chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet

So that just left the talipes. So once again we were right back down, really no, really not knowing what to expect. We couldn't say we'd lost the baby, because he was still kicking away, but we couldn't pretend everything was fine, either. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. What are the chances of bad news at the 20 week scan | Mumsnet (See 'Resources'). The baby kicked, blissfully unaware of what I had done. 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. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. We were denying him his life. No one else attended and we didn't have a service. b>Bad news at 20 week scan. The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. And it was then because we were at 20 weeks by this point, there was only fairly short window to actually, to get some more tests done, find out what the problems were, and then make any decisions that might have to be made. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. 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. And I remember, the first thing I remember when something might be wrong, was I saw, I finally, we finally saw an image of the skull on the screen, and there appeared to be a sort of black hole shape in the middle. That he was small. So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. I felt the dread run through me. We went in, had a scan, I can't remember the exact sequence of events because the baby was still in the wrong position. I let out an animal scream and [wife] kind of leapt onto me on the bed. The doctor wanted to do another blood test to confirm a significant drop in my hormone levels. We strongly advise readers not to take drugs that are not prescribed by your qualified healthcare provider. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? But no. All my plans were beginning to fall down. She asked me how far gone I thought we were, and if I could have been mistaken. It's quite common, perhaps 1 in 10 they find these, and within a few weeks they disappear. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. Good luck has not come easily over the past few years. We understand the real meaning of "shit happens". 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. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. And I wish that I'd been told at that point, that somebody had actually turned round to me and said, 'Look, I'm sorry, but I think there's something very wrong. So we had to go in and out a couple of times, and we were just waiting around for ages and ages. It went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. My partner spent the weekend trying to convince me that things were OK. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. All the hopes, dreams, and plans we made with our little bumps has been taken away from us. We didn't feel we could tell anyone what was happening. Have I misunderstood what's going on?' 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. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. Last reviewed July 2017. And I thought that if I were faced with the possibility of having an amnio, hours of discussion would follow - I would spend days mulling it over. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. Just that really! As soon as we arrived, we were shown to this little room. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, NHS fetal anomaly screening programme (FASP), Screening tests for you and your baby (STFYAYB), nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3, more information and details of support groups. And it's like, I really wanted to see it and I didn't, and it was it was very mixed. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. Try to relax and take it easy. So had to come back in a week's time for a scan, which again is quite a common thing I found out. Many described how sonographers and doctors were very restrained and didn't speak at all until they had analysed all the baby's details. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. I was saving my child from pain and suffering. . My partner was away working and was waiting to hear whether he was having a son or daughter. Or, at the very least, heart problems. See more information about the 20-week ultrasound scan. Well send you a link to a feedback form. When I see a child with Down's syndrome, I have a tremendous need to explain myself and apologise a million times over. This one cannot show you anything, that's what's inside your mind. On January 18, my baby was born, at 23 weeks - a little boy. Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. And attribute some blame to them. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. Can't seem to find info on the Internet. 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. Though the 18-20 week scan can detect when certain parts of the baby's body have grown abnormally, it may not be possible for clinicians to identify why it has happened or make a firm diagnosis based on the scan alone. It was sick. No one else but my partner saw how similar he was to our son. In the case of a suspected abnormality, women should be seen for a second opinion by an expert in fetal ultrasound, such as a fetal medicine specialist. The doctor or midwife looking after you will let you know before you come. So I no longer trusted my instincts. Desperately trying to hold onto the glimmer of hope we'd been given. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. Which she reassured us that she'd be absolutely fine, this was a one-off. No, we really didn't, with hindsight we probably should have, but not at all, it never occurred to us to be worried about it. It would have been nice to see someone straight away because I was in such shock. Last updated July 2017. But it was very evident. I have a terrible hatred of pregnant women and a new respect for infertile couples. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Ending a pregnancy for fetal abnormality - The 18-20 week antenatal [Husband] couldn't make it. There are no known risks to your baby or the mother from having an ultrasound scan but it is important that you consider carefully whether or not to have the 20-week scan. I get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. hi ladies. So we hid in our house. The ultimate betrayal. He then told us what the prognosis would mean for the child. So it was just, we were coming up to the 20-week scan and I was just getting more relaxed, just actually starting to look at maybe baby catalogues or, you know, going down the baby aisle at the shops, which I'd always avoided. But you know I knew we had, we had to make a decision that was right for the baby as well. Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. What happens at the second midwife appointment? By this time, we were tired. 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. It was over. Maybe. A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. My wife turned the screen away from her. I wrote a few things down last night when we were trying to go over things, just to remind myself. Instead, I had to raise a glass of water to my mouth, take a swig and swallow the tablet. But worse was to come. 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. 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. 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. 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 was it. Three midwives came and went. Find more information and details of support groups on NHS.UK. When he came back, he agreed on a termination. And the next day we went back to the hospital and we had another scan with a specialist, and he confirmed it was a condition called holoprosencephaly, which I'd never heard of any of these words before, they were just such long words. 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. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. It is as though our pain means we've earned the right to be taken more seriously. It was, 'Oh we'll come back to that'. 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'. Enough for two weeks after he had been cremated. Where we were living then at the time you only had a scan at 20 weeks. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. The termination would be averting a tragedy. There was cause for concern. I know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. BabyCenter. Still, the consultant thought things would be OK. In this information, the word we refers to the NHS service that provides screening. Purpose of screening. But before he could speak, he, too, had broken down. Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier . In most cases the scan will show that your baby appears to be developing as expected but sometimes a condition is found or suspected. And my partner and I would have a completely different life from the one we'd imagined. I think at that time she had come to terms better with the fact that this baby was going to be terminated, and I don't think I was quite there. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. Sam reassured me, but the guilt had hit me along with the feeling that our world was falling apart. 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket Others said they were shocked because all the early diagnostic tests (e.g. On the third day, we got a phone call. So we went home really and I sort of had to think about it all night. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. 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. 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. But with time although we will never forget, I know we will be ok again. I believed at this point I had miscarried, they wanted me to come back I'm for a follow up scan. She didn't want to see the baby. I didn't want to be convincing him to agree with me. I give obsessively to charity, especially those linked to sick children. After half an hour of lying on the bed, I was starting to get nervous, but was excited to find out that the baby would be a boy and that I could see his little heart beating strongly. But it's bloody hard being miserable the whole time. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Most hospitals do not allow children to attend scans as childcare is not usually available. The sonographer will be able to tell you the results of the scan at the time. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. This was a ray of hope for us. You will be able to discuss this with your midwife or consultant. He sounded like a wild animal in pain, deep pain. I had a horrible feeling of relief. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. 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. I know it is still early days. I was becoming numb to the whole process. And that was Monday afternoon. Thankfully I was met by an amazing sonographer, she was compassionate and understanding. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales company number 3266897. And so we talked about it euphemistically, never saying the word "research". And you know, we were laughing and joking. So obviously quite relaxed. 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. We saw the consultant, who was reassuring, saying that he would rescan me and was sure everything would be fine. I am a darker, harder version of myself. I could hardly breathe. My belly was growing and I was feeling great. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. 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. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. That was an extremely difficult day. We would terminate the pregnancy. She brought up a picture of the heart on the screen. And I felt like a murderer. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. And, it does not occur to you in the slightest. But here I was, minutes later, lying down, waiting. And the first few things they said it didn't sound as thing, as though things were terribly wrong. All my instincts were to protect my belly, yet here I was allowing someone to stick a huge needle into it. Two days, after on Christmas Eve, (my 12 week date) I had more blood tests. Read full disclaimer.