We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. Most scans show that babies seem to be developing as expected, and none of the 11 conditions are found. 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'. And I felt like a murderer. And that was Monday afternoon. ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT AT 20 WEEK SCAN. The termination would be averting a tragedy. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. When I think about how long it took them to deliberate ultimately, maybe not, but it just felt like a bit of a fast food situation, didn't it? To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. The only thing you're thinking now is the birth, and what if something goes wrong in the birth? It felt so wrong. At first the closeness came through a sense of guilt. Your mind has closed to the possibility that there could be anything wrong. This short video explains screening for 11 physical conditions in pregnancy. 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. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. 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. At that point, I got very not upset but quite sort of strongly severe sort of with the people at the hospital saying, 'Look, you know, that's 24 hours, possibly a 48 hours' wait - that's not something that's tenable. The doctor gave her consent, and I took the four little tablets. If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. Some of the conditions that can be seen on the scan will mean the baby may need treatment or surgery after it is born, for example cleft lip. 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. I went away and came back, and she couldn't get a good picture. What happens at the second midwife appointment? Again, no notes can have been written down because the midwife asked the same question. We didn't name him. All my instincts were to protect my belly, yet here I was allowing someone to stick a huge needle into it. Can you describe the difference between the scan at this later stage in a pregnancy? I thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. 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. Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. They would then re-test me in two days time. My partner really wanted me to, and by that time I had no sense of what was right or what I should do. With my oldest it turns out she has a minor thing that affects 1 in 1000 of the population and wont harm her at all it's just "there" and with my second the issue turned out to be nothing. We're still not at the end of our journey, but we're much further along. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. 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. I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. I think I don't everything just seems a real blur because it was, it was such a strange experience. Most hospitals do not allow children to attend scans as childcare is not usually available. Read full disclaimer. The weeks since that day have been very weird. Desperately trying to hold onto the glimmer of hope we'd been given. SO much upset and needless angst has been caused by 'soft markers' found at scans. You might be offered another test to find out for certain if your baby has one of the conditions. And I know I can't hurry up the process of grieving. However, at the time neither of us could articulate that. Thanks girls, it's amazing how protected our babies are in there isn't it?! 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. I didn't think my instincts were worth much. I know it sounds odd that you want to hear that it's wrong, but you, you know it's wrong, and you, you want to be reassured either that it's okay or is there something seriously wrong. 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. Our baby was beautiful. But the closeness has remained after the drama has died down. 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. But it was very evident. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. We bought a two tests that evening (quite lucky as I messed the first one up!). 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. We decided that we wanted medication to help me. He sounded like a wild animal in pain, deep pain. And at that, I let out a scream I think. It is a noise that will stay with me for ever. A long process of blood tests, scans, doctors and hospitals. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, 'it didn't look good' and that 'my womb looked raggedy'. I could hardly breathe. I just feel very unlucky. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. 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. See you in -. My belly was growing and I was feeling great. 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. In some very serious rare cases, where no treatment is possible, the baby will die soon after it is born or during pregnancy. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. The consultant showed us the letter with our result on and, yes, there were the words "Down's syndrome". And the doctor - because it was a doctor rather then just the, a sonographer or whatever the correct term is - was scanning my wife, and she hovered over the heart of the baby and said, 'Oh there's the heart, we'll come back to that'. The next day, it was confirmed that my bloods had again dropped. I hadn't thought about the mechanics of such a late termination, but had assumed it would mean some kind of operation. And, it does not occur to you in the slightest. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. Saturday came. Purpose of screening. Well send you a link to a feedback form. And, sometimes, I wish I had invited my whole family into the hospital room to see him. And, so they sent me home at that stage because they said the specialist wasn't available till the following day, which was awful. I was then told yet again bad news. So we went home, me to rest in an attempt to prevent miscarriage, my partner to reassure us both. On the third day, we got a phone call. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. We were told to go to the hospital immediately. 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. All the hopes, dreams, and plans we made with our little bumps has been taken away from us. She advised I be referred to the EPU to be assessed. Scans cannot find all conditions. 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. Picture every packed football staduim up and down the country - all healthy pregnancies and births. But that was too easy. Another sick joke. Which is what I'd seen. The results come in stages. Specialist scans are performed in specialist fetal units and if clinicians feel that there might be problems scanning will be done up to 32 weeks. We thought it would all be over very quickly but, in fact, it was another 11 hours before the baby was delivered. We, I was with my mum, and they scanned and found choroid plexus cysts on the brain, which is just a mark, it's a marker on the brain, it's a, what they call a 'soft marker'. Seated in the antenatal clinic with lots of expectant mothers with baby bumps. We needed closure, to allow us to grieve properly. She endured many agonising rounds of scans and tests, and unfortunately met with some unhelpful attitudes from some healthcare professionals. So it was quite common, this is what happens. The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. 13/12/2020 20:45. Sam reassured me, but the guilt had hit me along with the feeling that our world was falling apart. . 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. So it was, there was very, very little movement from the baby because I remembered first time round by that stage, you know, that the baby was quite big and it moved around a lot at a later scan. It was another consultant, who said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news - your baby has Down's syndrome." factor is very strong. (See. You have accepted additional cookies. Sam squeezed my hand and told me it was ok. He then told us what the prognosis would mean for the child. Somehow, I walked from the sofa up to the bathroom and told my partner. The doctor wanted to do another blood test to confirm a significant drop in my hormone levels. I should stop being dramatic and pessimistic. 15/02/2014 08:02. Instinctively, did it feel right? I broke down and started hitting my disgusting body that had done this. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. I mean the lady who was scanning was very quiet for a long time. I was sent home with a leaflet, strong painkillers and two types of antibiotics. Being generous and kind generally happens only when you're happy. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. An hour passed and I started to panic. You will then be asked to raise your top to your chest and lower your skirt or trousers to your hips. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. If necessary, you will be referred to a specialist, possibly in another hospital. 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. My partner went out with him, wanting to see him. This was a ray of hope for us. The same sense of expectation. 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'. It's part of our family. 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. I'd had the scan in the scanning room, I can't remember what they call it now, it's silly, it's gone from my head. the amniocentesis) and the pregnancy had already ended, or because the scan was not routinely offered in their region 5 or more years ago. 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. Forcing my hand to my mouth to take the tablet was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. It can be such a shock so do whatever you need to feel better. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. The contractions started very quickly and within an hour my waters had broken. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk. It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan. 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. I was becoming numb to the whole process. We're going to go and see them. And having read, since read my information on Edwards' syndrome, a good 85 per cent have problems with the heart. Not marginalised into being a victim. As I say, I'm not a very nice person at the moment. I know it is still early days. 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?' I wanted to let nature take its course. There's nothing wrong, you know, we've had all the tests, everything's fine,' and being very upbeat about it all. I remember thinking, 'Gosh' I now know it was a girl, I didn't know that then, that, 'She looks just like her brother'. I can't remember the exact words but she said, 'There might be some fatal problems with your baby'. On the next shift, the new midwife asked us again. We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. So I lay on the bed and my partner sat next to me. The scan will look in detail at your babys bones, heart, brain, spinal cord, face, kidneys and abdomen. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. Those two weeks were agonising for us both. After the triple test you stop thinking, you stop thinking that anything can go wrong. Some stories I hear are amazing! Tommys is a registered charity in England and Wales (1060508) and Scotland (SC039280). 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket So I sort of went home quite, fairly kind of happy and I, at, at this point I hadn't any idea things could go wrong anyway. This is not what I imagined pregnancy to feel like', Baby Loss Awareness Week - Voice Five - Bryony Seabrook. 'Yes, if that's okay with you,' kind of thing, like you do. So that just left the talipes. It was all going wrong and I wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. The same anticipation. And it all seemed so near at hand, you know, 31, 30 weeks, you feel like you're nearly, you're on the home stretch. And I am slowly coming to terms with what has happened. 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. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. 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'. And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. That they could have spotted something, or not? The decision to terminate the pregnancy was my partner's and mine. Thinking back, I don't know how we left without him. Then I picked myself up. 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. You can change your cookie settings at any time. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. 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. So I no longer trusted my instincts. Bad news at 20 week scan | Mumsnet 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 '. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. The 18-20 week antenatal scan and further tests. We had the baby cremated. The scan yet again confirmed things were not good, however the sac had grown. The same rush of excitement. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. I want to be nice again. The sonographer then passes a hand-held probe over your skin to examine the babys body. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. Bad news at 20 week scan, please help. | Mumsnet So at least then we went to that next stage prepared for the worst really. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. I felt sad, but not the complete devastation of the last scan as they had seen a change of some sort. It wasn't measuring at all the right measurements for the age - there was a heart defect, the limbs were sort of distorted, the arms were, you know - you could see that the arms were very sort of contracted, the hands were contracted. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. . 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. I had no idea if we were doing the "right" thing. It is as though our pain means we've earned the right to be taken more seriously. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. 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. How was that scan different from the dating scan? I didn't want to go through anymore scans. The clinic advised a follow up scan the week after, to check on progress and to see what to do next. But I was struggling mentally with the anguish, grief and endless hospital visits. But with time although we will never forget, I know we will be ok again. No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. My partner watched the baby come out, and for a split second I saw a look of joy on his face. However painful and traumatic the labour was, it was better than what would happen at the end of it. In order for the sonographer to get good images of your baby, the scan is carried out in a dimly lit room. It was a bit worrying but on the plus side I got an extra couple of scans and an extra couple of pictures. Unfortunately I was not met with a compassionate sonographer. We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. The pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to how I felt inside.