Eventually she got the measurements she wanted. He started to scan me with a cold expression, then told me, "it didn't look good" and that "my womb looked raggedy". My partner spent the weekend trying to convince me that things were OK. Surely he couldn't have missed anything else that is so serious x. Most scans show that babies seem to be developing as expected, and none of the 11 conditions are found. And, for a few hours, I'm convinced I've made a terrible mistake. There was an extra digit on one of the hands. Limitations of the 18-20 week scan And there [sighs] was a very dark patch over one, where the eye socket was, and they didn't know it, in the Edward's babies sometimes the eyes don't develop properly, or it might have been bleeding, they weren't very sure. I did. Originally I hadn't wanted to go down that road. And that was extraordinary to see the detail that that could offer. So, in the end, we said we would arrange our own funeral. 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. Many people were deeply affected by their experiences of the 20-week and subsequent specialist scans. But my brain had been given a train of thought that was impossible to stop. The ultimate betrayal. By my own hand, I had to end the pregnancy. But it's bloody hard being miserable the whole time. And my partner and I would have a completely different life from the one we'd imagined. 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 were denying him his life. I've been incredibly lucky to have such amazing support from Sam, my mum, and close friends and family. The scan looks for 11 different conditions in your baby and cannot find everything that might be wrong. The same rush of excitement. In a small number of cases some very serious conditions are found. [Husband] couldn't make it. It is extremely rare for these pregnancies to reach term as they typically spontaneously miscarry early in pregnancy. My mum arrived early to look after our son, and my partner and I got a cab to the hospital. If one of the conditions is found or suspected, the sonographer may ask for a second opinion from another member of staff. And I felt like a murderer. It is impossible to escape them and each one underlines your loss. There is more detailed information about the main conditions that are looked for during this scan on NHS.UK. Within two days I was waiting in my local EPU unit for further tests. Smiling at myself and picturing me and Sam becoming parents. Can't seem to find info on the Internet. Living in this world must be unbearable for them. You've had your, you know, you've had your triple test and everything was fine. Have I misunderstood what's going on?' By 7pm, I still hadn't delivered the baby. 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. 18-20 week scans provide clinicians with more information than earlier scans because by18 weeks a healthy baby should be larger and better developed. 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. Nights were impossible. We would terminate the pregnancy. 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. Some people had underestimated how serious any abnormality found at this stage could be for the baby. Any delay in receiving more information about the abnormality and its implications will be distressing for women and this should be acknowledged. I agreed to an internal scan as the sonographer said we could get a better picture of what was happening. Sometimes specialist scans such as 3D scans, or MRI scans, are used to examine the baby in greater detail. And it turned out the baby's heart wasn't forming properly, the chambers weren't forming properly. You may like someone to come with you to the scan appointment. I could hardly breathe. Not a good sign in a hospital consulting room. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk. And it's like, I really wanted to see it and I didn't, and it was it was very mixed. The week that followed was an agonising wait. 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.. 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. The milk came and stayed for what seemed like for ever. No sort of questions about, 'Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?' DS had 2 soft markers: talipes (club foot) and 'echogenic locii' somewhere - heart I think. Some say this estimate is really below the reality, and the out-of-pocket average costs are higher. Registered office: Nicholas House, 3 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, EC4R 0BB. But everything seemed fine and we'd been sitting waiting to see the consultant, and I'd had an examination on the bed. No, you couldn't see there was anything wrong. I had to stop myself from yanking out the needle. At this point it wasn't looking great. The baby kicked, blissfully unaware of what I had done. I was saving my child from pain and suffering. I feel empty and incomplete. It is a noise that will stay with me for ever. 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 know I could have delivered him in a quarter of the time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving me. And, it does not occur to you in the slightest. 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. He's now had the all clear and is wriggling round on . Just doing it. Trying to carry on as normal, working and putting on a brave face. I was young, I didn't need one. She wanted to have a look at the skull, which was the main thing, but she couldn't see it from where the baby was. But even if I was there, I still think I would have wanted to see the detail on the scan. factor is very strong. And they took me into another room. I tried not to sit still for too long, because then I became too aware of the little thing inside me. 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. So he went out for a walk. All pregnant women should be given the booklet by their midwife or GP Screening tests for you and your baby by Public Health England, which gives detailed information about the types of scan offered and what they are looking for. She just said, 'It's a bit short, it needs to be checked' again basically. Only this time, no cry came. Fine, go on my own. Many parents were shocked by findings from the 20-week and later scans. The sonographer then passes a hand-held probe over your skin to examine the babys body. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Still, the consultant thought things would be OK. As I lay down, and the sonographer started, I could see there was something wrong. (See 'Resources'). Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. However, a few hours later there was another shift change. No one else attended and we didn't have a service. I was sat on the sofa working, my son was at nursery and my partner was in the bath. So on the Monday we went in to see the senior sonographer, I think she was a consultant at the hospital. b>Bad news at 20 week scan. It was just sort of deadpan faces, very serious looks, someone else coming to check. A long process of blood tests, scans, doctors and hospitals. After that I got, I, it was about in, in 19-, hang on a minute, 2001 I got pregnant again, slightly unexpectedly. I had my little leaflet, printed off leaflet about choroid plexus cysts. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. The same sense of expectation. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. Enough for two weeks after he had been cremated. It was over. No discussion, no quiet contemplation. . I have a terrible hatred of pregnant women and a new respect for infertile couples. Could she possibly have something that's not been detected? I then had to wait in the room along with many other patients for an hour so they could observe me. You might be offered another test to find out for certain if your baby has one of the conditions. 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. But he was not sure. 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. I think I don't everything just seems a real blur because it was, it was such a strange experience. It's been a heartbreaking nightmare. We were convinced everything would be OK. Parents get a chance to emotionally adapt to news and plan. This does not mean there is anything to worry about. And that, that was when things where it started going a bit wrong. The results come in stages. And, faced with feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for my child, I know which I'd choose. 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. 'Soft markers'. Having the scan does not hurt but the sonographer may need to apply slight pressure to get the best views of your baby.
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