20 week scan reassurance

[2020ftm]

I know everyone’s situation is completely different, so this might not be the case for everyone but I wanted to share my anomaly scan experience in case it helped give anyone else any reassurance.

I was told by the sonographer at my 20 week scan that my baby probably had an anomaly on it’s spine - possibly an extra bone or a kink in the spine. The report I was given had some scary words which I googled (silly me) and scared myself with all the possible outcomes for my baby.

We had to wait 3 weeks to see the consultant for a 3D scan to find out what was going on and the next steps. The consultant said the baby is growing perfectly and she has no concerns about the spine or anything else, so we are massively relieved.

A few friends told me they knew people who had suspected anomalies picked up at 20 weeks too and it turned out to be fine.

I fully appreciate that this isn’t the case for everyone and we are very lucky but I thought it was worth sharing for a bit of reassurance in case anyone is in a similar situation

Hi OP,

Glad to hear everything looked well on your 3D scan - it must have been a really anxious time for you!

Just bumping this as hopefully others will come along too.

At my 20 week scan, an anomaly was picked up. It was very confusing and overwhelming. The sonographer said she could see a cystic area on the babies kidney, or could be on the babies ovaries. Bearing in mind I didn't know the sex of the baby at this point and assumed she had given the game away.
I left confused and worried. In the car my husband and I found out we are actually having a boy - she was very confident of this in the scan room when writing it down for us. Even more confusion!! Boys don't have ovaries, and the cyst I could see was definitely on my baby and not me!

I went for a follow up scan the following week and it was much more reassuring. They could see the very minuscule cyst was clear of any organs, and likely sat by his boy bits internally (definitely a boy!). They had no concerns at all and believe it will go away on its own. Being scanned again at 30 weeks just to check. All in all, baby is looking perfect.

Not quite the same, but just wanted to reassure you you're not alone in having a concerning 20 week scan to find out everything is actually alright!

Thank you for sharing. That sounds super confusing!! Great that you’ve had some reassurance too and that baby is looking good :)

I always just hear everyone’s happy stories about their 20 week scans (which is amazing), so I felt so down and worried after our one.

Just thought it might help reassure people that even if there is something seen on the scan it doesn’t necessarily mean anything’s wrong with the baby. I struggled to find anything reassuring examples for myself during my frantic panic searches!

OP, I had a 26 week growth scan because of the anxiety medication I was on. Well, thanks to that I had a very anxious two months following as a brain abnormality was picked up that could have had very serious implications. Endless visits to the Children's and Women's hospitals which were v stressful. In the end it resolved itself as 25% of cases do, and DS is a very happy and healthy little baby.

Ironically, if we hadn’t had the scan due to my anxiety meds, we would have been spared an awful lot of anxiety!

I can’t speak to your individual situation, but you have my sympathy as it is so stressful. I hope you receive some reassuring news soon!

Oh sorry, I misread the end of your post! Glad all was sorted for you, too

That sounds so stressful, sorry to hear that. I’m so pleased to hear everything is ok with baby now though. That’s lovely to hear :)