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

The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. Previous scans in this pregnancy and with my first child had been fun - a chance to see the baby wriggling around and perhaps find out its sex. For example, you may be offered further tests that have a risk of miscarriage. 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'. The consultant at the time wasn't really that interested in that imagery. We were bound to each other because of the blood that was on both our hands. He was tiny, perfect and a Down's syndrome baby. 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. 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. 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. I thought I was going to burst into tears. So it was quite common, this is what happens. So, in the end, we said we would arrange our own funeral. And everybody knows and everything is right. 'Soft markers'. The pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to how I felt inside. My partner went out with him, wanting to see him. 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. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. It was all going wrong and I wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. 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'. This short video explains screening for 11 physical conditions in pregnancy. And they actually asked my husband to come in before they spoke to me. The contractions started very quickly and within an hour my waters had broken. . No one else ever met the object of my grief. We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. What were babys measurements at 20 week scan? It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. 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. The baby kicked, blissfully unaware of what I had done. The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. And I assumed my partner would feel the same. 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'. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. By this time, we were tired. It went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-tests-for-you-and-your-baby/11-physical-conditions-20-week-scan. We decided that we wanted medication to help me. I guess the morphine made it easier. I didn't want to be convincing him to agree with me. And in this instance the scan was very evident that there was something very seriously wrong. Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. My partner spent the weekend trying to convince me that things were OK. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. 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. 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. Still, the consultant thought things would be OK. 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. I thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. 80 percent of my pregnancies have ended in death and I felt like they were telling me those babies didn't matter. Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier diagnostic tests (e.g. So we'd gone through the Down's syndrome or worse scare, we'd had conversations about what we would do, if it was confirmed that it was Down's syndrome or another syndrome, another sort of chromosome abnormality. 13/12/2020 20:45. I was becoming numb to the whole process. So that was it. I remember thinking, 'that doesn't look quite right'. It would be a personal tragedy for my partner and me, but that is all. And so we talked about it euphemistically, never saying the word "research". Life expectancy of 30 or 40. I think they perhaps could have done, if they had looked a bit closely. I had to wait for a doctor to explain the situation. (See 'Resources'). I couldn't work out what was taking so long and put it down to the doctor being young and inexperienced. Nights were impossible. We talked about the different sorts of pain relief I could have and I opted for a morphine drip, which I could control. This article was amended on 24 November 2015 to anonymise the writer. We don't know, but it's not looking good'. She brought up a picture of the heart on the screen. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. But even if I was there, I still think I would have wanted to see the detail on the scan. The screen may be directly facing them or at an angle. The hardest thing I have ever done. But that was too easy. Enough for two weeks after he had been cremated. But other than that everything was fine. It was just sort of deadpan faces, very serious looks, someone else coming to check. All my instincts were to protect my belly, yet here I was allowing someone to stick a huge needle into it. And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose. Immediately I knew what decision we should take. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. 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. We couldn't say we'd lost the baby, because he was still kicking away, but we couldn't pretend everything was fine, either. At first, I still had to deal with the physical implications of having given birth. 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. We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. Three midwives came and went. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. I wanted to let nature take its course. Instead, I had to raise a glass of water to my mouth, take a swig and swallow the tablet. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. You might be offered another test to find out for certain if your baby has one of the conditions. I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. You've had a scan, you've had the blood tests, you've been good. 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. And I could see, before she even said anything I could see that there was something wrong with the heart. He wanted to talk about it, but I didn't. 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. 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. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. In order for the sonographer to get good images of your baby, the scan is carried out in a dimly lit room. I just feel very unlucky. Just doing it. 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. The sonographer will be able to tell you the results of the scan at the time. My wife had been very, very healthy, more healthy than the first pregnancy, and of course was shattered by the fact that the news, the news was appalling, very serious faces. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. We had to discuss what we wanted to do with the little body after delivery. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. You've had, you've had your Down's Syndrome check and that's okay. As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. 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. Mm-hm. The consultant had said it wouldn't be like a normal delivery. 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. The scan will look in detail at your babys bones, heart, brain, spinal cord, face, kidneys and abdomen. For once in my life, I had been organised. You will be able to discuss this with your midwife or consultant. I felt sad, but not the complete devastation of the last scan as they had seen a change of some sort. Let a mum know you're thinking of them send one of our personalised Mother's Day cards today, Home Went back a week later for the scan and, you were with me for this one, weren't you? And the local hospital wanted to send us off to the regional hospital to actually confirm that, and were not really prepared to say at that time that there was something very seriously wrong. At this point it wasn't looking great. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, 'it didn't look good' and that 'my womb looked raggedy'. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? So once again we were right back down, really no, really not knowing what to expect. It felt as if we had gone power crazy. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. I agreed to an internal scan as the sonographer said we could get a better picture of what was happening. I give obsessively to charity, especially those linked to sick children. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. Thick milky discharge at 14 weeks.tmi pic attached. 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). 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. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. My partner really wanted me to, and by that time I had no sense of what was right or what I should do. I could hardly breathe. Many people were deeply affected by their experiences of the 20-week and subsequent specialist scans. 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. We were convinced everything would be OK. I had to wait yet another sleepless night. And I felt like a murderer. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. This image shows a baby's face and hands at 20 weeks, and gives you an idea of what you'll be able to see at this scan. And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. And even at that early stage it was beginning to sink in that there was something really not right. The same rush of excitement. Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and over again. By the time I left the hospital, I was in shock. We need to have your opinion'. ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT AT 20 WEEK SCAN. And shortly after that, that scan we'd finished and the consultant leant back and said, 'I'm afraid we have some problems here'. Somehow, I walked from the sofa up to the bathroom and told my partner. So he was about two weeks smaller than what he should have been. It's been a heartbreaking nightmare. So I lay on the bed and my partner sat next to me. Slightly marked from our peers. I had never imagined having an amniocentesis. And I couldn't escape the feeling that I was being selfish. Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be. I feel empty and incomplete. It was positive, and I felt elated. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. Most scans are carried out by specially trained staff called sonographers. You get extra care and monitoring as appropriate and baby is proactively treated. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. What happens at the second midwife appointment? factor is very strong. 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! 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. That they could have spotted something, or not? So we went home really and I sort of had to think about it all night. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. I'm trying to understand because I haven't seen a 3-D scan, what it tells the parents? 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. Maybe. 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. It sounds crazy, but I just knew. 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. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. He felt strong and fit and healthy.