.

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The first option is through CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) which consists of a thin needle being inserted into the vagina and into the cervix to collect tissue samples from the uterine wall. This type of test is typically performed during weeks 10-13.

AMNIOCENTESIS

This procedure is typically performed during the second trimester and uses a thin needle entering into your uterus through your abdomen. The needle then extracts a small amount of amniotic fluid.

NON-INVASIVE

This procedure is completely non-invasive to the baby and can be performed at any time during the pregnancy after 8 weeks. The process involves a simple blood draw from the mother’s arm and a buccal cheek swab from the possible father(s).

Well, I certainly was not ready to do anything that may possibly harm the baby, so the non-invasive paternity test was the solution. I called Carolina Testing and they walked me through the entire process and answered all of my questions.   They arranged for a phlebotomist to come to my home to do the blood draw and Mike went down to their office for his buccal cheek swab. I received the results and a huge sigh of relief in about 10 days. Jake was thrilled to learn that he was going to be a daddy – and we are filled with excitement and anticipation as we wait for the birth of Jake Jr.