We went in, had a scan, I can't remember the exact sequence of events because the baby was still in the wrong position. For many other women, the 18-20 week scan was the point at which they discovered the baby had serious problems. He felt doing more blood tests would only cause me more discomfort and false hope. 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. And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? Eventually, the doctor finished the scan and said that some of the baby's measurements were very small. If you are not sure, you can contact them and ask. 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. Try to relax and take it easy. We must have had one before that as well, we must have had one before that, but it came back quite normal. There is always a chance that a baby may be born with a health issue that scans could not have identified. 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. 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. 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. 'Soft markers'. 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. 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. So we decided that, to have the scan and we went along I think early in the week for that, and spent quite a lot of time with the consultant after that. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. 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. Specialist scans
I didn't have a clue. I was willing the results to be normal. 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. I had hope that the little bumps inside me were fighting just as much as I was to stay with me. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. Christmas came and went in a blur of emotion, it felt so wrong to be celebrating when we were in such turmoil. 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. Being generous and kind generally happens only when you're happy. 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. We couldn't say we'd lost the baby, because he was still kicking away, but we couldn't pretend everything was fine, either. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? 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. Can you remember that minute. 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. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". 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. or sort of light chat that we'd, we'd experienced before with previous scans. Never lacking a sense of the dramatic, it felt as if we shared the responsibility for the terrible, dirty act that we had committed. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. I think I don't everything just seems a real blur because it was, it was such a strange experience. Another sick joke. So that just left the talipes. We saw the consultant, who was reassuring, saying that he would rescan me and was sure everything would be fine. 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. 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. The ultimate betrayal. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. We were denying him his life. I was told they needed to do a blood test to get a bench mark of my hormone levels. 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 . 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. And so began the most bizarre day of my life. 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 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. I went away and came back, and she couldn't get a good picture. And I knew there was no way out. The decision to terminate the pregnancy was my partner's and mine. What would we like to do with the body? And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. That's fine. And shortly after that, that scan we'd finished and the consultant leant back and said, 'I'm afraid we have some problems here'. All the time, the baby was kicking and I felt like a murderer waiting to strike her victim. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. The doctor didn't come. I was sent home with a leaflet, strong painkillers and two types of antibiotics. On the third day, we got a phone call. 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. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. And everybody knows and everything is right. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. 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. I was experiencing some light bleeding for the past few days. I sat and waited to be called for my scan. BabyCenter. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. Several parents said they would have preferred being told something, even it was vague. Last updated July 2017. Could you tell? So it was quite common, this is what happens. Thick milky discharge at 14 weeks.tmi pic attached. After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. But it's bloody hard being miserable the whole time. I swallowed the tablet and we left the building. 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. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. By this point I had stopped bleeding, this caused problems. 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. Read full disclaimer. We didn't feel we could tell anyone what was happening. 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'. And I felt like a murderer. It's been a heartbreaking nightmare. But for those few days they were torture. It was real. I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. I was another one who did get bad news at the 20 week scan. (See 'Resources'). Immediately I knew what decision we should take. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. At this point it wasn't looking great. So we went home really and I sort of had to think about it all night. Surely he couldn't have missed anything else that is so serious x. I have a terrible hatred of pregnant women and a new respect for infertile couples. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. The same anxious wait for a little, pathetic cry. You might be offered another test to find out for certain if your baby has one of the conditions. 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). There was complete silence during the scan. 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 felt crushed, I wanted him to at least acknowledge what had been found already. Away you go'. I was told that while bad news at the 12 w scan is often of the life or death kind, bad news at the 20 week scan is often of the 'needs an operation in childhood' or 'needs to wear a brace for a year' kind. I could hardly breathe. And still we asked to see a, Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans. Most scans show that babies seem to be developing as expected, and none of the 11 conditions are found. I had never imagined having an amniocentesis. But before he could speak, he, too, had broken down. I get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. You may need to have a full bladder when you come for the appointment. You have accepted additional cookies. And I can, the words that the scanning member of staff used, "Everything's fine", will stay with me forever. The hardest thing I have ever done. Did you, how did that scan make you feel? Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. If this happens, you will be offered one further scan by 23 weeks of pregnancy. We left for home feeling completely numb. It was probably all right but hadn't had any fluid in it at the moment. I couldn't work out what was taking so long and put it down to the doctor being young and inexperienced. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. All my instincts were to protect my belly, yet here I was allowing someone to stick a huge needle into it. I believed at this point I had miscarried, they wanted me to come back I'm for a follow up scan. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. I want to stop having such horrible thoughts. Baby loss support I have horrible thoughts. The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. Usually, sonographers will ask a senior sonographer colleague to confirm findings and this should be done immediately. She didn't want to see the baby. 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'. 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? 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. And then, so I went to my next scan, which was the 20-week abnormality scan, and we took our first child with us, I think he was 17 months old at the time. The thing that I have a very strong memory of is this child's face in amazing detail. And they took me into another room. Some stories I hear are amazing! But even if I was there, I still think I would have wanted to see the detail on the scan. (See. The only thing you're thinking now is the birth, and what if something goes wrong in the birth? x. At first, I still had to deal with the physical implications of having given birth. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. 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. The pain was bearable but uncomfortable, the hospital rang me a few days later and asked me how I was. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. And nothing prepares you at all. Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. An appointment should be arranged as soon as possible and ideally within three working days. So we decided to book an early 10 week private scan. 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. The scan will find about half (50%) of those babies who have heart defects. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose.
I was then told yet again bad news. All the hopes, dreams, and plans we made with our little bumps has been taken away from us. It felt so wrong. Have I misunderstood what's going on?' The gel makes sure there is good contact between the probe and your skin. It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan. Well send you a link to a feedback form. I should stop being dramatic and pessimistic. [Husband] couldn't make it. I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. 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. All my plans were beginning to fall down. So it was just, we were coming up to the 20-week scan and I was just getting more relaxed, just actually starting to look at maybe baby catalogues or, you know, going down the baby aisle at the shops, which I'd always avoided. 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. Why me and not you, you bastard? 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. 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. 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.