DS had 2 soft markers: talipes (club foot) and 'echogenic locii' somewhere - heart I think. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. I didn't want to be convincing him to agree with me. 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'm trying to understand because I haven't seen a 3-D scan, what it tells the parents? Just wonder whether anyone had ever been told? But I still didn't want to be the one who stopped this baby's chance to live. They sort of drew some diagrams, and they said, 'But we need to refer you to a specialist to confirm the diagnosis'. The "why me?" I travelled to work that day feeling amazing. So we went home really and I sort of had to think about it all night. We talked about the different sorts of pain relief I could have and I opted for a morphine drip, which I could control. I wasn't unduly worried at all. So that was it. As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. I didn't really know what that was. Except for the persistent, nagging doubts. She describes having to make a . What were babys measurements at 20 week scan? In most cases the scan will show that your baby appears to be developing as expected but sometimes a condition is found or suspected. So when that happened to us I really didn't worry, I thought, you know, it was literally the baby was in awkward position, they couldn't see the heart and that was why. I was disgusted - disgusted that such a tablet existed, let alone that I should have to take it. Not surprisingly, people aren't quite sure how to deal with me. All the time, the baby was kicking and I felt like a murderer waiting to strike her victim. Usually, sonographers will ask a senior sonographer colleague to confirm findings and this should be done immediately. All the hopes, dreams, and plans we made with our little bumps has been taken away from us. 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. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT AT 20 WEEK SCAN. Originally I hadn't wanted to go down that road. 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. On the third day, we got a phone call. It is extremely rare for these pregnancies to reach term as they typically spontaneously miscarry early in pregnancy. 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. And so we talked about it euphemistically, never saying the word "research". I popped out from work, telling my boss I'd be back in half an hour. In a small number of cases some very serious conditions are found. Nights were impossible. And they took me to another room and they explained that the baby had what they thought was ventriculomegaly or something. But I was struggling mentally with the anguish, grief and endless hospital visits. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. It can be such a shock so do whatever you need to feel better. Thankfully I was met by an amazing sonographer, she was compassionate and understanding. 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. And as soon as she said those words, both of us were like, 'Well what's wrong?'. Our position in our families has shifted. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. I remember thinking, 'Gosh' I now know it was a girl, I didn't know that then, that, 'She looks just like her brother'. This might be uncomfortable. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. 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. So once again we were right back down, really no, really not knowing what to expect. The contractions started very quickly and within an hour my waters had broken. An hour passed and I started to panic. I think I was about 20 weeks cos they, the hospital I think did the 12 and the 20, that was their standard thing and, yeah, so I got the 20 weeks one. And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. I faced another internal scan where I began to feel helpless and alone. Many described how sonographers and doctors were very restrained and didn't speak at all until they had analysed all the baby's details. Never lacking a sense of the dramatic, it felt as if we shared the responsibility for the terrible, dirty act that we had committed. the amniocentesis) and the pregnancy had already ended, or because the scan was not routinely offered in their region 5 or more years ago. Cardiac surgery can do some amazing things. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately. Intellectually, I knew this was not the case. I didn't want to go through anymore scans. That was the first time I had heard him cry. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. Tears started to roll down my face. 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'. The consultant showed us the letter with our result on and, yes, there were the words "Down's syndrome". SO much upset and needless angst has been caused by 'soft markers' found at scans. I was then told yet again bad news. But for those few days they were torture. I had no issues at my 20wk scan with DD - and neither did any of my antenatal group (9 mums). But you know I knew we had, we had to make a decision that was right for the baby as well. You will be able to discuss this with your midwife or consultant. But no. This is not what I imagined pregnancy to feel like', Baby Loss Awareness Week - Voice Five - Bryony Seabrook. Smiling at myself and picturing me and Sam becoming parents. I came back probably about 17 weeks pregnant and had the anomaly scan at 20 weeks and like most people expected everything to be fine and to come away with a lovely picture but unfortunately that isn't what happened. 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'. The consultant at the time wasn't really that interested in that imagery. At this point it wasn't looking great. But he was wrong. I was sent home with a leaflet, strong painkillers and two types of antibiotics. 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'. I know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. I endured 12 hours of medication and in the early hours February 7, 56 days after my first scan (at nearly 18 weeks), I miscarried our babies. Impact of the 20-week and later 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". Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. By this time, we were tired. Can you describe the difference between the scan at this later stage in a pregnancy? My partner watched the baby come out, and for a split second I saw a look of joy on his face. That he was small. I was told this was common as my body and hormones still thought I was pregnant. 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. I was becoming numb to the whole process. And I know I can't hurry up the process of grieving. And it turned out the baby's heart wasn't forming properly, the chambers weren't forming properly. I guess the morphine made it easier. The doctor didn't come. We bought little outfits, teddies, and researched all the vitamins and foods that I could eat. Eventually, the midwife said to us very sweetly, "I think we should deliver the baby now." When I see a child with Down's syndrome, I have a tremendous need to explain myself and apologise a million times over. 'Soft markers'. For many other women, the 18-20 week scan was the point at which they discovered the baby had serious problems. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. No one else ever met the object of my grief. The doctor or midwife looking after you will let you know before you come. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. 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. We had the baby cremated. Likely to have serious medical problems all his life. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. And shortly after that, that scan we'd finished and the consultant leant back and said, 'I'm afraid we have some problems here'. Or, at the very least, heart problems. And still we asked to see a, Impact of the 20-week and later specialist scans. Rather sharply, my partner tried to explain. I hadn't thought about the mechanics of such a late termination, but had assumed it would mean some kind of operation. So I took the test and jumped in the shower. It was, 'Oh we'll come back to that'. At first the closeness came through a sense of guilt. And, it does not occur to you in the slightest. After preparing myself to face having to take the medication. And nothing prepares you at all. The week that followed was an agonising wait. She didn't want to see the baby. 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. Maybe. We bought a two tests that evening (quite lucky as I messed the first one up!). 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'. 1. There were also two spots on his heart, which were "soft markers" for Down's syndrome. I sat and waited to be called for my scan. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. The same anxious wait for a little, pathetic cry. 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. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. I think the whole experience has made me a pretty nasty person. 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. That they could have spotted something, or not? And they took me into another room. There's nothing wrong, you know, we've had all the tests, everything's fine,' and being very upbeat about it all. Away you go'. I agreed to an internal scan as the sonographer said we could get a better picture of what was happening. As soon as we arrived, we were shown to this little room. This was on the Friday. Instead, we were shown to a room slightly away from the rest of the ward and the midwife stayed with us to talk through what was going to happen. 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. I wanted to be a passive patient while the doctor did what he had to do. And with each one we had to have the same conversations. I was then told yet again bad news. 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 could see, before she even said anything I could see that there was something wrong with the heart. So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. Tommys is a registered charity in England and Wales (1060508) and Scotland (SC039280). It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan . I wanted to let nature take its course. My partner spent the weekend trying to convince me that things were OK. So he was about two weeks smaller than what he should have been. 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. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. 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 it was quite common, this is what happens. This article was amended on 24 November 2015 to anonymise the writer. If you choose not to have the scan you can still have all other parts of your routine antenatal care. 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. I can't remember the exact words but she said, 'There might be some fatal problems with your baby'. I had an appointment with my consultant 2 days later, and again he said, you know, 'Very common - shouldn't worry about it too much, you know, if, the problem is if they find anything else wrong'. Eventually, the doctor finished the scan and said that some of the baby's measurements were very small. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. [Husband] couldn't make it. x. 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). 18-20 week scans provide clinicians with more information than earlier scans because by18 weeks a healthy baby should be larger and better developed. He wanted to talk about it, but I didn't. hi ladies. I know its hard- but i really wouldnt worry about it too much as the worry will stress you and your body out. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. Saturday came. So we gave up and said we'd arrange the funeral ourselves. There, I would give birth. Two days, after on Christmas Eve, (my 12 week date) I had more blood tests. He felt doing more blood tests would only cause me more discomfort and false hope. So we went home, me to rest in an attempt to prevent miscarriage, my partner to reassure us both. I did. It doesn't remove the guilt, but I don't know what else to do. 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! And the first few things they said it didn't sound as thing, as though things were terribly wrong. 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. Then I picked myself up. I think they perhaps could have done, if they had looked a bit closely. I had to be rescanned latter. I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. I had to wait yet another sleepless night. I swallowed the tablet and we left the building. Sam followed and I broke down. He told me that they may want to do blood tests, but that 'he didn't see the point'. The doctor told me he was 98% sure this was a failing twin pregnancy. And I, and, I felt the weight of deciding what to do about it. I mean the lady who was scanning was very quiet for a long time. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. As I left the room to compose myself. Baby loss stories My baby might have Down's syndrome. I was told they needed to do a blood test to get a bench mark of my hormone levels. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-tests-for-you-and-your-baby/11-physical-conditions-20-week-scan. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. It would be a personal tragedy for my partner and me, but that is all. You can change your cookie settings at any time. My partner went out with him, wanting to see him. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Last reviewed July 2017. I didn't think my instincts were worth much. The scan was inconclusive, but the size of my little bump was measuring a lot smaller than it should have for 10 weeks. I felt sad, but not the complete devastation of the last scan as they had seen a change of some sort. The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. 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. But before he could speak, he, too, had broken down. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. The scan will find about half (50%) of those babies who have heart defects. I returned to be told they wanted to scan me again, another internal to see exactly what was happening. When he came back, he agreed on a termination. . 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.'. As I waited for the doctor back on the EPU unit. . And you could see, where you should have a picture of 4 chambers, you could really see 2. 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. The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. Please note that the opinions expressed by users in Tommys Book of #misCOURAGE are solely those of the user, who is unlikely to have had medical training. I give obsessively to charity, especially those linked to sick children. Sam reassured me, but the guilt had hit me along with the feeling that our world was falling apart. But he was not sure. And, so they sent me home at that stage because they said the specialist wasn't available till the following day, which was awful. So and you could see the exomphalus, this little pouch, which was obviously just the intestines where they are. 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. The sonographer then passes a hand-held probe over your skin to examine the babys body. The hardest thing I have ever done. I had to take a tablet there and then, under the supervision of a nurse, to end the pregnancy. 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. It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. I just feel very unlucky. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. 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. I had hope that the little bumps inside me were fighting just as much as I was to stay with me. And they took us out of the scanning room, into a more quiet room while they typed up the report. Not marginalised into being a victim. So had to come back in a week's time for a scan, which again is quite a common thing I found out. 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. Thinking back, I don't know how we left without him. I had never imagined having an amniocentesis. 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. 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. 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. Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. And everybody knows and everything is right. I want to be happy again. Hugely upset that to think that the baby was so poorly. A long process of blood tests, scans, doctors and hospitals. 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). 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. No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. But it was very evident. I was booked back in to discuss management options, if nothing had happened. I thought surely everything is ok, as they couldn't detect twins the week before. Could you tell? 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'. Not a good sign in a hospital consulting room. Limitations of the 18-20 week scan Good luck has not come easily over the past few years. The scan looks for 11 different conditions in your baby and cannot find everything that might be wrong. The ultimate betrayal. My partner was away working and was waiting to hear whether he was having a son or daughter. 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. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. I couldn't bring myself to push. 18-20 week scans provide clinicians with more information than earlier scans because by18 weeks a healthy baby should be larger and better developed. 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 broke down and started hitting my disgusting body that had done this. Can't seem to find info on the Internet. For example, you may be offered further tests that have a risk of miscarriage. It is impossible to escape them and each one underlines your loss.
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