20 week scan complications?

[seasister]

I'm scared about 20 week scan coming up. I didn't think I'd be as scared as I was about the 12 week, but I think I'm more scared.

How common are complications and problems?

I'm 18w + 4d and i've not felt baby move (or at least I can't tell, it's my first) and stuff like this weighs on me

It's not at all unusual in a first pgcy not to have felt the baby move yet. Or not to have recognised those first movements! As my consultant said go me "My dear, there's nothing there but baby. Your bowels have been pushed out of the way - anything you feel down there is the baby!". And I thought I had mild wind

the pozsition of the placenta, and how fat you were pre-pregnancy, can also affect how early you feel the movements.

Please don't worry about the scan. Look on it as an opportunity to see your baby, without dwelling on what-ifs.

FWIW something was picked up at my dc1's scan. As a result I had lots of blood tests and more sophisticated scans, plus more scans for the rest of the pgcy to monitor him. The problem seemed to go away on its own accord, and ds1 was born perfectly healthy. Nothing untoward was picked up at dc2 and dc3's scans, and they too were born perfectly healthy.

Thank you PrettyCandles. That's good advice. I was v slender before pregnancy and still very small so can't blame being fat on it...but yes, I think it's about not knowing more than anything.

I'll try not to worry. It's hard. Once I hear everything's fine I'll probably boo my eyes out and then be unable to take my eyes of the screen!

I'm on my 2nd pregnancy and was concerned as hadn't really felt movements, but after the scan he let out some mighty dissaproving blows, and has done ever since.

I have an anterior placenta which might be the reason for the late movements.

Try not to worry. It is very indepth and just last a while (uncomfortable on full bladder), there was a slight issue flagged on mine for this one, that means I am being rescanned at 32 weeks, but they didn't seem overally concerned about it.

DD's 20 week scan was fine.

thanks Nunnie

try not to worry. I had my anomaly scan at 19 weeks, because my bloods show high risk of Downs, and I was a nervous wreck. But on a positive note, nothing was found that concerned the sonographer. AFAIK, most of the things that are often picked up at the 20w scan do resolve themselves anyway.

This is my second child, and I didnt feel it for sure till 18 weeks, so try not to worry about that. My midwife told me 20 weeks is about the average, some people dont feel it till much later

best of luck x

With my first, I was 24 weeks before I felt anything, at least that i knew was a baby. My 2nd, a little earlier, and this one from about 18 weeks. Check whether you need a full bladder- i haven't needed one for the 20 week scans, just the earlier ones. If you don't need to, it will make you much more comfortable.

I have cried at pretty much every scan i have had!

Sometimes the sonographer will tell you everything they see (if you want to know), and sometimes they will be concentrating on measurements- don't worry about the silences. A good sonographer will tell you that they may be quiet for periods of time, as it can make you anxious. And not all problems/complications will necessarily show up anyway.

Make sure you get a good picture- had some fab ones of Ds with his legs crossed and arms behind his head!!

Good luck

I got a horrendous picture of mine - it's looking striaght at us, and looks like Jack Skellington!!!!

what sort of things are picked up? I know at a scan I had at about 16 weeks the femur length was quite small for example but not badly so. Do they go into this kind of detail and is a lot of it just 'normal' stuff which isn't generally worth worrying about?

yes, thats exactly the sort of thing they look for. They also check and measure the brain size, they check the heart and stomach, and make sure they can see kidneys. My sonographer also had a good look at the spine, to make sure everything looked good with it. He also looked at the hands and feet, but only in minor detail.
They also check that the placenta etc is healthy etc

cool.

I kind of worried a bit about the femur length and then realised that as I was still within the 'normal' range then it was probably all ok.

I have to disagree rather strongly with PrettyCandles. It's called an anomaly scane for a reason, it is not just an opportunity to see your baby, although that of course is lovely.

If you have a look on the Antenatal Results and Choices board there are lots of women totally shellshocked by the scans/tests not coming back tickety-boo; it was not something that they considered when they consented to the scan/test. If you have concerns then why don't you make an appt with your mw to talk them through properly with someone who can answer your questions?

I wish you all the best for your scan.

to be fair many of the threads in the Ante-natal choices/testing part of this board are about the tests they do at the Nuchal fold test before 14 weeks rather than the 20 week scan which looks at many different things.

I found this info about what kind of thing they look for at the anomaly scan.

The issue picked up on my 20 week scan was with one kidney.

They check for a number of things it is as I said earlier a very detailed scan. Luckily the kidney issue, could remain the same or get worse, or even be better when I go back whatever the outcome it is something they are able to treat post birth.

If you are worried like littlesilver said speak to your midwife.

Please don't worry about the lack of movement, I'm currently 25wks pregnant with number 3 and only started feeling movement a few weeks ago.

As for the scan, with my previous pregnancies I was in Edinburgh, and they didn't even offer a 20 wk scan, which actually meant I didn't have a scan to worry about, and as my Mum pointed out, she didn't have any scans at all!

I'm sure all will be fine, my 20 wk scan took about 20 minutes, the sonographer took lots of measurements, checked all limbs were accounted for, checked the placenta etc. I understand why you're worried, I was too, but likelihood is all will be fine.

Thank you all - you're all very sweet. Littlesilver,I'm aware of what the scan is for and the areas it looks at and can raise issues over. I know that things may not come back "tickety-boo" but I still wanted to find out people's reaction to the scan and their experiences. I'm going to the Fetal Medicine Centre in London (where I went for my 12 week) and the doctor was wonderful.

I'm anxious too. I think everyone gets worried. These are all milestones in the journey. Good luck. I'm sure all will be great.

Fair enough, LittleSilver, but for the majority of women the anomaly scan will not show any anomalies, and will result in a pleasurable and exciting glimpse of their dc.

Why agonise over possible problems, when there is nothing that can be done about them until you know what they are - and particularly until you know they exist.

What's the saying? "Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you."

Going for an anolmaly scan is like asking a question. Don't ask it if you don't want to know the answer.

the only problem with mine, was that they couldn't check nhis profile due to the lazy buggar refusing to move, and lying in a very awkward position. I had to go back 2 weeks later and luckily, this midwife got me to break out some moves that worked, and made him move.

The pics I got were nothing like I expected. An ear hear. A foot there. Nothing like the 12 wk scan. When your watching the scan and you can see it all in one go, it's amazing.

I think you shouild just try to relax, and look at it as an opportunity to see your lil baby again. This time, all grown up. I had my parents and MIL at mine. Bit cramped, but they loved it. And my mam went through a LOT of tissues.

Good luck with yours and I'm sure everything will run smoothly

littlesilver i'm not sure that that is necessarily true. Yes, you should prepare yourself to deal with the worst case scenarios - a sort of, if I get told the answer I don't want to know, am I prepared to make the hardest decisions. But you should not go into the scan assuming the worse, because you'll then spend the 4 weeks leading up to the scan worrying yourself over something that probably won't happen.

The OP was, I think, looking for some reassurance. Telling her to focus on the fact that it is an anomoly scan is not particularly helpful! I think it is a much healthier attitude to focus on the positive side of the scan (i.e. seeing the baby). Yes, be prepared for the fact that anomolies may be seen, but if they are, you can deal with that as and when.

seasister even if they do spot an "anomoly" it may well not be as bad as you think. A friend's 20 wk scan showed up some quite serious heart defects. It meant that the right neo-natal care was ready and waiting for their DD, and they had many months to prepare for the fact that their newborn would have to undergo serious surgery. However, they now have a very happy healthy 1 year old, and are very glad that the scan ensured the right treatment was given to their DD from the earliest possible moment. So even some of the bad scans can have an upside.

Dh never can never sleep the night before a scan, I tend to just block it out, get in there and get it done, I blindly tell myself everything is fine and so far it always has been, even when a final scan had the ob seriously worried because she spent ages trying to find movement, I knew it was the first time in the last 24 hrs that my baby had decided to take a nap because I'd been up all night with her movements.

I haven't read this whole thread so I'm sure somebody has already mentioned that you often don't feel the movement with the first untill later, I think about week 22/23, but it all depends on your own size, stomach tone etc.

It'll be fine,oh and dron't drink too much water before so that you don't have a full bladder, I read that somewhere it's meant to make it harder to read the scan although I drink tons and tons of water so I haven't put that into practice.

I'm a bit scared too (scan tomorrow) - more than I thought I would be - though I am looking forward to seeing the baby again. Some people say the 20 week is better than the 12 week (i.e. you see more, and more clearly), some say they preferred the 12 week as you got to see the whole baby in one go, where the 20 week, as Lou said, can be a bit at a time! But still amazing, I'm sure.

My scan letter emphasized in capitals 'DO NOT drink lots of water' - it's only the 12 week scan where this helps (and mine was agony so I'm very relieved that I don't have to do this again!). I think everything is higher up and clearer now.

I am 19+5 and only really felt the baby move for sure last night so (if that means anything) don't worry too much. I have an anterior placenta, which may be why - but people who don't sometimes take till 20 weeks plus and nothing is wrong. That's the craziest thing about this pregnancy business - different women can have such different experiences/ symptoms.

There's not much we can do except wait, but there's lots to be excited about - really hope it goes well for you.

Ah, just realized this was a fairly old post so you'll be all through it and out the other side now - how was it (if you ever see this again)?!

How were all your scans? I'm terrified about my upcoming 20wk scan in a month xx