Very occasionally this second scan cannot be completed, for example because: In this case you will not be offered another screening scan but you will offered an all over physical examination for your baby after birth. In some very serious rare cases, where no treatment is possible, the baby will die soon after it is born or during pregnancy. So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. He felt strong and fit and healthy. I'm trying to understand because I haven't seen a 3-D scan, what it tells the parents? 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 us out of the scanning room, into a more quiet room while they typed up the report. We felt as if we were in limbo. It was far too much power; neither of us wanted it. So on the Monday we went in to see the senior sonographer, I think she was a consultant at the hospital. 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'. Likely to have serious medical problems all his life. 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. 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. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. . Yeah - in, stomach, out. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. I thought I was going to burst into tears. Our baby was beautiful. And there [sighs] was a very dark patch over one, where the eye socket was, and they didn't know it, in the Edward's babies sometimes the eyes don't develop properly, or it might have been bleeding, they weren't very sure. Not surprisingly, people aren't quite sure how to deal with me. So we gave up and said we'd arrange the funeral ourselves. My heart goes out to you OP. We talked all night and thanked God for crap television. I broke down and started hitting my disgusting body that had done this. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. The screen may be directly facing them or at an angle. There was complete silence during the scan. The scan yet again confirmed things were not good, however the sac had grown. My belly was growing and I was feeling great. So instead, I was advised to go home and let nature take its course. 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?' No one else but my partner saw how similar he was to our son. 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 'Resources'). Read full disclaimer. The pain was bearable but uncomfortable, the hospital rang me a few days later and asked me how I was. But he was not sure. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour.
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. And still we asked to see a, Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans. ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT AT 20 WEEK SCAN. I know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. The doctor or midwife looking after you will let you know before you come. My partner was away working and was waiting to hear whether he was having a son or daughter. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Parents get a chance to emotionally adapt to news and plan. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. I believed at this point I had miscarried, they wanted me to come back I'm for a follow up scan. And they actually asked my husband to come in before they spoke to me. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. He's now had the all clear and is wriggling round on . So at least then we went to that next stage prepared for the worst really. If necessary, you will be referred to a specialist, possibly in another hospital. These were said to be soft markers fo a range of trisomies, 2 of which were incompatible with life. I felt I needed proof of what was wrong before I take such a huge decision and that I couldn't do it based on what someone had written on, on the paper. Never lacking a sense of the dramatic, it felt as if we shared the responsibility for the terrible, dirty act that we had committed. You have rejected additional cookies. So that was it. I loved him instantly and didn't want to let him go. It is as though our pain means we've earned the right to be taken more seriously. 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. Scans cannot find all conditions. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. 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]. Those two weeks were agonising for us both. As I waited for the doctor back on the EPU unit. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. 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! The rarest scenario is that the baby is severely ill and choices will need to be made. It doesn't remove the guilt, but I don't know what else to do. I wanted to let nature take its course. So I lay on the bed and my partner sat next to me. The week that followed was an agonising wait. You're in and out and that was it. Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. He looked excited. Usually, sonographers will ask a senior sonographer colleague to confirm findings and this should be done immediately. 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 get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. We've got the same battle scars. 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. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. Instinctively, did it feel right? The blood test confirmed it was twins. 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. And attribute some blame to them. You know there's always that bit on the bottom of the thing, 'These are diagnostics, do not bring other children,' - blah, blah, blah.. it's not, you know, it's not a family outing kind of thing, but it feels like it. I remember thinking, 'that doesn't look quite right'. This is not what I imagined pregnancy to feel like', Baby Loss Awareness Week - Voice Five - Bryony Seabrook. And thank God I did. We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. It was the end of January, very end - about the 29th - I'd gone into, I'd gone into 5 months by then. The chances that anything bad will be discovered are v v small. 'Soft markers'. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. The consultant had said it wouldn't be like a normal delivery. We bought a two tests that evening (quite lucky as I messed the first one up!). 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. It would have been nice to see someone straight away because I was in such shock. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. 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. And I felt like a murderer. Spina bifida can usually be seen clearly on a scan and of those babies who have this condition, around 9 out of 10 (90%) will be detected. unfortunately the 20 week anomaly scan can pick up serious issues, hearing heart beats at midwife appointment doesn't let us know what's going on inside the body in detail. But everything seemed fine and we'd been sitting waiting to see the consultant, and I'd had an examination on the bed. Sometimes it is difficult to get good views of a baby. 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. Specialist scans
He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. The doctor wanted to do another blood test to confirm a significant drop in my hormone levels. 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. This short video explains screening for 11 physical conditions in pregnancy. The weeks since that day have been very weird. Just that really! They said the brain was okay -, We were in there for a matter of minutes, literally -, In and out. . 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. What would we like to do with the body? Baby loss support So once again we were right back down, really no, really not knowing what to expect. 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.. I didn't want to go through anymore scans. Eventually, the midwife said to us very sweetly, "I think we should deliver the baby now." And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. Desperately trying to hold onto the glimmer of hope we'd been given. An hour passed and I started to panic. She advised I be referred to the EPU to be assessed. But they didn't. We just couldn't use the words. The sonographer then passes a hand-held probe over your skin to examine the babys body. We're going to go and see them. I give obsessively to charity, especially those linked to sick children. 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. Being deeply unhappy and kind to others at the same time is nigh on impossible. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. How common is it for 2nd baby to come early..? It is extremely rare for these pregnancies to reach term as they typically spontaneously miscarry early in pregnancy. And I could see, before she even said anything I could see that there was something wrong with the heart. The consultant at the time wasn't really that interested in that imagery. 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 ran into the bedroom to tell Sam, who was ecstatic. You can change your cookie settings at any time. I have a terrible hatred of pregnant women and a new respect for infertile couples. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. As I was called for my scan I was nervous and emotional. 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. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. Nice people shouldn't hear about what we'd done. I am a darker, harder version of myself. The anomaly scan, also called the 20 week scan or mid-pregnancy scan, is used to detect pregnancy irregularities significant in diagnosis of any of the following conditions: In most instances no serious issue will be found during the scan and many parents-to be will come away knowing that all is progressing nicely and, perhaps, having found out . That was an extremely difficult day. It was probably all right but hadn't had any fluid in it at the moment. And she said that, you know, as the, if the baby did develop further there would probably be other problems with internal organs that weren't really that visible at that stage. 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. I think there might be a problem'. We didn't name him. 2022. So she said, 'Come back on Monday. 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'. 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. The same unique expression he had when he saw our two year old born. I was another one who did get bad news at the 20 week scan. The "why me?" 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? Many described how sonographers and doctors were very restrained and didn't speak at all until they had analysed all the baby's details. Then, three days later, I would go to the labour ward - the ward I had been expecting to visit in two and a half months. And I am slowly coming to terms with what has happened. 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. I couldn't bear to see the baby and asked the midwife to take him away immediately. 26/09/2019 22:46. My partner's face was lit up, seeing the baby for the first time. But on, in the middle of March, 10th March it was, we had a 20 week scan. What were babys measurements at 20 week scan? If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. We saw the consultant, who was reassuring, saying that he would rescan me and was sure everything would be fine. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. So even if anomolies are found, they don't always mean a problem.. x. I had issues at the 20 weeks scan with both of mine. The scan was inconclusive, but the size of my little bump was measuring a lot smaller than it should have for 10 weeks. And, for a few hours, I'm convinced I've made a terrible mistake. I had no idea if we were doing the "right" thing. And my partner and I would have a completely different life from the one we'd imagined. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. It was a bit worrying but on the plus side I got an extra couple of scans and an extra couple of pictures. 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. But I still didn't want to be the one who stopped this baby's chance to live. But now that's changed. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately. Can't seem to find info on the Internet. As I say, I'm not a very nice person at the moment. Some stories I hear are amazing! 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. Then I picked myself up. We strongly advise readers not to take drugs that are not prescribed by your qualified healthcare provider. Three midwives came and went. Slightly marked from our peers. I want to be happy again. 13/12/2020 20:45. At first the closeness came through a sense of guilt. The same anticipation. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. No sort of questions about, 'Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?' 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. 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'. That he was small. Not a good sign in a hospital consulting room. I was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. Last reviewed July 2017. Thinking back, I don't know how we left without him. Except for the persistent, nagging doubts. 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. I couldn't really believe what they were saying. But worse was to come. hi ladies. And that, that was when things where it started going a bit wrong. Later, I did see and hold our baby. Registered office: Nicholas House, 3 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, EC4R 0BB. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. 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. I mean the lady who was scanning was very quiet for a long time. Did you, how did that scan make you feel? These opinions do not represent the opinions of Tommys and are not advice from Tommy's. So that just left the talipes. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. 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. At the time the same thing had, exactly the same thing had happened to my friend a month before, and her scan was absolutely fine. When he came back, he agreed on a termination. I sat and waited to be called for my scan. He looked fine. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. It's part of our family. And how wrong could they be? In fact, interestingly enough, going sort of. We walked all the way 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). And so began the most bizarre day of my life. Life expectancy of 30 or 40. My son's congenital heart defect was detected at the 20 week scan and he had 2 other markers, no . Nights were impossible. I didn't really know what that was. Anyway we went in for the meeting with the consultant on this particular time, and we'd got to, I was 30 weeks pregnant by then. Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. The pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to how I felt inside. Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier . It was, 'Oh we'll come back to that'. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. So and you could see the exomphalus, this little pouch, which was obviously just the intestines where they are.