We understand the real meaning of "shit happens". Purpose of screening. By the time I left the hospital, I was in shock. We strongly advise readers not to take drugs that are not prescribed by your qualified healthcare provider. The 18-20 week antenatal scan and further tests, Ending the pregnancy for family & personal reasons, Deciding whether to see, hold and name the baby, Photographs and other mementoes of the baby, Saying goodbye to the baby - services & funerals, Coping with bereavement - women's experiences, Coping with bereavement - men's experiences, Men's ideas about their role in ending a pregnancy. It feels very lonely and isolating. And it's like, I really wanted to see it and I didn't, and it was it was very mixed. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately. 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'). He looked fine. The first words I said were: "If there's anything wrong then it's my fault", I had been working 70, nearly 80 hours the previous weeks and pushed myself hard. 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. This was a ray of hope for us. I think what everyone is saying is that most likely outcome is that there are no problems at all. I had no idea if we were doing the "right" thing. Except for the persistent, nagging doubts. I let out an animal scream and [wife] kind of leapt onto me on the bed. And attribute some blame to them. How was that scan different from the dating scan? Registered office: Nicholas House, 3 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, EC4R 0BB. I remember thinking, 'Gosh' I now know it was a girl, I didn't know that then, that, 'She looks just like her brother'. 12/12/2012 22:41. My wife turned the screen away from her. When I see a child with Down's syndrome, I have a tremendous need to explain myself and apologise a million times over. 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. So I suppose from that aspect, mind you having not been told that or sitting there, I wouldn't have thought necessarily that was odd. Yeah, yeah. But he was not sure. That's fine. She brought up a picture of the heart on the screen. Can't seem to find info on the Internet. She just said, 'It's a bit short, it needs to be checked' again basically. The doctor gave her consent, and I took the four little tablets. And it's, I can't remember exactly what it was now, it's about where the brain is supposed to form. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. You can change your cookie settings at any time. See more information about the 20-week ultrasound scan. At this point it wasn't looking great. This was on the Friday. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. 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. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. Baby loss stories 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. With my oldest it turns out she has a minor thing that affects 1 in 1000 of the population and wont harm her at all it's just "there" and with my second the issue turned out to be nothing. 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. 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. Sometimes it is difficult to get good views of a baby. 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). After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. She endured many agonising rounds of scans and tests, and unfortunately met with some unhelpful attitudes from some healthcare professionals. He had to come to the decision by himself. Three midwives came and went. I was young, I didn't need one. 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. Can you describe the difference between the scan at this later stage in a pregnancy? We didn't name him. 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. hi ladies. This scan takes place between 18 weeks and 20 weeks 6 days of pregnancy and is commonly called the 20-week scan. It felt as if we had gone power crazy. I remained positive, we researched lots of cases of mistaken dates, inconclusive scans, and compared them to our situation; scrutinising everything to try and believe it was all one big misunderstanding. After the triple test you stop thinking, you stop thinking that anything can go wrong. And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? I think the whole experience has made me a pretty nasty person. It went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. But you could see there was something wrong? 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. If you are not sure, you can contact them and ask. Because, when you're angry with the world for dealing you such a shit time, you begin to hate the people who populate it. Nice people shouldn't hear about what we'd done. I know it sounds odd that you want to hear that it's wrong, but you, you know it's wrong, and you, you want to be reassured either that it's okay or is there something seriously wrong. And still we asked to see a, Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans. 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'. The doctor wanted to do another blood test to confirm a significant drop in my hormone levels. Seeing your baby on a screen can be really exciting. I know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. But on, in the middle of March, 10th March it was, we had a 20 week scan. And for that whole time, my partner and I were both crying uncontrollably. I can feel my child kick, it responds when he shouts at football - I mean literally, this baby used to dance around whenever he'd like scream at a goal - and there cannot be anything wrong with this child because it's part of us already. 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'. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. It's quite common, perhaps 1 in 10 they find these, and within a few weeks they disappear. An appointment should be arranged as soon as possible and ideally within three working days. . And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. b>Bad news at 20 week scan. The chances that anything bad will be discovered are v v small. The blood test confirmed it was twins. Nights were impossible. No one else but my partner saw how similar he was to our son. The same anticipation. He's now had the all clear and is wriggling round on . But it was very evident. Next most likely is that baby doesn't co-operate and they can't see some parts of anatomy and call you back 2 weeks later just because they couldn't see (i had this but because twin pregnancy I was due to be scanned 2 weeks later anyway). A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. The 18-20 week antenatal scan and further tests. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan. 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. I faced another internal scan where I began to feel helpless and alone. And so began the most bizarre day of my life. Just that really! Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. Find more information and details of support groups on NHS.UK. 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. The ultimate betrayal. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? Another sick joke. And this baby sort of floated, and occasionally there was a slight movement, but it was very you could almost see that he was really poorly just from looking at the screen. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. When he came back, he agreed on a termination. 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. I was becoming numb to the whole process. Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier . And that was Monday afternoon. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. Our position in our families has shifted. 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. I felt sad, but not the complete devastation of the last scan as they had seen a change of some sort. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. 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 was an extremely difficult day. So instead, I was advised to go home and let nature take its course. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. I wanted to be a passive patient while the doctor did what he had to do. But other than that everything was fine. My partner spent the weekend trying to convince me that things were OK. You will then be asked to raise your top to your chest and lower your skirt or trousers to your hips. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. Yeah - in, stomach, out. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. 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]. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. 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'. SO much upset and needless angst has been caused by 'soft markers' found at scans. In some cases concerns in utero fix themselves sometimes needs treatment. My son's congenital heart defect was detected at the 20 week scan and he had 2 other markers, no . [Husband] couldn't make it. This is not what I imagined pregnancy to feel like', Baby Loss Awareness Week - Voice Five - Bryony Seabrook. I wasn't ready to make a decision straight away, and I was told I could call them in the morning. It was real. The baby kicked, blissfully unaware of what I had done. They sort of drew some diagrams, and they said, 'But we need to refer you to a specialist to confirm the diagnosis'. Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be. factor is very strong. 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. We were denying him his life. And, for a few hours, I'm convinced I've made a terrible mistake. The nursery I had selected for our two-year-old son; my maternity leave; the bunk beds; the summer holiday suitable for a newborn baby. I was saving my child from pain and suffering. Unfortunately I was not met with a compassionate sonographer. 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. It's a bit at the back of the brain and - no I can't remember what it is - it's called, it's something that's called Dandy-Walker mal, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have produced a report on Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality in England, Scotland and Wales (May 2010). So I lay on the bed and my partner sat next to me. Having the scan does not hurt but the sonographer may need to apply slight pressure to get the best views of your baby. So he went out for a walk. Which she reassured us that she'd be absolutely fine, this was a one-off. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. He felt doing more blood tests would only cause me more discomfort and false hope. But I still didn't want to be the one who stopped this baby's chance to live. Actually you could tell from the brain development as he scanned up through the chambers of the brain, that one quarter of the brain, one chamber was not evident. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. I mean, you just, you're just overwhelmed, it's so much fun. I sat and waited to be called for my scan. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. I was willing the results to be normal. . 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. 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 it was just a bit of a shock because it's not really what you want to hear - you don't really expect that. The screen may be directly facing them or at an angle. This article was amended on 24 November 2015 to anonymise the writer. She asked me how far gone I thought we were, and if I could have been mistaken. And even at that early stage it was beginning to sink in that there was something really not right. Again, we weren't understood. Not a good sign in a hospital consulting room. 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 milk came and stayed for what seemed like for ever. 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). I am a darker, harder version of myself. I was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. I thought I was going to burst into tears. The same rush of excitement. 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. 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. At that point, I got very not upset but quite sort of strongly severe sort of with the people at the hospital saying, 'Look, you know, that's 24 hours, possibly a 48 hours' wait - that's not something that's tenable. We had amnio and then spent a week in absoute anguish waiting for the outcome which was no trisomies. During the examination, sonographers need to keep the screen in a position that gives them a good view of your baby. We walked all the way home. There is more detailed information about the main conditions that are looked for during this scan on NHS.UK. 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. But the closeness has remained after the drama has died down. 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. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales company number 3266897. The scan can provide information that may mean you have to make further, important decisions. My partner's face was lit up, seeing the baby for the first time. As soon as we arrived, we were shown to this little room. She advised I be referred to the EPU to be assessed. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. All the time, the baby was kicking and I felt like a murderer waiting to strike her victim. We had to discuss what we wanted to do with the little body after delivery. By this time, we were tired. Many people were deeply affected by their experiences of the 20-week and subsequent specialist scans. And how wrong could they be? The scan looks for 11 different conditions in your baby and cannot find everything that might be wrong. Then I picked myself up. And so we talked about it euphemistically, never saying the word "research". The same anxious wait for a little, pathetic cry. 13/12/2020 20:45. 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. It's been a heartbreaking nightmare. 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'. We were told to go to the hospital immediately. So it was quite common, this is what happens. Two days, after on Christmas Eve, (my 12 week date) I had more blood tests. Eventually, the doctor finished the scan and said that some of the baby's measurements were very small. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-tests-for-you-and-your-baby/11-physical-conditions-20-week-scan. Went off for the 20-week scan, which you didn't, you weren't there, were you, for the first scan? . We couldn't say we'd lost the baby, because he was still kicking away, but we couldn't pretend everything was fine, either. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. What would we like to do with the body? I was then told yet again bad news. The scan was inconclusive, but the size of my little bump was measuring a lot smaller than it should have for 10 weeks. And then I can't remember an awful lot more about that scan apart from that feeling of searching of how to react in an unknown situation - your brain's kind of trying to work out what to say, what to do, but I had no idea what to say or what to do and I think my first thought was, does that mean our first daughter's okay? The only thing you're thinking now is the birth, and what if something goes wrong in the birth? And everybody knows and everything is right. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. It was the end of January, very end - about the 29th - I'd gone into, I'd gone into 5 months by then. 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. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. 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. And you know, we were laughing and joking. It would be a personal tragedy for my partner and me, but that is all. We'd just spent some time away on a, on a summer holiday and come back expecting to have this scan and be told, 'All fine. If you choose not to have the scan you can still have all other parts of your routine antenatal care. We don't know, but it's not looking good'. 26/09/2019 22:46. Desperately trying to hold onto the glimmer of hope we'd been given. I had to wait for a doctor to explain the situation. 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. I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. You've had a scan, you've had the blood tests, you've been good. And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose. Well, at the regional hospital it was a 3-D scan. I was then told yet again bad news. 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'. Could you tell? Eventually, the midwife said to us very sweetly, "I think we should deliver the baby now." My partner really wanted me to, and by that time I had no sense of what was right or what I should do. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. It was another consultant, who said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news - your baby has Down's syndrome." Have I misunderstood what's going on?' We decided that we wanted medication to help me. You've had, you've had your Down's Syndrome check and that's okay. I couldn't bear to see the baby and asked the midwife to take him away immediately. So we left it there, and we didn't actually think that there was anything really to worry about after that scan.