It was interesting - well it was fantastic to see this fetus and to see this child that was yours that was horribly ill - but you didn't really get much opportunity to see that because the consultant was more about measurements and all sorts of blood flow and various other screens coming up. I've still had no cramps or bleeding so fingers crossed everything is ok I just couldn't believe I fell down the stairs, I can't remember the last time I ever did that! My heart goes out to you OP. If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. And again, you know, you read all the books and it tells you 'this is the diagnostics', but after a while you don't hear that inside your head any more No, no, no, I'm fine - because everything's perfect. It's a bit at the back of the brain and - no I can't remember what it is - it's called, it's something that's called Dandy-Walker mal, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have produced a report on Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality in England, Scotland and Wales (May 2010). We understand the real meaning of "shit happens". I want to stop having such horrible thoughts. It would be a personal tragedy for my partner and me, but that is all. unfortunately the 20 week anomaly scan can pick up serious issues, hearing heart beats at midwife appointment doesn't let us know what's going on inside the body in detail. Most hospitals do not allow children to attend scans as childcare is not usually available. She endured many agonising rounds of scans and tests, and unfortunately met with some unhelpful attitudes from some healthcare professionals. b>Bad news at 20 week scan. Sam followed and I broke down. Except for the persistent, nagging doubts. The doctor didn't come. I didn't want to go through anymore scans. 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. I swallowed the tablet and we left the building. The next day, it was confirmed that my bloods had again dropped. I couldn't have the added responsibility for changing his mind. The weeks since that day have been very weird. Never lacking a sense of the dramatic, it felt as if we shared the responsibility for the terrible, dirty act that we had committed. So that was it. It went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. The baby was very, very small. At first, I still had to deal with the physical implications of having given birth. I thought I was going to burst into tears. The doctor gave her consent, and I took the four little tablets. Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. By the time I left the hospital, I was in shock. The scan will find about half (50%) of those babies who have heart defects. Went off for the 20-week scan, which you didn't, you weren't there, were you, for the first scan? And, sometimes, I wish I had invited my whole family into the hospital room to see him. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. We thought it would all be over very quickly but, in fact, it was another 11 hours before the baby was delivered. Sometimes doctors will wait to give the baby more time to develop and carry out repeat scans - this had confused several parents we talked to who had gone for repeat scans not knowing that the baby might have a problem. You're in and out and that was it. As I left the room to compose myself. She asked me how far gone I thought we were, and if I could have been mistaken. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. Smiling at myself and picturing me and Sam becoming parents. So we had to go in and out a couple of times, and we were just waiting around for ages and ages. The hormone levels had dropped, but they wanted to scan me again. Can you describe the difference between the scan at this later stage in a pregnancy? On January 18, my baby was born, at 23 weeks - a little boy. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. He bluntly told me, he wasn't interested in whatever was seen before, he was only going to go by what he saw that day. Where we were living then at the time you only had a scan at 20 weeks. 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. 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. So that just left the talipes. Again, we weren't understood. Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and over again. the amniocentesis) and the pregnancy had already ended, or because the scan was not routinely offered in their region 5 or more years ago. This is not what I imagined pregnancy to feel like', Baby Loss Awareness Week - Voice Five - Bryony Seabrook. But on, in the middle of March, 10th March it was, we had a 20 week scan. Enough for two weeks after he had been cremated. 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. We bought little outfits, teddies, and researched all the vitamins and foods that I could eat. As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. If you are offered further tests, you will be given more information about them so that you can decide whether or not you want to have them. We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. No one else felt him kick. For example, the babys brain, kidneys, internal organs or bones may not have developed properly. You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. It's, I mean you can't tell from these scans what you're looking at really, but I remember thinking, 'it just doesn't look quite right' or something, but I didn't give it much thought. Do you have any thoughts about that? And you could see, where you should have a picture of 4 chambers, you could really see 2. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. So I suppose from that aspect, mind you having not been told that or sitting there, I wouldn't have thought necessarily that was odd. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. factor is very strong. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. Entering the labour ward, I waited for someone to say, "Go home, you are 16 weeks too early." . The scan will look in detail at your babys bones, heart, brain, spinal cord, face, kidneys and abdomen. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. But it was very evident. And I said, I was still laughing, and I thought he was joking with me, and he said now I sort of could tell from his face that by that point he wasn't really joking anymore. I felt crushed, I wanted him to at least acknowledge what had been found already. I felt more informed, and I felt that that was what I needed in my head to see you know, that I've got to accept now that this, all these things are real on the screen and this was really my baby that's suffering all these things [sighs], but I was sad as well. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. The sonographer will be able to tell you the results of the scan at the time. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. It feels very lonely and isolating. My partner went out with him, wanting to see him. We've got the same battle scars. It was real. What are the chances of bad news at the 20 week scan | Mumsnet The first result, which tells you if the baby has Down's syndrome, is ready in three days, but the other chromosomal problems cannot be eliminated for up to three weeks. 26/09/2019 22:46. So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. That's fine. Or, at the very least, heart problems. And they took me into another room. 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. chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet. Well, at the regional hospital it was a 3-D scan. He felt strong and fit and healthy. She advised I be referred to the EPU to be assessed. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. I felt empty, scared, guilty and incredibly heartbroken. It doesn't remove the guilt, but I don't know what else to do. I thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. When I told him what had happened, he refused to believe anything was wrong and said he'd sort it out when he came home. Sometimes women were told that the sonographer had found a 'marker' or sign of a chromosomal condition and had to wait for an amniocentesis to confirm the findings. Our nightmare began when I went for my 20-week scan. 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 had a horrible feeling of relief. So he was about two weeks smaller than what he should have been. But you know I knew we had, we had to make a decision that was right for the baby as well. We couldn't say we'd lost the baby, because he was still kicking away, but we couldn't pretend everything was fine, either. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. 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. Why me and not you, you bastard? My partner really wanted me to, and by that time I had no sense of what was right or what I should do. Let a mum know you're thinking of them send one of our personalised Mother's Day cards today, Home Did you, how did that scan make you feel? We felt as if we were in limbo. Ending a pregnancy for fetal abnormality - The 18-20 week antenatal No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be. Sometimes a post mortem was needed to confirm the 20-week diagnosis to see if the baby had inherited a genetic problem (such as Fowler syndrome - see '. Trying to carry on as normal, working and putting on a brave face. I travelled to work that day feeling amazing. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. And also what the prognosis would mean for our two year old: now a very happy child, he would have a completely different childhood with such an ill sibling. And having read, since read my information on Edwards' syndrome, a good 85 per cent have problems with the heart. And there [sighs] was a very dark patch over one, where the eye socket was, and they didn't know it, in the Edward's babies sometimes the eyes don't develop properly, or it might have been bleeding, they weren't very sure. 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 endured 12 hours of medication and in the early hours February 7, 56 days after my first scan (at nearly 18 weeks), I miscarried our babies. I was wondering if anyone has been is this situation and can give me a glimmer of hope. In this information, the word we refers to the NHS service that provides screening. He was sure the consultant on Monday would see that the measurements were completely normal and that there was nothing to worry about. Getting through the 20 week scan - My BabyManual Which is what I'd seen. 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. So we gave up and said we'd arrange the funeral ourselves. 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. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. I felt I needed proof of what was wrong before I take such a huge decision and that I couldn't do it based on what someone had written on, on the paper. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. This article was amended on 24 November 2015 to anonymise the writer. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". Bad news at 20 week scan | Mumsnet The "why me?" Most scans show that babies seem to be developing as expected, and none of the 11 conditions are found. We've joined the grown-ups and we both feel very different. I did think it was a bit strange that she wasn't talking, and then she sort of said, 'Oh, I think there's a problem. We saw the consultant, who was reassuring, saying that he would rescan me and was sure everything would be fine. And that was scanning up from the above the head, then you were coming up through the child's head, so you were seeing the chambers in the brain, sort of it was evident in all four chambers of the brain, then suddenly one chamber was empty. In a small number of cases some very serious conditions are found. And I felt like a murderer. I was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. However, at the time neither of us could articulate that. Being deeply unhappy and kind to others at the same time is nigh on impossible. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. So I was, they couldn't actually finish the scan then, the baby was moving around too much, so they couldn't scan the heart and the stomach. The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. I was booked back in to discuss management options, if nothing had happened. I couldn't bring myself to push. What happens at the second midwife appointment? Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. x. 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. . Sometimes it is difficult to get good views of a baby. So we went home, me to rest in an attempt to prevent miscarriage, my partner to reassure us both. And, so they sent me home at that stage because they said the specialist wasn't available till the following day, which was awful. Rather sharply, my partner tried to explain. 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket Went back a week later for the scan and, you were with me for this one, weren't you? 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. For once in my life, I had been organised. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. The consultant showed us the letter with our result on and, yes, there were the words "Down's syndrome". And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. Anyway we went in for the meeting with the consultant on this particular time, and we'd got to, I was 30 weeks pregnant by then. So we hid in our house. Your mind has closed to the possibility that there could be anything wrong. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet It was all going wrong and I wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible. Registered office: Nicholas House, 3 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, EC4R 0BB. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. Like many things, the theory is very different from the reality. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. 'Yes, if that's okay with you,' kind of thing, like you do. The gel makes sure there is good contact between the probe and your skin. I think I was about 20 weeks cos they, the hospital I think did the 12 and the 20, that was their standard thing and, yeah, so I got the 20 weeks one. A few people recalled how frightened and alarmed they became when they sensed that the atmosphere in the scanning room changed in an instant from 'jokey' to serious when the baby's problems were detected. So I was a bit ignorant of the kind of things, you know, what the scans were really doing - maybe it was, a bit na've I think. We just couldn't use the words. Another sick joke. I was given a leaflet and told to return four days later to see the consultant. 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. 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), tbh, they never give you good news at scans. There is always a chance that a baby may be born with a health issue that scans could not have identified. The pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to how I felt inside. So once again we were right back down, really no, really not knowing what to expect. I was becoming numb to the whole process. And at that, I let out a scream I think. So on the Monday we went in to see the senior sonographer, I think she was a consultant at the hospital. But the consultant had found more spots on the heart and the measurements were the same. I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. By this point I had stopped bleeding, this caused problems. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. I felt the dread run through me. And how wrong could they be? Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. And my husband, we never got to sit next to each other in the consulting room, my husband was across the room from me, and I was sat next to the consultant, and we were laughing and joking with him about, you know, the home delivery, and everything was going to be, 'Are you still on for the home delivery?' All the time, the baby was kicking and I felt like a murderer waiting to strike her victim. 20-week ultrasound (anomaly scan) - BabyCenter Australia 'Soft markers'. My partner spent the weekend trying to convince me that things were OK. 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'.