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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Please help - 20 week anomaly scan

59 replies

GiveMeHope103 · 22/07/2019 17:28

I had my anomaly scan today and am so beside myself. Everything came out fine except towards the end when the specialist measured the femurs she said she was quite concerned as it is short and bowed and less than the 5th percentile. She wants to scan again in two weeks but was talking about an amniocentesis and dwarfism and I'm just so scared and worried.
Sorry I posted In the pregnancy topic but I know aibu gets more traffic.

OP posts:

AlwaysCheddar · 22/07/2019 17:37

Oh dear, that’s awful news to share and make you wait another 2 weeks. Can you see your midwife and see if she can shed any light?

Lotts123 · 22/07/2019 17:38

I had to have 2 anomaly scans as DD was breech and her head was up under my ribs so impossible to scan - this actually continued throughout the whole pregnancy and I never had a straight forward scan. Worst experience was when, at a growth scan, the Sonographer told me the baby hadn’t grown and sent me to the special maternity ward. I waited for over an hour to see someone and was then assured that baby had grown, just not in line with the chart. My growth scans were increased to every 2 weeks, but by the next one DD was back where she needed to be on the growth side of things, could have either been her position, or a growth spurt.

I know it’s hard but try not to panic, if something is out of the ordinary they have noticed and will investigate it. It is also possible that in 2 weeks time baby may have moved / grown and there is no need to investigate further.

Merryoldgoat · 22/07/2019 17:43

I totally understand you being so worried. Can I ask how tall you and your partner are?

My friend was constantly hauled in because her babies measured small. But she’s 5’ and her DH 5’6” - both 6lb at birth. They’re small, their babies were small and they’re small now.

I know you need to consider all options but if you’re small your baby might just be small.

SuzieQQQ · 22/07/2019 17:52

Everything could still be fine. The exact same thing happened to a friend of mine. The specialist was convinced her baby had dwarfism. Very short Femurs and big feet. He was wrong and her baby isn’t a dwarf.

Original poster

GiveMeHope103 · 22/07/2019 18:22

Thank you all for the replies. My DH is 5'9' and I am 5'2.
My ds1 was 48cm at birth.
What's absolutely scaring me is that this was a fetal specialist who did the scan and was particularly concerned as the babys legs were more now shaped than average.

OP posts:

Original poster

GiveMeHope103 · 22/07/2019 18:28

The specialist also mentioned that there is now a single gene non invasive test with a 96% accuracy.

OP posts:

Beldon · 22/07/2019 18:31

I know it won’t stop you worrying but the scans can’t be super accurate each time which is why they have to repeat them. It’s often due to how the baby is lying. Really hard to get measurements from a squirmy baby

aprilanne · 22/07/2019 18:35

I kn ow you may be worried but dwarfism is not the end of the world .

iano · 22/07/2019 18:41

I'm so sorry OP! It's natural for you to be worried about this.
Firstly the scans aren't totally accurate. We were told one of DC's facial features was missing (think ear, nose, eye). He's fine. It's very cute in fact.
Please try to remain calm until the next scan. Can you get some support from the Mw?

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 22/07/2019 18:41

Hi OP.

We had the exact same thing - femurs were

OrangeSlices998 · 22/07/2019 18:44

Huge hugs OP. Antenatal Results & Choices might be a really good port of call for you. www.arc-uk.org/

Greenolivesorblackolives · 22/07/2019 18:44

Try not to panic at this point. I was told at my 20 weeks scan my dd had her heart on the wrong side of her body. Potentially along with other organs. The sonographer was completely wrong.

Dottysmum18 · 22/07/2019 18:54

I had

Haworthia · 22/07/2019 18:57

So sorry you’re going through this. I know it will be torture waiting for the next scan, but just try to take it one day at a time, and don’t Google too much. No good can come of it

loudnoises1 · 22/07/2019 19:03

I had to go for two extra scans for exactly the same thing and I have a perfectly healthy beautiful 14 week old :)
Try not to worry too much xx

Robs20 · 22/07/2019 19:05

So sorry you are going through this. I would have the test they have suggested to give you some answers. But as others have said, remember that its hard to get measurements from a moving baby and even between sonographers there can be differences in measurements. Also remember that some things that look iffy on a scan can turn out to be perfectly fine. I had the opposite, all scans fine until 36 weeks when femur length dropped off the chart and dd was born with lots of health issues.

JustHavinABreak · 22/07/2019 19:07

I could have written your post about 3 years ago @GiveMeHope103 and when I got Googling all I could find were the bad news stories because nobody seemed to remember to come back with the good ones. Right now I'm sitting in my kitchen looking out the window as my 2.5yo DD plays in the tree house with her two big brothers. They're laughing at her shouting "weeeeee" as she goes down the slide

The centiles, the curved demure, the scans, the fears about dwarfism and other conditions, the various tests we had...2016 was a frightening year. Honestly....stay away from Google is the one piece of advice I wish I had followed.

If I can do ANYTHING please let me know. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat. I wish I'd known someone at the time who had been through it

MrMakersFartyParty · 22/07/2019 19:10

My eldest has femurs on the 9th centile and everything else was like 75th centile. When he was born he was really tall but slim, and now he is 3 years old and 100cm tall with long legs! I was terrified at the time.

MrMakersFartyParty · 22/07/2019 19:11

Sorry had**, it was at the 20 week scan.

Original poster

GiveMeHope103 · 23/07/2019 08:02

Thank you all so much. Have unfortunately been on Google which wasnt a good idea. I'm seeing my gynae tomorrow and discuss further and I will update.

OP posts:

Original poster

GiveMeHope103 · 23/07/2019 08:03

Justhaving thank you so much. I will do so.

OP posts:

Coffeeisnecessary · 23/07/2019 08:09

My first pregnancy they said femour length in bottom 5%, stomach circumference in 95%, I was imagining a very rotund baby with dwarfism but he was a very normal looking baby and now is a very tall skinny 8 year old. Try not to worry as could be nothing, but as pp said, dwarfism isn't the end of the world anyway.

JustHavinABreak · 02/08/2019 15:12

@GiveMeHope103 You've been on my mind a lot and I wondered how things have been going for you. Have you had any more news?

JustHavinABreak · 02/08/2019 15:18

@GiveMeHope103 Just saw your update on another thread so I'll respond there x

Witchend · 02/08/2019 15:29

@GiveMeHope103

When I had my 20 week scan with dd2 they discovered she is missing an arm.
Sending (((hugs))) to you. hope you get some definite news and all is well.

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