I should stop being dramatic and pessimistic. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? The chances that anything bad will be discovered are v v small. Perhaps because we are alone in this, it has brought my partner and me very close. On January 18, my baby was born, at 23 weeks - a little boy. I have horrible thoughts. By 7pm, I still hadn't delivered the baby. And, for a few hours, I'm convinced I've made a terrible mistake. 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'. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-tests-for-you-and-your-baby/11-physical-conditions-20-week-scan. So choroid plexus cysts on their own, no problem, but if there's something else wrong, then that's a problem. The doctor explained the options I had to manage my miscarriage. DS had 2 soft markers: talipes (club foot) and 'echogenic locii' somewhere - heart I think. 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. I was another one who did get bad news at the 20 week scan. . I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. I felt empty, scared, guilty and incredibly heartbroken. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. By the time I left the hospital, I was in shock. How common is it for 2nd baby to come early..? So that was it. As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. Or, at the very least, heart problems. If one of the conditions is found or suspected, the sonographer may ask for a second opinion from another member of staff. In this information, the word we refers to the NHS service that provides screening. The decision to terminate the pregnancy was my partner's and mine. Eventually, the midwife said to us very sweetly, "I think we should deliver the baby now." We felt as if we were in limbo. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. So he went out for a walk. 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 doing it. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. Our baby was beautiful. hi ladies. 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. We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. Many described how sonographers and doctors were very restrained and didn't speak at all until they had analysed all the baby's details. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. However, at the time neither of us could articulate that. As soon as we arrived, we were shown to this little room. And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. And before they gave me any of the results she asked a colleague to come and told me she wanted to check something, with a colleague, and by then I was getting very concerned because I'd never had that happen before. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. 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! 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 '. Is it the same scan or is it the same equipment? I then had to wait in the room along with many other patients for an hour so they could observe me. 13/12/2020 20:45. 'Yes, if that's okay with you,' kind of thing, like you do. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. 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 was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket 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. So had to come back in a week's time for a scan, which again is quite a common thing I found out. 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. 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. And my partner and I would have a completely different life from the one we'd imagined. Away you go'. 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. Let a mum know you're thinking of them send one of our personalised Mother's Day cards today, Home I tried to show him the notes and the photos. Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. Could you tell? As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. 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. Thankfully I was met by an amazing sonographer, she was compassionate and understanding. The consultant showed us the letter with our result on and, yes, there were the words "Down's syndrome". Read full disclaimer. And I am slowly coming to terms with what has happened. 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. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. I felt crushed, I wanted him to at least acknowledge what had been found already. 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. I did. . I sat and waited to be called for my scan. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately. 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 gel makes sure there is good contact between the probe and your skin. Slightly marked from our peers. Registered office: Nicholas House, 3 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, EC4R 0BB. You may need to have a full bladder when you come for the appointment. 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. 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. This short video explains screening for 11 physical conditions in pregnancy. It can be such a shock so do whatever you need to feel better. I think I don't everything just seems a real blur because it was, it was such a strange experience. 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.'. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. We bought little outfits, teddies, and researched all the vitamins and foods that I could eat. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. That he was small. The screen may be directly facing them or at an angle. It felt as if we had gone power crazy. You get extra care and monitoring as appropriate and baby is proactively treated. But the consultant had found more spots on the heart and the measurements were the same. Seated in the antenatal clinic with lots of expectant mothers with baby bumps. Originally I hadn't wanted to go down that road. I give pregnant women dirty looks. 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. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. So we gave up and said we'd arrange the funeral ourselves. If you choose not to have the scan you can still have all other parts of your routine antenatal care. I think the whole experience has made me a pretty nasty person. If necessary, you will be referred to a specialist, possibly in another hospital. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. It doesn't remove the guilt, but I don't know what else to do. That was an extremely difficult day. And you know, we were laughing and joking. Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and over again. I am a darker, harder version of myself. Sometimes it is difficult to get good views of a baby. 12/12/2012 22:41. And I know I can't hurry up the process of grieving. There was complete silence during the scan. We were denying him his life. I went away and came back, and she couldn't get a good picture. My belly was growing and I was feeling great. Many people were deeply affected by their experiences of the 20-week and subsequent specialist scans. 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. Some things can be seen more clearly than others. 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 know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. Most scans show that babies seem to be developing as expected, and none of the 11 conditions are found. The 18-20 week antenatal scan and further tests. Find more information and details of support groups on NHS.UK. Thanks girls, it's amazing how protected our babies are in there isn't it?! Yeah, yeah. 2022. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. What would we like to do with the body? She describes having to make a . 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'. It sounds crazy, but I just knew. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. Sam squeezed my hand and told me it was ok. Immediately I knew what decision we should take. I thought I was going to burst into tears. So I took the test and jumped in the shower. For example, the babys brain, kidneys, internal organs or bones may not have developed properly. And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. That they could have spotted something, or not? Again, we weren't understood. It was exactly like the labour I had with my first child. He was sure the consultant on Monday would see that the measurements were completely normal and that there was nothing to worry about. It seemed a very arbitrary system, and so you quite often sat outside in the waiting room for a couple of hours before you actually got to see the consultant, which was, seemed you know, I kind of remember thinking before we went in to see him on the particular day when we found out there was a problem, 'Why are we sitting here? Laura miscarried her twin babies in February. 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. There's nothing wrong, you know, we've had all the tests, everything's fine,' and being very upbeat about it all. If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. 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'. That was the first time I had heard him cry. My partner watched the baby come out, and for a split second I saw a look of joy on his face. I was experiencing some light bleeding for the past few days. In fact, interestingly enough, going sort of. I've realised that being a nice person is a luxury some can't afford. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Being deeply unhappy and kind to others at the same time is nigh on impossible. That's fine. 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. 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. . He was tiny, perfect and a Down's syndrome baby. I was then told yet again bad news. I felt more informed, and I felt that that was what I needed in my head to see you know, that I've got to accept now that this, all these things are real on the screen and this was really my baby that's suffering all these things [sighs], but I was sad as well. I wasn't unduly worried at all. So instead, I was advised to go home and let nature take its course. See more information about the 20-week ultrasound scan. It was a bit worrying but on the plus side I got an extra couple of scans and an extra couple of pictures. And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? 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. And I could see, before she even said anything I could see that there was something wrong with the heart. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. 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'. Three midwives came and went. And at that, I let out a scream I think. I was told this was common as my body and hormones still thought I was pregnant. 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. 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. factor is very strong. 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? 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. But here I was, minutes later, lying down, waiting. Most hospitals do not allow children to attend scans as childcare is not usually available. I'm trying to understand because I haven't seen a 3-D scan, what it tells the parents? The blood test confirmed it was twins. 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. And, it does not occur to you in the slightest. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. Yeah - in, stomach, out. Entering the labour ward, I waited for someone to say, "Go home, you are 16 weeks too early." I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. I felt the dread run through me. 'Soft markers'. Some stories I hear are amazing! He felt strong and fit and healthy. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? And I couldn't escape the feeling that I was being selfish. I was becoming numb to the whole process. Baby loss support We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. But it is a soft marker for Edwards' syndrome. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. My baby might have Down's syndrome. My partner's face was lit up, seeing the baby for the first time. But now that's changed. I mean, you just, you're just overwhelmed, it's so much fun. She brought up a picture of the heart on the screen. And it's like, I really wanted to see it and I didn't, and it was it was very mixed. This article was amended on 24 November 2015 to anonymise the writer. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. I had to be rescanned latter. Some of the other conditions, such as heart defects, are more difficult to see. But on, in the middle of March, 10th March it was, we had a 20 week scan. The scan will find about half (50%) of those babies who have heart defects. And in this instance the scan was very evident that there was something very seriously wrong. As I waited for the doctor back on the EPU unit. I had to wait yet another sleepless night. The doctor gave her consent, and I took the four little tablets. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. Mm-hm. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. I know it is still early days. We didn't feel we could tell anyone what was happening. See you in -. The same anticipation. All my instincts were to protect my belly, yet here I was allowing someone to stick a huge needle into it. We had the 20 week scan yesterday and got some devastating news. But you know I knew we had, we had to make a decision that was right for the baby as well. Rather sharply, my partner tried to explain. So we left it there, and we didn't actually think that there was anything really to worry about after that scan. If you are not sure, you can contact them and ask. Another sick joke. 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. Others said they were shocked because all the early diagnostic tests (e.g. Usually, sonographers will ask a senior sonographer colleague to confirm findings and this should be done immediately. 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'. Instead, I had to raise a glass of water to my mouth, take a swig and swallow the tablet. 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.