chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet

If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. Sam reassured me, but the guilt had hit me along with the feeling that our world was falling apart. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. 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. 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. Like many things, the theory is very different from the reality. For example, you may be offered further tests that have a risk of miscarriage. As I left the room to compose myself. 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. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. Where we were living then at the time you only had a scan at 20 weeks. 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 same unique expression he had when he saw our two year old born. 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 think there might be a problem'. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. It was a bit worrying but on the plus side I got an extra couple of scans and an extra couple of pictures. We saw the consultant, who was reassuring, saying that he would rescan me and was sure everything would be fine. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. I was young, I didn't need one. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. It was positive, and I felt elated. Well, at the regional hospital it was a 3-D scan. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. 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. And you know, we were laughing and joking. I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. I didn't really know what that was. I was saving my child from pain and suffering. On the next shift, the new midwife asked us again. This scan takes place between 18 weeks and 20 weeks 6 days of pregnancy and is commonly called the 20-week scan. I thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. It was the end of January, very end - about the 29th - I'd gone into, I'd gone into 5 months by then. 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 wasn't unduly worried at all. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. Intellectually, I knew this was not the case. 13/12/2020 20:45. 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'. You've had a scan, you've had the blood tests, you've been good. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. My partner's face was lit up, seeing the baby for the first time. So he went out for a walk. I wrote a few things down last night when we were trying to go over things, just to remind myself. 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. 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. I couldn't work out what was taking so long and put it down to the doctor being young and inexperienced. You can change your cookie settings at any time. So I no longer trusted my instincts. My son's congenital heart defect was detected at the 20 week scan and he had 2 other markers, no . These opinions do not represent the opinions of Tommys and are not advice from Tommy's. And everybody knows and everything is right. It is impossible to escape them and each one underlines your loss. But he was not sure. Being deeply unhappy and kind to others at the same time is nigh on impossible. Read full disclaimer. After preparing myself to face having to take the medication. I know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. It was just sort of deadpan faces, very serious looks, someone else coming to check. I was willing the results to be normal. 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. 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. The doctor told me he was 98% sure this was a failing twin pregnancy. We don't know, but it's not looking good'. The doctor didn't come. The termination would be averting a tragedy. But other than that everything was fine. That was the first time I had heard him cry. I think I don't everything just seems a real blur because it was, it was such a strange experience. 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. I was booked back in to discuss management options, if nothing had happened. The baby kicked, blissfully unaware of what I had done. See you in -. And that was a terrible moment to be sort of hanging on, waiting. 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. 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. As soon as we arrived, we were shown to this little room. But they didn't. Our baby was beautiful. Somehow, I walked from the sofa up to the bathroom and told my partner. It felt as if we had gone power crazy. We're going to go and see them. hi ladies. Well send you a link to a feedback form. I was experiencing some light bleeding for the past few days. And how wrong could they be? We walked all the way home. Still, the consultant thought things would be OK. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. 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. 2022. the amniocentesis) and the pregnancy had already ended, or because the scan was not routinely offered in their region 5 or more years ago. We went in, had a scan, I can't remember the exact sequence of events because the baby was still in the wrong position. Do you have any thoughts about that? To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. The scan can provide information that may mean you have to make further, important decisions. But I still didn't want to be the one who stopped this baby's chance to live. This time, they discovered the baby has a two vessel cord (only one vessel from placenta to baby instead of two) and I've been monitored to make sure the baby grows properly and kidneys aren't damaged. Possibly with hindsight we could have been more worried about it, but was probably a good thing we weren't, because we weren't worried about anything basically. And at that point I don't think we, I don't think we realised that there might have to be a decision, because we'd talked about it with, with Down's and the other possible problems, but at this point it was, well okay what can be done to fix the problem - because yes the heart's not developing properly but there must be something we can do. Thick milky discharge at 14 weeks.tmi pic attached. We thought it would all be over very quickly but, in fact, it was another 11 hours before the baby was delivered. It's quite common, perhaps 1 in 10 they find these, and within a few weeks they disappear. 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. Entering the labour ward, I waited for someone to say, "Go home, you are 16 weeks too early." 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. So choroid plexus cysts on their own, no problem, but if there's something else wrong, then that's a problem. 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.. 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. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. The "why me?" When he came back, he agreed on a termination. . 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'. You get extra care and monitoring as appropriate and baby is proactively treated. 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 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. I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. It was real. She didn't want to see the baby. The same sense of expectation. We just couldn't use the words. So that was it. Tissue paper will be tucked around your clothing to protect it from the ultrasound gel, which will then be put on your tummy. For five months my body had known there was something wrong, yet I had felt fantastic. You're in and out and that was it. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. I get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. I want to be nice again. And I couldn't escape the feeling that I was being selfish. An hour passed and I started to panic. She describes having to make a momentous decision very quickly, and the ferment of relief, guilt and grief that followed, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. Abortion has never raised any moral dilemmas for me and I am an atheist, so there are no religious issues. And you could see, where you should have a picture of 4 chambers, you could really see 2. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. The screen may be directly facing them or at an angle. Maybe. So he was about two weeks smaller than what he should have been. We felt as if we were in limbo. 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'. As I waited for the doctor back on the EPU unit. Forcing my hand to my mouth to take the tablet was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. 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. I wasn't ready to make a decision straight away, and I was told I could call them in the morning. My belly was growing and I was feeling great. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. Severe chromosomal conditions such as Edwards' syndrome are now often picked up in the first trimester antenatal screening but itwill usually be more obviousat the 18- 20 week scan, though usually a firm diagnosis will not be made until one or two specialists have weighed up all available evidence about the baby - which usually means that another expert needs to scan the baby again, or until the woman has had an amniocentesis. In some very serious rare cases, where no treatment is possible, the baby will die soon after it is born or during pregnancy. It went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. We strongly advise readers not to take drugs that are not prescribed by your qualified healthcare provider. I was then told yet again bad news. My wife turned the screen away from her. And, so they sent me home at that stage because they said the specialist wasn't available till the following day, which was awful. The pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to how I felt inside. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. 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. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. No one else ever met the object of my grief. Nice people shouldn't hear about what we'd done. 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'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'. Baby loss support 15/02/2014 08:02. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. And I could see, before she even said anything I could see that there was something wrong with the heart. 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. I've been incredibly lucky to have such amazing support from Sam, my mum, and close friends and family. Never lacking a sense of the dramatic, it felt as if we shared the responsibility for the terrible, dirty act that we had committed. Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and over again. I had hope that the little bumps inside me were fighting just as much as I was to stay with me. I guess the morphine made it easier. 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. 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. There was cause for concern. 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.'. Being generous and kind generally happens only when you're happy. 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). And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. Laura miscarried her twin babies in February. And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? The nursery I had selected for our two-year-old son; my maternity leave; the bunk beds; the summer holiday suitable for a newborn baby. I was told that while bad news at the 12 w scan is often of the life or death kind, bad news at the 20 week scan is often of the 'needs an operation in childhood' or 'needs to wear a brace for a year' kind. Specialist scans We've joined the grown-ups and we both feel very different. During the examination, sonographers need to keep the screen in a position that gives them a good view of your baby. The pain was bearable but uncomfortable, the hospital rang me a few days later and asked me how I was. The results come in stages. The scan will find about half (50%) of those babies who have heart defects. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. Desperately trying to hold onto the glimmer of hope we'd been given. Sam followed and I broke down. But no. The ultimate betrayal. After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. And in this instance the scan was very evident that there was something very seriously wrong. 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'. But you could see there was something wrong? In fact, interestingly enough, going sort of. And it's, I can't remember exactly what it was now, it's about where the brain is supposed to form. The doctor gave her consent, and I took the four little tablets. Some things can be seen more clearly than others. Three midwives came and went. And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. I had no idea if we were doing the "right" thing. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. This might be uncomfortable. So we left it there, and we didn't actually think that there was anything really to worry about after that scan. A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. Purpose of screening. The next day, it was confirmed that my bloods had again dropped. Limitations of the 18-20 week scan or sort of light chat that we'd, we'd experienced before with previous scans. And attribute some blame to them. I've realised that being a nice person is a luxury some can't afford. So we had to go in and out a couple of times, and we were just waiting around for ages and ages. And having read, since read my information on Edwards' syndrome, a good 85 per cent have problems with the heart. 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. I am a darker, harder version of myself. The 18-20 week antenatal scan and further tests. Has anyone been told the wrong sex at 20 week scan? Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. All the time, the baby was kicking and I felt like a murderer waiting to strike her victim. 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. 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. So we went home, me to rest in an attempt to prevent miscarriage, my partner to reassure us both. Is it the same scan or is it the same equipment? 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. I could hardly breathe. 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. Seeing your baby on a screen can be really exciting. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. Fine, go on my own. b>Bad news at 20 week scan. So we hid in our house. 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. We need to have your opinion'. 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?' Scans cannot find all conditions. 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'. By the time I left the hospital, I was in shock. 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. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. 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. You may need to have a full bladder when you come for the appointment. The consultant at the time wasn't really that interested in that imagery. Which is what I'd seen. 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. The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. We talked about the different sorts of pain relief I could have and I opted for a morphine drip, which I could control. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. An appointment should be arranged as soon as possible and ideally within three working days. I still feel guilty, I still cry at random times. Mm-hm. As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans See more information about the 20-week ultrasound scan. Instead, I had to raise a glass of water to my mouth, take a swig and swallow the tablet. It was horrible. 'Soft markers'. She didn't say at the time that it was a major problem or that it was something to watch out for. You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. But everything seemed fine and we'd been sitting waiting to see the consultant, and I'd had an examination on the bed. We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. Eventually, the midwife said to us very sweetly, "I think we should deliver the baby now." Christmas came and went in a blur of emotion, it felt so wrong to be celebrating when we were in such turmoil. 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. My baby might have Down's syndrome. Others said they were shocked because all the early diagnostic tests (e.g. I didn't want to go through anymore scans. 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. So I lay on the bed and my partner sat next to me. As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. The midwife was on the verge of tears and I felt responsible. Finally, Monday came and we went back to the hospital. This was a ray of hope for us. Saturday came. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. 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. The consultant had said it wouldn't be like a normal delivery. I give pregnant women dirty looks. We went, I went in to the scanning room and they're quite bland facially anyway, whether everything's fine or not they just look at the screen to start off with and do measurements but I very quickly realised that the woman's demeanour wasn't, even for a bland face, was concerning. 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! And that was Monday afternoon. She asked me how far gone I thought we were, and if I could have been mistaken. 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. However painful and traumatic the labour was, it was better than what would happen at the end of it. 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. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales company number 3266897. And I am slowly coming to terms with what has happened. And I know I can't hurry up the process of grieving. Have I misunderstood what's going on?' 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.

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chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet

chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet