As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. DS had 2 soft markers: talipes (club foot) and 'echogenic locii' somewhere - heart I think. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Seeing your baby on a screen can be really exciting. Scans cannot find all conditions. I was then told yet again bad news. The termination would be averting a tragedy. 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. The same unique expression he had when he saw our two year old born. So he went out for a walk. And I am slowly coming to terms with what has happened. Having the scan does not hurt but the sonographer may need to apply slight pressure to get the best views of your baby. But no. Three midwives came and went. 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. So had to come back in a week's time for a scan, which again is quite a common thing I found out. I was becoming numb to the whole process. 12/12/2012 22:41. Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. Again, no notes can have been written down because the midwife asked the same question. But worse was to come. After preparing myself to face having to take the medication. I wasn't ready to make a decision straight away, and I was told I could call them in the morning. I still feel guilty, I still cry at random times. In order for the sonographer to get good images of your baby, the scan is carried out in a dimly lit room. Or, at the very least, heart problems. 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. Has anyone been told the sex incorrectly at their 20 week scan? 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. For example, you may be offered further tests that have a risk of miscarriage. 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. And thank God I did. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Had 34wk scan last week and all is well - of all the babies found to have a two vessel cord, was told less than 6% experience any growth issues etc. 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. I had no idea if we were doing the "right" thing. Your mind has closed to the possibility that there could be anything wrong. It is extremely rare for these pregnancies to reach term as they typically spontaneously miscarry early in pregnancy. . I know it is still early days. Again, we weren't understood. But with time although we will never forget, I know we will be ok again. . Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier diagnostic tests (e.g. For many other women, the 18-20 week scan was the point at which they discovered the baby had serious problems. 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. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. So that was it. But I was struggling mentally with the anguish, grief and endless hospital visits. I sat and waited to be called for my scan. Parents get a chance to emotionally adapt to news and plan. 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. And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. We were convinced everything would be OK. I was given a leaflet and told to return four days later to see the consultant. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. 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. Has anyone been told the wrong sex at 20 week scan? 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. The sonographer then passes a hand-held probe over your skin to examine the babys body. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. The scan will find about half (50%) of those babies who have heart defects. Tommys is a registered charity in England and Wales (1060508) and Scotland (SC039280). We spent the next few weeks in a happy bubble. It was over. Have I misunderstood what's going on?' I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. We were told to go to the hospital immediately. . 'Soft markers'. We've got the same battle scars. Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. It was the end of January, very end - about the 29th - I'd gone into, I'd gone into 5 months by then. We were denying him his life. Another sick joke. So choroid plexus cysts on their own, no problem, but if there's something else wrong, then that's a problem. But it's bloody hard being miserable the whole time. 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 left it there, and we didn't actually think that there was anything really to worry about after that scan. And so this one can't tell you anything, it's pictures, you're going, you're going to see your baby, you're going to get pictures. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. We thought it would all be over very quickly but, in fact, it was another 11 hours before the baby was delivered. 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. So we went home, me to rest in an attempt to prevent miscarriage, my partner to reassure us both. So I was a bit ignorant of the kind of things, you know, what the scans were really doing - maybe it was, a bit na've I think. I was saving my child from pain and suffering. I was booked back in to discuss management options, if nothing had happened. By this point I had stopped bleeding, this caused problems. Then I picked myself up. Some people want to find out if their baby has one of the 11 conditions and some do not. I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. 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. Just doing it. He was tiny, perfect and a Down's syndrome baby. My wife turned the screen away from her. We bought little outfits, teddies, and researched all the vitamins and foods that I could eat. 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. (See 'Resources'). I couldn't bring myself to push. He looked excited. 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. 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. Yeah - in, stomach, out. I was told they needed to do a blood test to get a bench mark of my hormone levels. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. There is always a chance that a baby may be born with a health issue that scans could not have identified. We walked all the way home. We had the 20 week scan yesterday and got some devastating news. On the third day, we got a phone call. Registered office: Nicholas House, 3 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, EC4R 0BB. Why me and not you, you bastard? But it is a soft marker for Edwards' syndrome. These opinions do not represent the opinions of Tommys and are not advice from Tommy's. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. It doesn't remove the guilt, but I don't know what else to do. And even at that early stage it was beginning to sink in that there was something really not right. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. I felt the dread run through me. 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'. From losing my dad to his battle with cancer, to then having to face another battle with cancer and my mum; thankfully she pulled though. The blood test confirmed it was twins. 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. After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. 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. We understand the real meaning of "shit happens". 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'. The contractions started very quickly and within an hour my waters had broken. I had to be rescanned latter. Our nightmare began when I went for my 20-week scan. I tried to keep positive. I should stop being dramatic and pessimistic. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. A long process of blood tests, scans, doctors and hospitals. 80 percent of my pregnancies have ended in death and I felt like they were telling me those babies didn't matter. I couldn't bear to see the baby and asked the midwife to take him away immediately. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. 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. 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 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'. Tissue paper will be tucked around your clothing to protect it from the ultrasound gel, which will then be put on your tummy. As I waited for the doctor back on the EPU unit. The scan yet again confirmed things were not good, however the sac had grown. I just want to be normal again. No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. Entering the labour ward, I waited for someone to say, "Go home, you are 16 weeks too early." Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. We need to have your opinion'. It was all going wrong and I wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. I had to wait for a doctor to explain the situation. There was complete silence during the scan. And how wrong could they be? This is not what I imagined pregnancy to feel like', Baby Loss Awareness Week - Voice Five - Bryony Seabrook. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. This might be uncomfortable. 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. 26/09/2019 22:46. 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. It was sick. factor is very strong. In this information, the word we refers to the NHS service that provides screening. The thing about that which I felt was difficult is that we could tell when being scanned that there was something very seriously wrong. It would have been nice to see someone straight away because I was in such shock. blood tests, CVS) were clear - and as one woman put it, 'after the triple test* (Down's syndrome screening) you stop thinking anything can go wrong'. I felt crushed, I wanted him to at least acknowledge what had been found already. My partner's face was lit up, seeing the baby for the first time. The doctor explained the options I had to manage my miscarriage. He looked fine. The clinic advised a follow up scan the week after, to check on progress and to see what to do next. She brought up a picture of the heart on the screen. And the local hospital wanted to send us off to the regional hospital to actually confirm that, and were not really prepared to say at that time that there was something very seriously wrong. As I say, I'm not a very nice person at the moment. But other than that everything was fine. There were also two spots on his heart, which were "soft markers" for Down's syndrome. For once in my life, I had been organised. 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. The weeks since that day have been very weird. Went back a week later for the scan and, you were with me for this one, weren't you? The gel makes sure there is good contact between the probe and your skin. I was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. 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). My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. But that was too easy. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. 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'. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". We decided that we wanted medication to help me. We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. or sort of light chat that we'd, we'd experienced before with previous scans. At first, I still had to deal with the physical implications of having given birth. A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. But I still didn't want to be the one who stopped this baby's chance to live. So I trusted him. Limitations of the 18-20 week scan . I used to think the feeling of your baby kicking inside you and the sight of a foot poking against your skin were the most fantastic things in the world. x. Although the anomaly scan is often called a 20-week scan, you may have it any time between 18 and 22 weeks, although it's usually done between 18 and 20 weeks. And you could see, where you should have a picture of 4 chambers, you could really see 2. When I told him what had happened, he refused to believe anything was wrong and said he'd sort it out when he came home. But the consultant had found more spots on the heart and the measurements were the same. 'I was having nightmares and panic attacks. 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. But they didn't. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. By this time, we were tired. I didn't have a clue. So I lay on the bed and my partner sat next to me. My heart goes out to you OP. All women are offered a dating scan, and an 18- 20 week fetal anomaly ultrasound scan, in line with NICE and UK National Screening Committee recommendations. Fine, go on my own. And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. The same anticipation. See more information about the 20-week ultrasound scan. I broke down and started hitting my disgusting body that had done this. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT AT 20 WEEK SCAN. Christmas came and went in a blur of emotion, it felt so wrong to be celebrating when we were in such turmoil. These were said to be soft markers fo a range of trisomies, 2 of which were incompatible with life. I didn't sleep that night I don't think. But the closeness has remained after the drama has died down. And, so they sent me home at that stage because they said the specialist wasn't available till the following day, which was awful. Not surprisingly, people aren't quite sure how to deal with me. Many people were deeply affected by their experiences of the 20-week and subsequent specialist scans. But he was not sure. This short video explains screening for 11 physical conditions in pregnancy. 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. Nights were impossible. And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose. 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 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. It can be such a shock so do whatever you need to feel better. It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan . 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. Away you go'. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. I was experiencing some light bleeding for the past few days. This was a ray of hope for us. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. The "why me?" chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet. The midwife was on the verge of tears and I felt responsible. 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'. We left for home feeling completely numb. We were bound to each other because of the blood that was on both our hands. That was an extremely difficult day. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. As I left the room to compose myself. All my plans were beginning to fall down. Can't seem to find info on the Internet. 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. It is a noise that will stay with me for ever. 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. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. There was cause for concern. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. It felt so wrong. I tried to show him the notes and the photos. The hormone levels had dropped, but they wanted to scan me again. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. Yeah, yeah. On the next shift, the new midwife asked us again. 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! We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. Saturday came. 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). 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. That's fine. Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. 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.