It was positive, and I felt elated. 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. 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. I have horrible thoughts. So we went home, me to rest in an attempt to prevent miscarriage, my partner to reassure us both. Forcing my hand to my mouth to take the tablet was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. But other than that everything was fine. And I went for, I went for a normal 12-week scan, at my local hospital and everything, they said everything was fine, there was no problem. We were convinced everything would be OK. I managed to tell my mum, who said she would come with us to the hospital. The doctor told me he was 98% sure this was a failing twin pregnancy. Many people were deeply affected by their experiences of the 20-week and subsequent specialist scans. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. 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. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. 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. 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. How common is it for 2nd baby to come early..? The hardest thing I have ever done. 17/12/2020 17:13. I then found that soft markers means 'vague unproven suggestion of a link', and that echogenic locii are small concentrations of calcium which are incredibly common and harmless. Just that really! Saturday came. Is it the same scan or is it the same equipment? I felt the dread run through me. Or, at the very least, heart problems. The "why me?" It's quite common, perhaps 1 in 10 they find these, and within a few weeks they disappear. I was booked back in to discuss management options, if nothing had happened. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. The contractions started very quickly and within an hour my waters had broken. And at the end of the day however much we talked about it - that it was going to be the two of us to make the decision and me to actually you know, go through it and decide that that was what was going to happen for him - and I just, I didn't want to do it. So carried on with the plans, and, you know, planning for the, another baby to come along and then we went for a 20- week scan which is obviously the big one and very exciting, seeing all the arms and legs and once again everything was going fine, 'Look here's the baby, here's the length of baby'. If an abnormality is confirmed or suspected, referral is usually required, although some obvious major fetal abnormalities, such as anencephaly, may not require a second opinion (this should be decided by local guidelines). This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. For five months my body had known there was something wrong, yet I had felt fantastic. 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket I know it is still early days. I know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. So once again we were right back down, really no, really not knowing what to expect. We'd sort of put those discussions to the back of our mind, and then all of a sudden there are other abnormalities so yeah it was a bit a bit of a shocker [laughs]. 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. 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. Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and over again. I was experiencing some light bleeding for the past few days. 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. I would be put to sleep, and when I woke up I wouldn't be pregnant any more. That was the first time I had heard him cry. 15/02/2014 08:02. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. I think it's the same - in fact I think it was probably the same room, same consultant - and [sighs] I suppose it felt upsetting because at the dating scan you're full of hope and this scan we knew wasn't going to be good, we knew it was maybe the last time we would see the baby moving around. As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. 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.'. Somehow, I walked from the sofa up to the bathroom and told my partner. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. It would have been nice to see someone straight away because I was in such shock. 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. I had no issues at my 20wk scan with DD - and neither did any of my antenatal group (9 mums). 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. 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. Those two weeks were agonising for us both. And having read, since read my information on Edwards' syndrome, a good 85 per cent have problems with the heart. Being generous and kind generally happens only when you're happy. Yeah - in, stomach, out. They said the brain was okay -, We were in there for a matter of minutes, literally -, In and out. I didn't want to be convincing him to agree with me. I didn't have a clue. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. It felt so wrong. We need to have your opinion'. We spent the next few weeks in a happy bubble. 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). So I took the test and jumped in the shower. I came back probably about 17 weeks pregnant and had the anomaly scan at 20 weeks and like most people expected everything to be fine and to come away with a lovely picture but unfortunately that isn't what happened. Thankfully I was met by an amazing sonographer, she was compassionate and understanding. The doctor didn't come. My baby might have Down's syndrome. We decided that we wanted medication to help me. The same anxious wait for a little, pathetic cry. Read full disclaimer. For example, the babys brain, kidneys, internal organs or bones may not have developed properly. Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be. I had to be rescanned latter. Seated in the antenatal clinic with lots of expectant mothers with baby bumps. Some things can be seen more clearly than others. That he was small. What would we like to do with the body? The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. 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. I wrote a few things down last night when we were trying to go over things, just to remind myself. And of course some other measurements she needed to take like the width of the skull, which she couldn't take because the fetus was in the wrong position. And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. We both thought we would like some good to come out of this horrible experience, so wanted to talk to somebody about the possibility of using the body for research purposes. Not surprisingly, people aren't quite sure how to deal with me. These opinions do not represent the opinions of Tommys and are not advice from Tommy's. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. And as, and as soon as I saw the pictures of the scan, having had two normal pregnancies, even I could see that there was a marked contrast between this pregnancy and the pictures that I'd had previously. But everything seemed fine and we'd been sitting waiting to see the consultant, and I'd had an examination on the bed. On the third day, we got a phone call. Last updated July 2017. Tears started to roll down my face. 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. . No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. And it was Christmas Eve and at the time I didn't think, the sonographer did spend a little bit of time scanning us and queried my dates several times and then explained that she couldn't quite see the baby's heart properly and would we come back in a couple of days? 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. 13/12/2020 20:45. We didn't feel we could tell anyone what was happening. The doctor wanted to do another blood test to confirm a significant drop in my hormone levels. 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'. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. 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. I loved him instantly and didn't want to let him go. Has anyone been told the wrong sex at 20 week scan? This was on the Friday. The thing about that which I felt was difficult is that we could tell when being scanned that there was something very seriously wrong. And so we had to go out a couple of times, [wife] had to walk around, and she had a drink of water, which is supposed to sort of change things inside, or help the baby turn around or something because the sonographer couldn't get the measurements she wanted. The same rush of excitement. SO much upset and needless angst has been caused by 'soft markers' found at scans. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. So I trusted him. If one of the conditions is found or suspected, the sonographer may ask for a second opinion from another member of staff. My son's congenital heart defect was detected at the 20 week scan and he had 2 other markers, no . And nothing prepares you at all. Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. 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'. I want to stop having such horrible thoughts. I didn't think my instincts were worth much. That was an extremely difficult day. We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. 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! 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. Finally, Monday came and we went back to the hospital. He's now had the all clear and is wriggling round on . This scan takes place between 18 weeks and 20 weeks 6 days of pregnancy and is commonly called the 20-week scan. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. 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. 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. But it is a soft marker for Edwards' syndrome. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. I was another one who did get bad news at the 20 week scan. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales company number 3266897. We left for home feeling completely numb. You may need to have a full bladder when you come for the appointment. It was another consultant, who said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news - your baby has Down's syndrome." He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, 'it didn't look good' and that 'my womb looked raggedy'. I was sent home with a leaflet, strong painkillers and two types of antibiotics. But with time although we will never forget, I know we will be ok again. At this point it wasn't looking great. 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. Others said they were shocked because all the early diagnostic tests (e.g. However, at the time neither of us could articulate that. 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 was told this was common as my body and hormones still thought I was pregnant. 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. And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. (See 'Resources'). You will then be asked to raise your top to your chest and lower your skirt or trousers to your hips. We had the 20 week scan yesterday and got some devastating news. 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. 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.. The scan will look in detail at your babys bones, heart, brain, spinal cord, face, kidneys and abdomen. b>Bad news at 20 week scan. If you choose not to have the scan you can still have all other parts of your routine antenatal care. There, I would give birth. That they could have spotted something, or not? So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. 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'. This might be uncomfortable. The milk came and stayed for what seemed like for ever. Because, when you're angry with the world for dealing you such a shit time, you begin to hate the people who populate it. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. And it turned out the baby's heart wasn't forming properly, the chambers weren't forming properly. He had to come to the decision by himself. And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? It is a noise that will stay with me for ever. I travelled to work that day feeling amazing. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. 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. It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan . News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. 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. 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. Scans cannot find all conditions. So choroid plexus cysts on their own, no problem, but if there's something else wrong, then that's a problem. If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. In some cases concerns in utero fix themselves sometimes needs treatment. Your mind has closed to the possibility that there could be anything wrong. I hated my body and hated every feeling I was having. When I see a child with Down's syndrome, I have a tremendous need to explain myself and apologise a million times over. 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 '. The consultant had said it wouldn't be like a normal delivery. hi ladies. The rarest scenario is that the baby is severely ill and choices will need to be made. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. Instead, we were shown to a room slightly away from the rest of the ward and the midwife stayed with us to talk through what was going to happen. I couldn't bear to see the baby and asked the midwife to take him away immediately. How was that scan different from the dating scan? At which point they turned round and said, 'Well, there is something very seriously wrong with the baby, we don't know exactly what, but you do need to have a more in-depth scan at your regional hospital to find out the detail'. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? This short video explains screening for 11 physical conditions in pregnancy. 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 thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. We were told to go to the hospital immediately. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. 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. He looked fine. 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. Likely to have serious medical problems all his life. On the next shift, the new midwife asked us again. Sam squeezed my hand and told me it was ok. Some hospitals do offer earlier anomaly scans of the baby, but they will not show as much detail as scans performed between 18 and 20weeks. The next day, it was confirmed that my bloods had again dropped. As I left the room to compose myself. And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. Any delay in receiving more information about the abnormality and its implications will be distressing for women and this should be acknowledged. Trying to carry on as normal, working and putting on a brave face. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". It was real. We just couldn't use the words. I thought I was going to burst into tears. The 18 -20 week fetal anomaly scan is a watershed in most pregnancies because for the majority of women it will be the last time they are scanned before giving birth. 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. 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. 1. The sonographer will be able to tell you the results of the scan at the time. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. Fine, go on my own. It is impossible to escape them and each one underlines your loss. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. No one else attended and we didn't have a service. Maybe. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. 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. We talked all night and thanked God for crap television. I faced another internal scan where I began to feel helpless and alone. At first the closeness came through a sense of guilt. 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. There is always a chance that a baby may be born with a health issue that scans could not have identified. I did. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. I wasn't unduly worried at all. I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. 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. Mm-hm. Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. And they took us out of the scanning room, into a more quiet room while they typed up the report. I didn't sleep that night I don't think. After preparing myself to face having to take the medication. I get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? Never being able to look after himself. For many other women, the 18-20 week scan was the point at which they discovered the baby had serious problems. Back on the EPU unit, a doctor organised for me to be admitted into the ward, to take the medical management under supervision as the sac was now to big for me to safely miscarry on my own at home. I guess the morphine made it easier. She endured many agonising rounds of scans and tests, and unfortunately met with some unhelpful attitudes from some healthcare professionals. 26/09/2019 22:46. The ultimate betrayal. I was given a leaflet and told to return four days later to see the consultant. We walked all the way home. You get extra care and monitoring as appropriate and baby is proactively treated. You have rejected additional cookies. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. After the triple test you stop thinking, you stop thinking that anything can go wrong. See more information about the 20-week ultrasound scan. And I am slowly coming to terms with what has happened. I let out an animal scream and [wife] kind of leapt onto me on the bed. I was becoming numb to the whole process. 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. It is as though our pain means we've earned the right to be taken more seriously. And, for a few hours, I'm convinced I've made a terrible mistake. Let a mum know you're thinking of them send one of our personalised Mother's Day cards today, Home 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. And thank God I did. Thanks girls, it's amazing how protected our babies are in there isn't it?! It's part of our family. And I know I can't hurry up the process of grieving. Smiling at myself and picturing me and Sam becoming parents. It feels very lonely and isolating. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. And my partner and I would have a completely different life from the one we'd imagined. The scan can provide information that may mean you have to make further, important decisions. I could hardly breathe. I was then told yet again bad news. 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. My heart goes out to you OP. Tommys is a registered charity in England and Wales (1060508) and Scotland (SC039280). But I was struggling mentally with the anguish, grief and endless hospital visits.