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Unfortunately I was not met with a compassionate sonographer. We were denying him his life. We were bound to each other because of the blood that was on both our hands. And even at that early stage it was beginning to sink in that there was something really not right. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". 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 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. Instead, I had to raise a glass of water to my mouth, take a swig and swallow the tablet. That's fine. We walked all the way home. You have accepted additional cookies. If you are not sure, you can contact them and ask. It seemed inconceivable that we would not be having a baby in May. SO much upset and needless angst has been caused by 'soft markers' found at scans. The baby was kicking so hard that I began to believe him. It felt as if we had gone power crazy. 18-20 week scans provide clinicians with more information than earlier scans because by18 weeks a healthy baby should be larger and better developed. I had to take a tablet there and then, under the supervision of a nurse, to end the pregnancy. In a small number of cases some very serious conditions are found. I did. 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). 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. Limitations of the 18-20 week scan It was all going wrong and I wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible. In most cases the scan will show that your baby appears to be developing as expected but sometimes a condition is found or suspected. As though I went power mad for a week, killing my innocent unborn child, and now I am tainted for ever. 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. 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? Looked exactly like our two year old as a baby. This might be uncomfortable. 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. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. You will then be asked to raise your top to your chest and lower your skirt or trousers to your hips. 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. The decision to terminate the pregnancy was my partner's and mine. I couldn't have the added responsibility for changing his mind. 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. 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'. You get extra care and monitoring as appropriate and baby is proactively treated. The same sense of expectation. I was becoming numb to the whole process. Maybe. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. My partner's face was lit up, seeing the baby for the first time. We didn't name him. It would be a personal tragedy for my partner and me, but that is all. 'I was having nightmares and panic attacks. And I said, I was still laughing, and I thought he was joking with me, and he said now I sort of could tell from his face that by that point he wasn't really joking anymore. The pain was excruciating, but nothing compared to how I felt inside. 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. Only this time, no cry came. 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 I suppose from that aspect, mind you having not been told that or sitting there, I wouldn't have thought necessarily that was odd. Slightly marked from our peers. And shortly after that, that scan we'd finished and the consultant leant back and said, 'I'm afraid we have some problems here'. And as, and as soon as I saw the pictures of the scan, having had two normal pregnancies, even I could see that there was a marked contrast between this pregnancy and the pictures that I'd had previously. 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. An appointment should be arranged as soon as possible and ideally within three working days. We thought it would all be over very quickly but, in fact, it was another 11 hours before the baby was delivered. And thank God I did. The thing about that which I felt was difficult is that we could tell when being scanned that there was something very seriously wrong. The consultant at the time wasn't really that interested in that imagery. My partner tried to remain calm, and at my request rang my mum. This article was amended on 24 November 2015 to anonymise the writer. I couldn't bear to see the baby and asked the midwife to take him away immediately. Immediately I knew what decision we should take. You've had, you've had your Down's Syndrome check and that's okay. No one else attended and we didn't have a service. Being deeply unhappy and kind to others at the same time is nigh on impossible. 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'. So she said, 'Come back on Monday. All the hopes, dreams, and plans we made with our little bumps has been taken away from us. I went home feeling crushed; Sam and I both felt helpless. We saw the consultant, who was reassuring, saying that he would rescan me and was sure everything would be fine. In this information, the word we refers to the NHS service that provides screening. Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be. 13/12/2020 20:45. But you know I knew we had, we had to make a decision that was right for the baby as well. 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. 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. 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. 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. And you know, we were laughing and joking. 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.. Several women had taken young children with them to the 20-week scan because they expected to see 'nice pictures of the baby'. It is impossible to escape them and each one underlines your loss. Tissue paper will be tucked around your clothing to protect it from the ultrasound gel, which will then be put on your tummy. I was told this was common as my body and hormones still thought I was pregnant. When I see a child with Down's syndrome, I have a tremendous need to explain myself and apologise a million times over. Last updated July 2017. All my plans were beginning to fall down. 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 doctor gave her consent, and I took the four little tablets. It is a noise that will stay with me for ever. 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. 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. Baby loss stories 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. But no. I was booked back in to discuss management options, if nothing had happened. 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. It's part of our family. So that was it. I couldn't bring myself to push. A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. The consultant explained that this was just very bad luck and not, as far as they knew, genetic. The milk came and stayed for what seemed like for ever. Purpose of screening. 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. 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. I mean the lady who was scanning was very quiet for a long time. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. I wanted to let nature take its course. I give pregnant women dirty looks. Not marginalised into being a victim. I think there might be a problem'. After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. I just want to be normal again. He sounded like a wild animal in pain, deep pain. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. 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. 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.'. Hugely upset that to think that the baby was so poorly. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. How was that scan different from the dating scan? 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. 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. That he - I think I was 21 weeks and 3 days, and he was coming up at 19 weeks and 4 days, or something like that. The results come in stages. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. No sort of questions about, 'Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?' So carried on with the plans, and, you know, planning for the, another baby to come along and then we went for a 20- week scan which is obviously the big one and very exciting, seeing all the arms and legs and once again everything was going fine, 'Look here's the baby, here's the length of baby'. Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and . We left the hospital a couple of hours later. Emma was 20 weeks' pregnant when a routine scan revealed that the baby she was expecting had Down's syndrome and heart problems. And also what the prognosis would mean for our two year old: now a very happy child, he would have a completely different childhood with such an ill sibling. I can't remember the exact words but she said, 'There might be some fatal problems with your 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. All my instincts were to protect my belly, yet here I was allowing someone to stick a huge needle into it. The scan yet again confirmed things were not good, however the sac had grown. Can you remember that minute. 'Yes, if that's okay with you,' kind of thing, like you do. I had a horrible feeling of relief. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. 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 '. Mm-hm. My son's congenital heart defect was detected at the 20 week scan and he had 2 other markers, no . 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. Next most likely (but actually in the minority) they identify something which whilst not 100% healthy is treatable. I didn't want to be convincing him to agree with me. And I felt like a murderer. A long process of blood tests, scans, doctors and hospitals. It took 20 minutes to push him out. I had hope that the little bumps inside me were fighting just as much as I was to stay with me. In fact, interestingly enough, going sort of. However painful and traumatic the labour was, it was better than what would happen at the end of it. Some people we talked to had not had a 18-20-week scan, either because their babies' abnormalities had been detected by earlier . And I can just remember flashing a look at you as if to say, 'Have I made a mistake here somewhere? Again, no notes can have been written down because the midwife asked the same question. Find more information and details of support groups on NHS.UK. Some things can be seen more clearly than others. Entering the labour ward, I waited for someone to say, "Go home, you are 16 weeks too early." I pray it's just her heart but I can't see anything else is wrong as I have been scanned by a consultant since I was 14 weeks and every time he has said everything looks okay and she is growing consistently. But they didn't. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. 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. It feels very lonely and isolating. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. 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. 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'. Still, the consultant thought things would be OK. I didn't want to go through anymore scans. Can you describe the difference between the scan at this later stage in a pregnancy? An hour passed and I started to panic. Has anyone been told the wrong sex at 20 week scan? So he went out for a walk. 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. The baby was very, very small. It went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. Again, we weren't understood. This scan takes place between 18 weeks and 20 weeks 6 days of pregnancy and is commonly called the 20-week scan. 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. I wrote a few things down last night when we were trying to go over things, just to remind myself. I couldn't really believe what they were saying. or sort of light chat that we'd, we'd experienced before with previous scans. I was then told yet again bad news. . 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. Apologise for somehow doubting their right to be in this world. The scan will look in detail at your babys bones, heart, brain, spinal cord, face, kidneys and abdomen. Eventually, the midwife said to us very sweetly, "I think we should deliver the baby now." I didn't have a clue. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. Never being able to look after himself. 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! 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. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately. 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'. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. By this point I had stopped bleeding, this caused problems. I tried to keep positive. As you felt that, you know, it was probably going to show lots of problems and it just wasn't what we wanted, but at the same time we needed to sort of see it and, we needed to prove it I suppose. 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. Went back a week later for the scan and, you were with me for this one, weren't you? He had to come to the decision by himself. 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). Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. Many described how sonographers and doctors were very restrained and didn't speak at all until they had analysed all the baby's details. Likely to have serious medical problems all his life. To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account. But he was not sure. But other than that everything was fine. 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. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. I noticed the box of tissues on the table. I had to wait for a doctor to explain the situation. 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. He's now had the all clear and is wriggling round on . Intellectually, I knew this was not the case. I'm trying to understand because I haven't seen a 3-D scan, what it tells the parents? You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. We needed closure, to allow us to grieve properly. The only thing you're thinking now is the birth, and what if something goes wrong in the birth? 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. And, it does not occur to you in the slightest. We scattered his ashes over a bunch of snowdrops. If necessary, you will be referred to a specialist, possibly in another hospital. We had so much power, we could decide that this little thing should die. We had the same conversation, but obviously were not making any sense to her at all. I was another one who did get bad news at the 20 week scan. Which she reassured us that she'd be absolutely fine, this was a one-off. 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 managed to tell my mum, who said she would come with us to the hospital. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? As two youngest siblings, we were both permanently stuck in the irresponsible, childish role. But that was too easy. I faced another internal scan where I began to feel helpless and alone. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. 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. Our baby was beautiful. It was real. And the first few things they said it didn't sound as thing, as though things were terribly wrong. For example, some babies have a condition called open spina bifida, which affects the spinal cord. No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. Forcing my hand to my mouth to take the tablet was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I was becoming numb to the whole process. But my brain had been given a train of thought that was impossible to stop. I travelled to work that day feeling amazing. By 7pm, I still hadn't delivered the baby. I feel empty and incomplete. Then I picked myself up. 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. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. I hadn't thought about the mechanics of such a late termination, but had assumed it would mean some kind of operation. I felt sad, but not the complete devastation of the last scan as they had seen a change of some sort. . Did you, how did that scan make you feel? Wishing to be anywhere, but here being told the same agonising truth over and over again. That was the first time I had heard him cry. But I still didn't want to be the one who stopped this baby's chance to live. You may need to have a full bladder when you come for the appointment. And they took us out of the scanning room, into a more quiet room while they typed up the report. Our nightmare began when I went for my 20-week scan. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. This scan takes place between 18 weeks and 20 weeks 6 days of pregnancy and is commonly called the 20-week scan. It was sick. And it's like, I really wanted to see it and I didn't, and it was it was very mixed. I let out an animal scream and [wife] kind of leapt onto me on the bed. I felt empty, scared, guilty and incredibly heartbroken. It's, I mean you can't tell from these scans what you're looking at really, but I remember thinking, 'it just doesn't look quite right' or something, but I didn't give it much thought. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. And so began the most bizarre day of my life. 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. Some of the other conditions, such as heart defects, are more difficult to see. 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. Well, at the regional hospital it was a 3-D scan. There is more detailed information about the main conditions that are looked for during this scan on NHS.UK. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. After the triple test you stop thinking, you stop thinking that anything can go wrong. 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. It was a bit worrying but on the plus side I got an extra couple of scans and an extra couple of pictures. Another sick joke. I broke down and started hitting my disgusting body that had done this. In some very serious rare cases, where no treatment is possible, the baby will die soon after it is born or during pregnancy. The appointment usually takes around 30 minutes. My partner went out with him, wanting to see him. And, so they sent me home at that stage because they said the specialist wasn't available till the following day, which was awful. Where we were living then at the time you only had a scan at 20 weeks. And, sometimes, I wish I had invited my whole family into the hospital room to see him. Others said they were shocked because all the early diagnostic tests (e.g. Smiling at myself and picturing me and Sam becoming parents. I think what everyone is saying is that most likely outcome is that there are no problems at all. I thought I was going to burst into tears. 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. ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT AT 20 WEEK SCAN. Within it are a number of recommendations for the communication of findings from ultrasounds. And how wrong could they be? We've got the same battle scars. So I no longer trusted my instincts. That he was small. I don't know how we got through the next couple of days. Maybe our son would have overcome his problems, survived his illnesses, led a happy life. But for those few days they were torture. My heart goes out to you OP. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. Sam reassured me, but the guilt had hit me along with the feeling that our world was falling apart. So we had to go in and out a couple of times, and we were just waiting around for ages and ages. Again the legs were quite twisted, they said that the baby's sternum was very short - things weren't in proportion you know - the head was quite large, the neck was very thick, there wasn't really like a neck as such it was just things were kind of - there were lots of things that obviously the consultant could see that we weren't aware of. Have I misunderstood what's going on?' She advised I be referred to the EPU to be assessed. I was wondering if anyone has been is this situation and can give me a glimmer of hope. But it is a soft marker for Edwards' syndrome. There is always a chance that a baby may be born with a health issue that scans could not have identified. Those two weeks were agonising for us both. And I couldn't escape the feeling that I was being selfish. Just that really! And for that whole time, my partner and I were both crying uncontrollably. I want to be happy again. The week that followed was an agonising wait. 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'. She brought up a picture of the heart on the screen. But everything seemed fine and we'd been sitting waiting to see the consultant, and I'd had an examination on the bed. Having the scan does not hurt but the sonographer may need to apply slight pressure to get the best views of your baby. I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. The same rush of excitement. 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. We spent the next few weeks in a happy bubble. 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 .