chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet

The clinic advised a follow up scan the week after, to check on progress and to see what to do next. We'd just spent some time away on a, on a summer holiday and come back expecting to have this scan and be told, 'All fine. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. You have rejected additional cookies. We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. Immediately I knew what decision we should take. They would then re-test me in two days time. My partner was away working and was waiting to hear whether he was having a son or daughter. It was far too much power; neither of us wanted it. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. Mumsnet carries some affiliate marketing links, so if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale (more details here). I pray it's just her heart but I can't see anything else is wrong as I have been scanned by a consultant since I was 14 weeks and every time he has said everything looks okay and she is growing consistently. In a small number of cases some very serious conditions are found. As I say, I'm not a very nice person at the moment. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. The thing about that which I felt was difficult is that we could tell when being scanned that there was something very seriously wrong. Away you go'. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. I have a terrible hatred of pregnant women and a new respect for infertile couples. At which point they turned round and said, 'Well, there is something very seriously wrong with the baby, we don't know exactly what, but you do need to have a more in-depth scan at your regional hospital to find out the detail'. The first words I said were: "If there's anything wrong then it's my fault", I had been working 70, nearly 80 hours the previous weeks and pushed myself hard. . And I went for, I went for a normal 12-week scan, at my local hospital and everything, they said everything was fine, there was no problem. DS had 2 soft markers: talipes (club foot) and 'echogenic locii' somewhere - heart I think. . So obviously quite relaxed. I sat and waited to be called for my scan. I travelled to work that day feeling amazing. We walked all the way home. For example, you may be offered further tests that have a risk of miscarriage. Where we were living then at the time you only had a scan at 20 weeks. I was young, I didn't need one. Never lacking a sense of the dramatic, it felt as if we shared the responsibility for the terrible, dirty act that we had committed. What happens at the second midwife appointment? As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. All the hopes, dreams, and plans we made with our little bumps has been taken away from us. I give pregnant women dirty looks. And then I can't remember an awful lot more about that scan apart from that feeling of searching of how to react in an unknown situation - your brain's kind of trying to work out what to say, what to do, but I had no idea what to say or what to do and I think my first thought was, does that mean our first daughter's okay? 2022. Instead, we were shown to a room slightly away from the rest of the ward and the midwife stayed with us to talk through what was going to happen. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. The baby was very, very small. And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose. I was wondering if anyone has been is this situation and can give me a glimmer of hope. Likely to have serious medical problems all his life. Having the scan does not hurt but the sonographer may need to apply slight pressure to get the best views of your baby. So I took the test and jumped in the shower. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. See you in -. It feels very lonely and isolating. Slightly marked from our peers. And I know I can't hurry up the process of grieving. Last updated July 2017. For many other women, the 18-20 week scan was the point at which they discovered the baby had serious problems. The consultant showed us the letter with our result on and, yes, there were the words "Down's syndrome". No one else attended and we didn't have a service. It would have been nice to see someone straight away because I was in such shock. SO much upset and needless angst has been caused by 'soft markers' found at scans. But everything seemed fine and we'd been sitting waiting to see the consultant, and I'd had an examination on the bed. It can be such a shock so do whatever you need to feel better. For women who have been given distressing news about their baby during the scan, there should be a health professional available to provide immediate support. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. And that was a terrible moment to be sort of hanging on, waiting. I had hope that the little bumps inside me were fighting just as much as I was to stay with me. I couldn't work out what was taking so long and put it down to the doctor being young and inexperienced. Tommys is a registered charity in England and Wales (1060508) and Scotland (SC039280). I hated my body and hated every feeling I was having. Rather sharply, my partner tried to explain. And that was Monday afternoon. But for those few days they were torture. Is it the same scan or is it the same equipment? So we left it there, and we didn't actually think that there was anything really to worry about after that scan. I was becoming numb to the whole process. The doctor didn't come. After she had taken all the measurements, the sonographer told us that she was concerned with the length of the baby's limbs in relation to the head. Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier . The ultimate betrayal. Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. The doctor explained the options I had to manage my miscarriage. And then, so I went to my next scan, which was the 20-week abnormality scan, and we took our first child with us, I think he was 17 months old at the time. When he came back, he agreed on a termination. Because we knew that that wasn't normal, that wasn't what we'd experienced before, it wasn't just the, 'There's the arm, there's the leg, oh look the baby's moving'. After the triple test you stop thinking, you stop thinking that anything can go wrong. We don't know, but it's not looking good'. And still we asked to see a, Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans. He felt strong and fit and healthy. The "why me?" Enough for two weeks after he had been cremated. I did. And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? The termination would be averting a tragedy. Some people want to find out if their baby has one of the 11 conditions and some do not. But at the 20 week scan, which was on a Wednesday, we saw the nurse at the local hospital, the sonographer, and she did a scan and she found that the femur length was quite short in the, in the fetus. I'm trying to understand because I haven't seen a 3-D scan, what it tells the parents? These opinions do not represent the opinions of Tommys and are not advice from Tommy's. I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. The appointment usually takes around 30 minutes. We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. We felt as if we were in limbo. You know there's always that bit on the bottom of the thing, 'These are diagnostics, do not bring other children,' - blah, blah, blah.. it's not, you know, it's not a family outing kind of thing, but it feels like it. It was exactly like the labour I had with my first child. Three midwives came and went. Life expectancy of 30 or 40. As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. She wanted to have a look at the skull, which was the main thing, but she couldn't see it from where the baby was. So even if anomolies are found, they don't always mean a problem.. x. I had issues at the 20 weeks scan with both of mine. I wrote a few things down last night when we were trying to go over things, just to remind myself. The anomaly scan, also called the 20 week scan or mid-pregnancy scan, is used to detect pregnancy irregularities significant in diagnosis of any of the following conditions: In most instances no serious issue will be found during the scan and many parents-to be will come away knowing that all is progressing nicely and, perhaps, having found out . And then all of a sudden, I was still laughing and we were all very upbeat, and then suddenly, he suddenly said, but I was still, still laughing, and he said to me, 'Oh, there might be a problem, there might be a problem with the, I think this baby has hydrocephalus'. Yeah - in, stomach, out. And you know, we were laughing and joking. However painful and traumatic the labour was, it was better than what would happen at the end of it. The following is a quote from their report: If the scan reveals either a suspected or confirmed abnormality, the woman should be informed by the sonographer at the time of the scan. Just doing it. And everybody knows and everything is right. It was another consultant, who said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news - your baby has Down's syndrome." And having read, since read my information on Edwards' syndrome, a good 85 per cent have problems with the heart. Specialist scans had a powerful effect on some parents because they could see the baby more clearly and in some cases people recognised which parts of the baby's body were not working properly. Next most likely is that baby doesn't co-operate and they can't see some parts of anatomy and call you back 2 weeks later just because they couldn't see (i had this but because twin pregnancy I was due to be scanned 2 weeks later anyway). Mumsnet carries some affiliate marketing links, so if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale (more details here). Later, I did see and hold our baby. Forcing my hand to my mouth to take the tablet was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. You could see her face, and the major aspect that was, that was the indication of what was wrong was the thickening at the back of the neck in this instance, which, when you're looking at a fetus is, you know, sort of half a centimetre thicker or not is completely immaterial to me, and would look like a completely normal neck, but from the point of view of the consultant was severely abnormal. And I'd been on the internet looking up all sorts of things and everything was so negative, it was very depressing, because I thought, 'Well, maybe they've made a mistake, or maybe it's something they can fix, I don't know'. We were denying him his life. It was probably all right but hadn't had any fluid in it at the moment. No one else felt him kick. If you choose not to have the scan you can still have all other parts of your routine antenatal care. . But worse was to come. I didn't want to be convincing him to agree with me. I still feel guilty, I still cry at random times. I have horrible thoughts. blood tests, CVS) were clear - and as one woman put it, 'after the triple test* (Down's syndrome screening) you stop thinking anything can go wrong'. Still, the consultant thought things would be OK. In this information, the word we refers to the NHS service that provides screening. This was a ray of hope for us. The first midwife seemed to understand what we were trying to say, and said she would ask the doctor to come and talk to us. I faced another internal scan where I began to feel helpless and alone. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. That's fine. Some things can be seen more clearly than others. The people who did know what was going on seemed far too sure that we were doing the right thing, that there was really no choice to be made. The hardest thing I have ever done. I remember thinking, 'Gosh' I now know it was a girl, I didn't know that then, that, 'She looks just like her brother'. So he was about two weeks smaller than what he should have been. Maybe. Not marginalised into being a victim. . Cardiac surgery can do some amazing things. That was the first time I had heard him cry. Went back a week later for the scan and, you were with me for this one, weren't you? Smiling at myself and picturing me and Sam becoming parents. Please note that the opinions expressed by users in Tommys Book of #misCOURAGE are solely those of the user, who is unlikely to have had medical training. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. As you felt that, you know, it was probably going to show lots of problems and it just wasn't what we wanted, but at the same time we needed to sort of see it and, we needed to prove it I suppose. How common is it for 2nd baby to come early..? No discussion, no quiet contemplation. Thick milky discharge at 14 weeks.tmi pic attached. The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. I remember thinking, 'that doesn't look quite right'. We were convinced everything would be OK. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. But you know I knew we had, we had to make a decision that was right for the baby as well. My partner watched the baby come out, and for a split second I saw a look of joy on his face. And she said that, you know, as the, if the baby did develop further there would probably be other problems with internal organs that weren't really that visible at that stage. But now that's changed. In some very serious rare cases, where no treatment is possible, the baby will die soon after it is born or during pregnancy. I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. Spina bifida can usually be seen clearly on a scan and of those babies who have this condition, around 9 out of 10 (90%) will be detected. I didn't want to go through anymore scans. So we went home really and I sort of had to think about it all night. After preparing myself to face having to take the medication. I had to wait for a doctor to explain the situation. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. Can you describe the difference between the scan at this later stage in a pregnancy? It was just sort of deadpan faces, very serious looks, someone else coming to check. He felt doing more blood tests would only cause me more discomfort and false hope. So she said, 'Come back on Monday. The same anticipation. I took my vitamins, stuck to the healthy diet and put on a brave face. Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. No sort of questions about, 'Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?' We'll make an appointment with the senior sonographer, the consultant at the local hospital, and she'll do your scan and she'll be able to tell you more things'. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. I mean the lady who was scanning was very quiet for a long time. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. It seemed a very arbitrary system, and so you quite often sat outside in the waiting room for a couple of hours before you actually got to see the consultant, which was, seemed you know, I kind of remember thinking before we went in to see him on the particular day when we found out there was a problem, 'Why are we sitting here? I could hardly breathe. And so, yeah we got to, carried on with the pregnancy, kept seeing the consultant, kept sitting in the waiting room outside, because there was a terribly long waiting time sometimes, depending on what time you had the appointment. And it's like, I really wanted to see it and I didn't, and it was it was very mixed. I used to think the feeling of your baby kicking inside you and the sight of a foot poking against your skin were the most fantastic things in the world. Eventually, the doctor finished the scan and said that some of the baby's measurements were very small. That they could have spotted something, or not? And so this one can't tell you anything, it's pictures, you're going, you're going to see your baby, you're going to get pictures. We strongly advise readers not to take drugs that are not prescribed by your qualified healthcare provider. I thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. But on, in the middle of March, 10th March it was, we had a 20 week scan. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. Thankfully I was met by an amazing sonographer, she was compassionate and understanding. And as, and as soon as I saw the pictures of the scan, having had two normal pregnancies, even I could see that there was a marked contrast between this pregnancy and the pictures that I'd had previously. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. I can feel my child kick, it responds when he shouts at football - I mean literally, this baby used to dance around whenever he'd like scream at a goal - and there cannot be anything wrong with this child because it's part of us already. Not surprisingly, people aren't quite sure how to deal with me. Many described how sonographers and doctors were very restrained and didn't speak at all until they had analysed all the baby's details. The gel makes sure there is good contact between the probe and your skin. And in this instance the scan was very evident that there was something very seriously wrong. I hadn't thought about the mechanics of such a late termination, but had assumed it would mean some kind of operation. You will then be asked to raise your top to your chest and lower your skirt or trousers to your hips. I had no idea if we were doing the "right" thing. I had never imagined having an amniocentesis. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. Tissue paper will be tucked around your clothing to protect it from the ultrasound gel, which will then be put on your tummy. chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet. So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. We were bound to each other because of the blood that was on both our hands. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. And at the end of the day however much we talked about it - that it was going to be the two of us to make the decision and me to actually you know, go through it and decide that that was what was going to happen for him - and I just, I didn't want to do it. Health professionals use the 18-20 week scan to examine the baby's size and position, and also to check if his/her brain, heart, lungs and other internal organs are developing as expected. Then I picked myself up. I couldn't have the added responsibility for changing his mind. Others, including those who had been given leaflets to read about the scan beforehand as well as some who were health professionals, said that they had been nave about the 20-week scan. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. My partner really wanted me to, and by that time I had no sense of what was right or what I should do. And my partner and I would have a completely different life from the one we'd imagined. The 18 -20 week fetal anomaly scan is a watershed in most pregnancies because for the majority of women it will be the last time they are scanned before giving birth. So and you could see the exomphalus, this little pouch, which was obviously just the intestines where they are. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. All women are offered a dating scan, and an 18- 20 week fetal anomaly ultrasound scan, in line with NICE and UK National Screening Committee recommendations. Another sick joke. So we decided to book an early 10 week private scan. 20 week scans look for 11 different anomalies as a rule, however, indicators (markers) are not terribly reliable and in all the literature I found, the targets set for stonographers look like they only pick up around 50% or less of these variants. As I left the room to compose myself. . It is extremely rare for these pregnancies to reach term as they typically spontaneously miscarry early in pregnancy. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. But she told us, she told us, she gave us some more detail, she said, 'There's this, there's a big gap in the brain where there shouldn't be'. They said the brain was okay -, We were in there for a matter of minutes, literally -, In and out. Some stories I hear are amazing! Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. Your mind has closed to the possibility that there could be anything wrong. I had an appointment with my consultant 2 days later, and again he said, you know, 'Very common - shouldn't worry about it too much, you know, if, the problem is if they find anything else wrong'. Two days, after on Christmas Eve, (my 12 week date) I had more blood tests. And attribute some blame to them. So we hid in our house. Again the legs were quite twisted, they said that the baby's sternum was very short - things weren't in proportion you know - the head was quite large, the neck was very thick, there wasn't really like a neck as such it was just things were kind of - there were lots of things that obviously the consultant could see that we weren't aware of. It was over. 13/12/2020 20:45. hi ladies. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. So we had to go in and out a couple of times, and we were just waiting around for ages and ages. I managed to tell my mum, who said she would come with us to the hospital. Never being able to look after himself. We would terminate the pregnancy. She advised I be referred to the EPU to be assessed. And they took me into another room. Reading individual, real-life experiences can be a helpful resource, but it is never a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified health care provider. We bought little outfits, teddies, and researched all the vitamins and foods that I could eat. But he was wrong. But here I was, minutes later, lying down, waiting. Because, when you're angry with the world for dealing you such a shit time, you begin to hate the people who populate it. Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans But I was struggling mentally with the anguish, grief and endless hospital visits. So we went back the day after Boxing Day, the 27th, and the consultant greeted us, which made my alarm bells go, and she started scanning us and I think her lines were, 'What concerns me about this baby is that they've got a diaphragmatic hernia, which has meant that part of the stomach of the baby was in its chest cavity.'. Only this time, no cry came. It sounds crazy, but I just knew. It was just a few little things like the kidneys were hard to find, and the stomach was hard to find, but that might be because it wasn't filled with fluid. And it was just a bit of a shock because it's not really what you want to hear - you don't really expect that. And that, that was when things where it started going a bit wrong. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. Well, at the regional hospital it was a 3-D scan. I am a darker, harder version of myself. There were also two spots on his heart, which were "soft markers" for Down's syndrome. I returned to be told they wanted to scan me again, another internal to see exactly what was happening. Had 34wk scan last week and all is well - of all the babies found to have a two vessel cord, was told less than 6% experience any growth issues etc. We decided that we wanted medication to help me. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? So we decided to book an early 10 week private scan. All pregnant women should be given the booklet by their midwife or GP Screening tests for you and your baby by Public Health England, which gives detailed information about the types of scan offered and what they are looking for. I tried to keep positive. We had to discuss what we wanted to do with the little body after delivery. And I, my husband and I both ran our own business at the time so we were desperate to get back and do some work, and things were going really well, so.. Seated in the antenatal clinic with lots of expectant mothers with baby bumps. But that was too easy. Actually you could tell from the brain development as he scanned up through the chambers of the brain, that one quarter of the brain, one chamber was not evident. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. 17/12/2020 17:13. For instance a couple who knew their baby was 'on the small size' were told he was fine at the 18-20 week scan, but discovered at 32 weeks that he had microcephaly. But it was very evident. It is essential that all practitioners performing fetal anomaly ultrasound screening should be trained to communicate abnormal findings to women, as such information is likely to have significant emotional impact. And they, sort of two of them were looking at the scan machine and then they sort of switched everything off and said, 'Oh, I think we have, might have a problem'. Living in this world must be unbearable for them. It was horrible. I should stop being dramatic and pessimistic. I swallowed the tablet and we left the building. I think it's the same - in fact I think it was probably the same room, same consultant - and [sighs] I suppose it felt upsetting because at the dating scan you're full of hope and this scan we knew wasn't going to be good, we knew it was maybe the last time we would see the baby moving around. At this point it wasn't looking great. It was positive, and I felt elated. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. I give obsessively to charity, especially those linked to sick children. He wanted to talk about it, but I didn't. I felt crushed, I wanted him to at least acknowledge what had been found already. At the time the same thing had, exactly the same thing had happened to my friend a month before, and her scan was absolutely fine. I was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. Baby loss support There was an extra digit on one of the hands. There was a very marked lack of amniotic fluid which made it difficult, not even for the scanners to see, that made the picture of the scan look very, very different. I get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. That he - I think I was 21 weeks and 3 days, and he was coming up at 19 weeks and 4 days, or something like that.

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