It was interesting - well it was fantastic to see this fetus and to see this child that was yours that was horribly ill - but you didn't really get much opportunity to see that because the consultant was more about measurements and all sorts of blood flow and various other screens coming up. Eventually, the doctor finished the scan and said that some of the baby's measurements were very small. The same sense of expectation. I was becoming numb to the whole process. I think what everyone is saying is that most likely outcome is that there are no problems at all. It was the end of January, very end - about the 29th - I'd gone into, I'd gone into 5 months by then. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". You have rejected additional cookies. An hour passed and I started to panic. The chances that anything bad will be discovered are v v small. Despite this new discovery, the sonographer was still concerned. I wanted to let nature take its course. The sonographer told me to take the notes, and the scan photos with me so they could review them also. From losing my dad to his battle with cancer, to then having to face another battle with cancer and my mum; thankfully she pulled though. But here I was, minutes later, lying down, waiting. The gel makes sure there is good contact between the probe and your skin. And in this instance the scan was very evident that there was something very seriously wrong. 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. I was young, I didn't need one. Or, at the very least, heart problems. 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'. The sonographer will be able to tell you the results of the scan at the time. Just doing it. 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. And she sort of got up and walked out of the room and called someone in. It is also sometimes referred to as the mid-pregnancy scan. 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. 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. We thought it would all be over very quickly but, in fact, it was another 11 hours before the baby was delivered. And so this one can't tell you anything, it's pictures, you're going, you're going to see your baby, you're going to get pictures. And I thought that if I were faced with the possibility of having an amnio, hours of discussion would follow - I would spend days mulling it over. It was real. 10/03/2021 16:13, @Cormoransjacket I tried to keep positive. I didn't sleep that night I don't think. How common is it to find anomolies at the 20 week scan? - Netmums We had the 20 week scan yesterday and got some devastating news. Everywhere you look, there are happy, fat, smug pregnant women. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. Tears started to roll down my face. So at 20 weeks I went for my scan with my husband, with my daughter, to get our photographs. 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. My partner was away working and was waiting to hear whether he was having a son or daughter. 'Soft markers'. The consultant at the time wasn't really that interested in that imagery. The doctor told me he was 98% sure this was a failing twin pregnancy. And they actually asked my husband to come in before they spoke to me. It is essential that all practitioners performing fetal anomaly ultrasound screening should be trained to communicate abnormal findings to women, as such information is likely to have significant emotional impact. Went back a week later for the scan and, you were with me for this one, weren't you? It felt as if we'd gone underground, that we were part of the criminal fraternity. Forcing my hand to my mouth to take the tablet was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Later, I did see and hold our baby. We were convinced everything would be OK. And I'm glad I did and she's glad she didn't. A black and white picture of your baby will then be seen on the ultrasound screen. 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 just feel very unlucky. Baby loss support 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 went from bad, to worse, to worse, to dire, then to better. So we went home really and I sort of had to think about it all night. And how wrong could they be? 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. 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). 1. I thought I was going to burst into tears. Well send you a link to a feedback form. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. So I was a bit ignorant of the kind of things, you know, what the scans were really doing - maybe it was, a bit na've I think. Reading individual, real-life experiences can be a helpful resource, but it is never a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified health care provider. 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 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'. So we decided to book an early 10 week private scan. . I had never imagined having an amniocentesis. DS had 2 soft markers: talipes (club foot) and 'echogenic locii' somewhere - heart I think. Thinking back, I don't know how we left without him. You're in and out and that was it. 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. The blood test confirmed it was twins. I was becoming numb to the whole process. So we left it there, and we didn't actually think that there was anything really to worry about after that scan. It felt like a lifetime to reach our 12-week-scan. The thing about that which I felt was difficult is that we could tell when being scanned that there was something very seriously wrong. 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. And it turned out the baby's heart wasn't forming properly, the chambers weren't forming properly. I ran into the bedroom to tell Sam, who was ecstatic. The first midwife seemed to understand what we were trying to say, and said she would ask the doctor to come and talk to us. The consultant had said it wouldn't be like a normal delivery. I think I don't everything just seems a real blur because it was, it was such a strange experience. chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet. 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? I think the whole experience has made me a pretty nasty person. You can change your cookie settings at any time. So at least then we went to that next stage prepared for the worst really. It was a bit worrying but on the plus side I got an extra couple of scans and an extra couple of pictures. I get terribly irritated by my close friends and family. Just that really! Thanks girls, it's amazing how protected our babies are in there isn't it?! Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. There was cause for concern. No sort of questions about, 'Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?' Baby loss stories 15/02/2014 08:02. By this point I had stopped bleeding, this caused problems. My partner watched the baby come out, and for a split second I saw a look of joy on his face. The baby was very, very small. I faced another internal scan where I began to feel helpless and alone. We felt as if we were in limbo. I've realised that being a nice person is a luxury some can't afford. We strongly advise readers not to take drugs that are not prescribed by your qualified healthcare provider. The weeks since that day have been very weird. The doctor or midwife looking after you will let you know before you come. So we decided to book an early 10 week private scan. Some parents wondered if it was possible to have the same scan done at 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks. But I was struggling mentally with the anguish, grief and endless hospital visits. 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. So choroid plexus cysts on their own, no problem, but if there's something else wrong, then that's a problem. The 18-20 week antenatal scan and further tests. But with time although we will never forget, I know we will be ok again. Where we were living then at the time you only had a scan at 20 weeks. Laura miscarried her twin babies in February. I want to enjoy my son again, without any reservations. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. 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]. The results come in stages. (See 'Resources'). For women who have been given distressing news about their baby during the scan, there should be a health professional available to provide immediate support. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Nice people shouldn't hear about what we'd done. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. I know it is still early days. It was far too much power; neither of us wanted it. We understand the real meaning of "shit happens". And they, sort of two of them were looking at the scan machine and then they sort of switched everything off and said, 'Oh, I think we have, might have a problem'. We didn't name him. It was horrible. But other than that everything was fine. This scan takes place between 18 weeks and 20 weeks 6 days of pregnancy and is commonly called the 20-week scan. Chances of bad news at 20 week scan mumsnet Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. I couldn't bring myself to push. We had to discuss what we wanted to do with the little body after delivery. I managed to tell my mum, who said she would come with us to the hospital. He sounded like a wild animal in pain, deep pain. Soon, the doctor came and inserted the tablets that would induce labour. You do not have to have the scan. How common is it for 2nd baby to come early..? Only this time, no cry came.